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The importance and value of this work is that it is designed to ensure that all buildings erected in New Zealand in the future shall be so constructed as to protect persons using or frequenting the buildings or their vicinity against injury, while at the same time establishing the maximum practicable precautions against the economic loss that would result from the destruction of the buildings themselves through lack of resistance to earthquake stresses. Building Divisional Committee. This committee has held two meetings and has appointed several sub-committees, which are giving attention to paints and coatings, and plumbing supplies, while the Government Timber Committee that has been working for many years on standard grading rules for timber has agreed to complete its work within the Standards organization as a sub-committee of the Building Divisional Committee. A further sub-committee is giving consideration to the preparation of standard provisions covering timber insecticides. The Building Divisional Committee has also appointed a sub-committee which is developing a standard code covering light timber construction, and the many inquiries that have been made by local bodies for this code indicate that it will be readily adopted by local authorities when it is progregg hag been made in developing the projects enumerated and their completion should secure great advantages to building and related industries. Thirty draft standard specifications have been considered by this committee, eighteen haying been endorsed for adoption as Now Zealand standards when they are finally issued as standard specifications, subject to consideration of any amendments that may be incorporated in the meantime, and eight standard specifications have been recommended for adoption as follows BS S No 242/1936 .. . ■ • • • • Linseed oil for paints, including — ' ' No. 242 : Refined linseed oil. No. 243 : Raw linseed oil. No. 259 : Boiled linseed oil. BSS No 244/1936 Turpentine (types 1 and 2) and ' white spirit—Add. Nov., 1936, including — No. 244 : Turpentine, type 1. No. 245 : White spirit. No. 290 : Turpentine, type 2. B.S.S. No. 217/1936 .. • • • • • • Read lead for P aints - B.S.S. No. 254/1935 < . • • • • • • zinc oxide (^P OB 1 and 2 )- Chemical Divisional Committee. Five meetings of this committee have taken place and its work has been consistent and effective, it having examined twenty-nine draft specifications, twenty-five of which have been endorsed as suitable for New Zealand conditions. It has also examined four standard specifications, which have been recommended for adoption as New Zealand standards, as follows . B.S.S. No. 701/1936 .. •• •• •• Brewers'flasks. BSS No 691/1936 .. •• •• •• Clinical maximum thermometers. BSS No 443/1932 .. •• •• •• Testing of the zinc coating on galvanized wires. B.S.S. No. 718/1936 .. . • • • • • Density hydrometers. A specification covering meat meal for stock food is also well advanced. The effect of the work, with which this committee has made such a good beginning, is to establish provisions guiding the use of equipment and processes for testing types of materials that must render this work more uniform and no doubt more economical. Civil Engineering Divisional Committee. Thirty-four draft specifications have been examined by this committee in collaboration with the Mechanical Engineering Divisional Committee, and three meetings have been held. Through the activities of a sub-committee a specification tor galvanized (zinc-coated) fencing-wire has been developed, covering strength and quality of zinc coating, and is at present in circulation. After consideration of the comments received, any desirable amendments will be made. This specification will become tentative New Zealand Standard foi galvanized fencing-wire as from the \ further sub-committee has m course of preparation a New Zealand Standard for loads and stresses for bridges, on similar lines to British Standard Specification No. 153, Girder Bridges, which is not wholly applicable to New Zealand conditions. The Civil Engineering Divisional Committee has also under consideration standard conditions of contract for civil engineering works, finalization of which will do much to eliminate the duplication of cost and effort in the preparation of different individual contracts relating to civil engineering works.

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