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to act as a world clearing-house of information on such topics as scientific apparatus, measures towards standardization, abstracting, and other scientific documentation, scientific films, and the exchange of scientists. It will prepare a world register of scientists and scientific institutes. It will co-operate with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in the forthcoming conference on the conservation and utilization of natural resources. General It will be seen that there is some basis for our fear that the programme of UNESCO is still much too wide. We believe, however, that there is within this programme a solid core of practical projects that are eminently worth while, and that wise administration in the Secretariat and steady pressure from the more realistic member States can, within a year or two, reduce the programme to workable proportions. We feel much happier about it than we did before the Mexico Conference. BUDGET SUB-COMMISSION (Chairman : Dr J. C. Kielstra, Netherlands) The Programme and Budget Commission tried, early in its sessions, to fix a global figure for the budget. The Director-General asked for sߣ million for 1948, exclusive of any contributions to the Revolving Fund. Amounts suggested by various delegations varied from this sum down to $6 million. The New Zealand delegation, with many others, felt itself unable to support either extreme, the lower because it would cripple the Organization, and the higher because it was thought that the Secretariat was not yet sufficiently organized to justify any great expansion of activities. It was decided at an early plenary session to fix a ceiling of $8 million, but to defer deciding on a definite global figure until after the programme had been considered in detail and, if possible, priced item by item. The main tasks of the Budget Sub-Commission were to put a " price tag " on every programme item, to fix priorities where they were not fixed by the full Commission, to eliminate any projects that might bring the total expenditure above the ceiling figure, and to reduce overhead expenditure. In an Organization so young and so complex it proved extremely difficult in the short time available to give a definite figure for the cost of every programme item, but the Sub-Commission, with the assistance of the Secretariat, did a very creditable piece of work and produced a Budget that was a great improvement on that passed in Paris. The global figure, as finally recommended by the Commission and passed by the plenary session,