The majority of the foraminiferal species in the samples submitted have been found in the drill cuttings from the Artesian Bores around Bourke and Mungindi in northern New South Wales and the tests are in the same condition of preservation. The species recognised in these samples are listed in this report.

In the search for oil in Queensland, Drillers Limited, a subsidiary of Oil Search Limited, Sydney, put down a deep bore at Hutton Creek near Injune, in the parish of Simmie, county of Westgrove and 60 miles north of Roma. Drilling operations, which began in 1935 and ceased in 1938 when the depth of the bore was 4,688 feet, were carried out with a Commonwealth Government plant. The major part of the drilling was done by the percussion method, but cores were taken at various depths down to 4,678 feet. No samples were received for microscopic examination until the bore reached the depth of 650 feet, but from this depth to the bottom of the bore-hole, 638 samples of cuttings and cores were examined. Findings from a study of these samples are recorded in this report.

No. 1 Bore, Arcadia is situated in the parish of Arcadia, county of Westgrove, 85 miles north of Roma and 40 miles north-north-east of Injune, the nearest rail town. Drilling operations extended from 1936 to 1939. The Arcadia bore it the second deep bore in Queensland (the first being Hutton Creek bore) from which a comprehensive series of samples has been examined for their micro-faunal content. This examination was carried out on 1,256 samples consisting of drill cuttings taken over every five feet and of cores taken at numerous depths below 4,112 feet.

King Island Scheelite Mine is located on the east coast of King Island and is sixteen miles by road from Currie, the principal port on the island. The open cut method of mining is employed and the mine is an important producer of scheelite. There is scope for greatly increased production from the open cut area alone and with a view towards assessing the full possibilities of the area as a whole, geological and geophysical surveys were started concurrently by the Mineral Resources Survey Branch in June, 1942. The geophysical field work was conducted between 19th June and 10th July, 1942.

A brief report on the occurrence of beryl on Yinnietharra Station, Western Australia was prepared following a visit to the locality in December 1948. That report referred to three deposits: 1) 0.25 to 0.5 mile N.25°W. from The Cairn; 2)0.25 mile S.60°E from the Mica King mine; 3) Rowe's mine, 2 miles southeast from Morrissey Hill. The report stated that 20 or 30 tons of detrital beryl in large pieces could be picked from the surface with ease. It was pointed out that by collecting small pieces and wider search the immediately available tonnage might be doubled. In June 1944, the first two of the above deposits were again visited, as was one on Bidgemia Station not seen on the previous occasion.

Results of a micro-faunal examination of samples from bores Nos. 188, 195, 208, and 213, parish of Maryvale, Victoria.

These investigations were carried out at the request of the Secretary for the Navy. The following report is intended to confirm provisional information made available to naval personnel during and at the conclusion of the surveys. The Fremantle Degaussing Range is situated in Gage Roads near Fremantle Harbour. The position of the coils forming shallow and deep ranges is shown in Fig. 1. Deperming operations were carried out in Careening Cove, Garden Island. The objects of the investigation were twofold. First, to determine the average normal values of the vertical (Z) and horizontal (H) force components of the Earth's magnetic field in that part of the harbour which would be occupied by a ship in passing over the coils, and second, to determine the average normal values of Z and H in the vicinity of Careening Cove, Garden Island.

The Gawler talc deposit is situated about 2 miles south from Ulverston and about half a mile north from Gawler where the bitumen road ends. The lease is held by Messrs. Pearson and Smith, and one man is working on it at present. A geological examination and plane table survey of the deposit was conducted on the 1st May, 1944.

In 1935 Mr. F. Blake of the Geological Survey of Tasmania visited Cape Barren Island in connection with the underground water supply at Franklin Village which is situated on Sanford Bay in the northwest part of the island. He collected a small sample of fossiliferous limestone which he forwarded to the late Mr. F. Chapman who was then Commonwealth Palaeontologist. No examination of the material was made at the time. Recently it came under the notice of the writer who has made a detailed microscopic examination of it. The results of the examination are recorded in this report.

In the years immediately preceding the present war, 75 per cent of the world's production of tungsten concentrates came from southeast Asia; approximately 50 per cent came from China. This production consisted almost wholly of wolfram. With the entry of Japan into the war in 1941 and its occupation of Indo-China, Thailand and Burma, these supplies were cut off from the United Nations. This cessation of supplies made it necessary that all countries amongst the United Nations should make intensive efforts to increase their production of tungsten ores and concentrates. In Australia, the effort was necessary in order that as much tungsten concentrate as possible could, after domestic requirements were satisfied, be exported to Great Britain and the United States of America. As the King Island Scheelite Mine was (and still is) the largest producer of tungsten concentrates in Australia, the possibilities of increased production from the that mine were among the first to be considered.