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Forestry returned to Pittsburgh, in order to co-ordinate work on the two separate sections of the Murupara project being planned and designed by Mr. W. H. Rambo and the Rust Engineering Co. He, too, later visited the Pacific North-west and British Columbia, and with Mr. W. H. Rambo examined various logging, milling, and pulp and papermaking operations not examined by the other two members of the delegation before his return to New Zealand on 3rd July. PART lI—ORGANIZATION AND CONDUCT OF CONFERENCE A. DESCRIPTION OF CONFERENCE General (1) The Preparatory Conference on Wood Pulp assembled in the Windsor Hotel at Montreal, Canada, on Monday, 25th April, and remained in session until Wednesday, 4th May, 1949. It was attended by delegates from twenty-one Governments, by observers from ten Governments, and by representatives of UNESCO and ILO. They were welcomed by representatives of His Majesty's Canadian Government, the Canadian National FAO Committee, and the Canadian pulp and paper industry. The DirectorGeneral of FAO, Mr. Norris E. Dodd, opened the proceedings with an address on the main elements of the world situation which had caused his Organization to convene the Conference. Mr. R. W. Fowler, President of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, was elected Chairman of the Conference, and M. M. du Yignaux, of France, and Major C. F. Skinner, M.C., of New Zealand, as Yice-Chairmen. Proceedings (2) Only three plenary or bilingual sessions were held, the greater part of the remainder of the work being carried out by the Conference in committee. Only two technical committees were set up, one to consider the possibilities of using tropical woods for pulping, and the other to consider the pulping of straw. During the opening plenary session most of the participating delegates provided the Conference with statements outlining the main features of the wood-pulp situation in their respective countries, following which the Conference went into committee to assemble and discuss regional and world statistics relating to production and consumption and trend in wood-pulp and pulp-wood. Later during the Conference another plenary session was held to receive a message from the Director-General of UNESCO on the serious social and political repercussions of inadequate supplies of newsprint and printing-papers which existed in many lands, forming effective barriers to the development of education, restricting the freedom of the press, and hampering healthy political growth. Following the final assembly of regional and world statistics, the Conference in committee formulated a report for adoption at its closing plenary session. Entertainment (3) Official receptions were tendered by His Majesty's Canadian Government and by the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association. Numerous informal receptions were organized by various delegations in order to exchange views on points of common interest not covered by the Conference. The United Kingdom delegation entertained Commonwealth delegates on the occasion of the Indian agreement to remain within the Commonwealth. The New Zealand Minister in Canada, Mr. James Thorn, held a reception in honour of the Hon. C. F. Skinner in order that the New Zealand colony in Montreal might have an opportunity of meeting the Hon. the Commissioner of State Forests and other delegates to the Conference.

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