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Economic and Social Council. During these periods of absence the High Commissioner paid brief visits back to Canada to attend to miscellaneous duties connected with the Ottawa Office. In the intervals the Official Secretary assumed charge of the mission as Acting High Commissioner. 4. Office of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Australia The special relationship between Australia and New Zealand* inaugurated by the Australian - New Zealand Agreement of 1944 and facilitated by the permanent Secretariat, has been maintained for the past year, particularly in regard to external policy, defence, civil aviation, and trade. The Office proper, with a total establishment of only five, has undertaken a wifle variety of tasks calling for an equally wide range of ability and knowledge. Exchange of information and frank discussion of matters of external policy is a daily occurrence between the Office and the Commonwealth Department of External Affairs. These are too numerous to mention in detail, but some of the more important questions related to the Occupation of Japan, discussions on policy of the Far Eastern Commission, Japanese reparations, the reopening of trade with Japan through SCAP, Japanese whaling expeditions, inter Commonwealth policy on the Japanese peace settlement, defence of the South Pacific Area, the drawing-up of a trusteeship agreement for Nauru, civil aviation and the South Pacific Air Transport Council, the disposition of former Italian colonies, Antarctic questions generally and the Australian Antarctic Expedition, changes in British Commonwealth policy necessitated by the new constitutional status of India, Burma, and Ceylon, matters affecting Indonesia and South East Asia, matters relating to the United Nations and Trusteeship administration, immigration, nationality, and citizenship legislation. A full coverage of current domestic events in Australia was provided by the Office, including such matters of interest to New Zealand as the legislation to nationalize private banks and the subsequent appeal to the High Court, the record wheat harvest of 1947-48, the vigorous Australian immigration policy, industrial strikes, and the prices referendum. The second meeting of the South Pacific Air Transport Council was held in August, 1947, in Canberra, and attended by representatives of the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Among the topics discussed at this Conference were the transTasman air service, international airports in Fiji, South Pacific Regional Services, and the purchase of new Solent flying-boats for the Tasman service. On August 26 the British. Commonwealth