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.

At least as early as 1940, it was realised by the Department of the Interior that the reserves of suitable rock (shale or slate) in the pit adjacent to the Canberra Brickworks were limited. A decision was made to find a temporary site to provide sufficient material to supply the brickworks for two years. A site at Deakin, 1700 yards by road east from the existing brickworks was selected and was recommended by Dr. W.G. Woolnough in 1940 as suitable, subject to testing by costeans and pits. A survey of the area in the subdivision of Deakin, Canberra City Area, was then arranged and was made during March and April, 1944, the object being to determine if there were sufficient reserves of suitable material to supply the Canberra brickworks for a period of not less than two years. This report describes the results of this survey.

Results of a microscopic examination of cores from bores Nos. 153, 155, 169, and 171, parish of Maryvale, Nos. 99, 103, and 109, parish of Loy Yang and No. 31, parish of Hazelwood.

During the period August 1942 - August 1943, a boring campaign was conducted in the Coorabin section of the coalfield by the Commonwealth Coal Commission. The boring was done by the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission of New South Wales under the supervision of the Mineral Resources Survey Branch of the Department of Supply and Shipping. When the Coal Commission withdrew, and before the plant was removed from the field, an additional bore was put down by the Department of Supply and Shipping in the Oaklands section of the field. This report contains the results of analyses of the bores.

Gibsonvale tin field is situated approximately three miles southeast of the village of Kikoira. This preliminary report was prepared following an examination of the tin field by the writer. Aspects of the general and economic geology of the field are discussed herein.

This sample of bryozoal marl from Montagu, Tasmania, was collected by Mr. F. Canavan. It contains a faunal assemblage typical of the Balcombian Stage of the Middle Miocene as found in Victoria and can be referred to Longford substage of the Balcombian.

The area was visited in company with Mr. R.S. Matheson of the Geological Survey of Australia in December, 1942, when eleven pigmatite bodies bearing mica and beryl were examined. The report furnished after that visit (1943/2), gives details of access, topography, climate and vegetation which are not repeated here. In view of the urgent demand in Australia for "strategic" mica, i.e. mica of quality equivalent to Clear and Commercial-clear, it was recommended that one deposit at Yinnietharra should be opened and prospecting of others carried on simultaneously. As a result of these recommendations, the Deputy Controller of Mineral Production started mining operations on the selected dyke by open-cutting in June, 1943. Although it was stressed in the abovementioned report that poor exposure of the dyke, on which there were no workings, rendered any estimate of the probable yield of marketable mica speculative, the results actually obtained were far below expectations, and a heavy financial loss on the project was incurred. Consequently, while the question of abandoning the mine was under consideration, a detailed examination of the workings was carried out in June, 1944, again in the company of Mr. Matheson, and the results of this investigation, which was not wholly confined to geological aspects, are embodied in the present report.

The Curragundi Bore is situated in Portion 15, Ph. Gingham, County Benarba, 12 miles east of Four Posts No. 2 Bore and 11 miles west of Midkin No. 3 Bore. It is about 40 miles southeast of Boronga No. 2 Bore reported upon 30/5/42. The samples examined for micro-fauna were taken from the depth of 50 feet down to 2107 feet 6 inches. The results of this micro-examination are recorded in this report.

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.

This deposit was examined in company with Mr. L.C. Ball, Chief Government Geologist of the Queensland Geological Survey on Wednesday, January 5th, 1944. It has previously been described in some detail by H.G.S. Cribb of the Geological Survey. Since Mr. Cribb's examination was made, the workings southwesterly from the shaft have been extended somewhat, but the owners, Messrs. Elver Bros., at the time of our visit were proposing to abandon that shaft on account of water and the fact that the drives were too long for economic working. The mining method used is expensive, slow and inefficient. Less than 50%, probably only about 30% of the bentonite is recovered by the existing procedure. This report details the origin of the deposits and proposals for future testing.