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is directly interested in the South. Pacific Regional Area, and is concerned, to a lesser degree, with adjacent areas. The South Pacific Regional Meeting is to be held in Australia in the first quarter of 1947. Permanent regional offices are to be established by PIC AO in all regional areas. 11. With regard to international collaboration in research and development work in technical subjects, the Assembly approved the action of the Council in creating a Special Radio Technical Division to conduct research and development that may lead to improvements and future standardization in air navigation radio facilities along all international air routes. Representatives of New Zealand have, in the past, attended meetings of various similar National Research Committees and have witnessed appropriate demonstrations. This Division will facilitate wider collaboration in the same respect from an international point of view. 12. With respect to the unification of numbering and systems of dimensional practices, there is a general desire, in the interests of the safety of air navigation, to adopt a uniform practice in units of measurement. Metric and non-metric systems are employed, the latter being used by the majority of States in the field of aviation, but States using the former have continually pressed for universal adoption of that system. In an endeavour to solve the problem a special Committee has been authorized todetermine the handicaps imposed by lack of unification, how agreement can be reached respecting unification of units of measurement, and to report upon steps to be taken to secure application. AIR TRANSPORT 13. Of particular interest to New Zealand are matters upon which it was not possible to reach agreement at the Chicago Conference in connection with the operation of international air transport services. After nine months of exhaustive study, during which time the New Zealand viewpoint was pat forward by the Dominion's representative, the Air Transport Committee presented to the Interim Council a draft as a basis for a " multilateral agreement on commercial rights in international civil air transport " to be forwarded to member States for comment. The study of this draft had reached a stage where it did not fall far short of what it was considered New Zealand might be prepared to accept when the details of the United Kingdom - United States Bermuda Agreement were announced. This announcement somewhat upset the measure of unanimity that appeared up to that time to have been reached. The United States 7 attitude was that it was not prepared to accept any multilateral agreement that did not grant a large measure of fifth freedom, nor did it agree to any international bodv having mandatory powers, but it would support such a body with advisory powers. The result was that agreement upon the draft being transmitted to States for comment could only be reached by it being submitted, not as the basis, but as a basis for an international agreement. From the New Zealand point of view the draft, in its final form, did not provide sufficient safeguards to national airlines commensurate with the privileges granted to international airlines, and this was also the general feeling among the majority of the nations. 14. In Commission and Assembly, however, it was unanimously affirmed that a multilateral agreement on commercial rights in international civil air transport constituted the only solution compatible with the character of the International Civil Aviation Organization created at Chicago. 15. The United States delegation submitted a proposal which, after considerable discussion, was modified and forwarded to the Assembly. This recommended that the appropriate Commission proceed immediately with a frank and open discussion of all the problems involved in developing a multilateral agreement, so that the national points of view of member States may be made known with respect to all matters which may be the subject of such an agreement; that in such discussion the Commission take into account the documentation then or thereafter before it; that discussions resulting therefrom be incorporated into a document which would serve as a basis for further

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