My dear Prime Minister,

MERINOS IN FRENCH NORTHERN AFRICA

Through some of the activities of the Empire Marketing Board in
connection with stock, a report from a Mr. T. A. Fisher, of
Australia, to the Syndicat d'Etudes pour I'Elevage en Aftique
Occidentale Franqaise about sheep rearing in the French Sudan has
been prepared. A summary of this report has been circulated to the
Research Grants Committee. In case this report has not reached
Australia, I have obtained a number of copies and am enclosing
herewith four. I am sending several copies to Rivett [1] and also
to Gepp. [2]

I had a talk with Walter Elliot [3] about this matter and we came
to the conclusion that it would be very useful to send a really
bright Australian to try to meet Fisher in America and obtain the
whole strength of the position. We also felt that, if the right
man could be found, a good deal of really useful information about
the grasses of the semi-arid area of the French Sahara could be
obtained which would be useful to Australia and indeed to other
parts of the Empire.

It so happens that an extremely suitable man is at present in
England, namely young Trumble [4] the son of Hugh Trumble, the
Cricketer. Young Trumble is on the staff of the Waite Institute at
Adelaide but is over here for a year on an interchange arranged
through the Empire Marketing Board. I have had a preliminary talk
with Trumble, and, subject to the approval of Richardson [5] of
Waite Institute, and of Rivett, I shall try to arrange that
Trumble be sent for a few weeks to look thoroughly into the matter
and to give us a report.

GRASS CONSERVATION

Under separate cover six copies of A. N, Duckham's memorandum [6]
have been forwarded to you. I sent these because, although your
Pastoral Committee [7] might have ceased to function, I think you
would probably like to send a copy to each of the members in a
personal way.

The question of how the Empire Marketing Board can best follow up
Duckham's preliminary investigations will be discussed at the next
Research Grants Committee to be held on July 4th.

C.S.I.R. ENTOMOLOGICAL SCHEME

As you know, Dr. Tillyard [8] is now in this country and he and I
are engaged in discussing the entomological proposal [9] with the
Empire Marketing Board and with the Imperial Bureau of Entomology.

Very unfortunately, Tillyard had put forward a scheme in which he
had entirely ignored the existence of the Imperial Bureau or of
the Parasite Zoo which had been founded in connection with the
Imperial Bureau by a grant from the E.M.B. It was necessary for me
to insist that Tillyard should reconsider that part of his
memorandum and, although he is full of enthusiasm and has many
other delightful qualities, he is rather cantankerous towards his
fellow entomologists. I anticipated a very difficult time with Dr.

Marshall [10], the head of the Imperial Bureau. Fortunately Dr.

Marshall has a considerable quantity of that 'most excellent gift
of charity' and I now think that everything is going smoothly and
that the E.M.B. will be prepared to make the very substantial
grant which the Commonwealth Council has proposed.

E.M.B. ADVERTISING

I am enclosing three 'pulls' of a new line of advertising which
the Empire Marketing Board intends to commence in the Autumn. The
idea is to demonstrate chiefly to persons engaged in some of the
most important industries of the United Kingdom the great
advantage that will accrue to those industries if Empire
development is supported by Empire purchasing. The particular
'pulls' that I am forwarding are the only ones yet available and
refer to the Iron and Steel industry. I think that you will
probably agree that they represent a new and quite interesting
method of presenting the case and I should be very glad to have
any comment that you may care to make on the subject.

Yours sincerely,
F. L. MCDOUGALL