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Commissions and Sub-Commissions : There were three Commissions — Administration, External Relations, and Programme and Budget. Eight Sub-Commissions were formed to study the working plans submitted by the Secretariat, to adopt resolutions and prepare reports for consideration by the Programme and Budget Commission. The New Zealand delegation was represented on all three Commissions and on seven of the Sub-Commissions. Mr. Holcroft was elected Vice-Chairman of the Sub-Commission on Social Sciences. Procedure Committee (Chairman : Mr. Jacob Denmark) New Zealand was represented by Mr. Cairns. The work of the Committee is the subject of a separate section of this report (see page 23). Joint Committee on Publicity and Publications A special body known as the Committee of Fifteen (5 representatives from each of the three Commissions) was appointed by the General Committee to consider information services and publications policy. Mr. Holcroft was appointed to this Committee. OPENING SESSION The third session of the General Conference opened on 17 November in the presence of H. E. Cheikh Bechara El-Khoury, President of the Lebanese Republic. During the first plenary' session an attempt was made by the Arab delegations to exclude certain non-governmental Jewish organizations from the privilege-of sending observers to the Conference but the situation was handled diplomatically, and the motion was later withdrawn. The report of the Director-General was presented for adoption. In the formal debate which followed there was much comment in general terms, and the prevailing mood seemed to be a tempered optimism. Criticism was concerned mainly with the following points : (i) The high costs of administration. (ii) The effect of these costs on budgetary allocations for programme development. (iii) The slowness with which practical and measurable results are being achieved. (iv) The wide scope of the programmes. The smaller States were more critical than the larger. In the address given by the leader of the New Zealand delegation (Mr. R. G. Ridling), emphasis was placed on the need for an economical Budget and for a greater degree of realism in programme activities.