until 1936, when the Survey was incorporated into the new Department of Mines and Resources. Collins became Chief Geological Consultant to the department. Collins's tenure was a difficult period for the Survey. In his 1975 book Reading the Rocks, historian Morris Zaslow blamed this on poor leadership by Collins, alleging specifically micromanagement, political ineptitude, and narrow vision. W. C. Gussow, a subordinate of Collins at the Survey, countered that when Collins took office the Survey had been weakened in the years prior by World War I, a fire in its headquarters, and a mass resignation by 10 senior geologists. Gussow attributed the Survey's later troubles to budget cuts in 1930 under Prime Minister R. B. Bennett prompted by the Great Depression. While Director, Collins served as President of two important scholarly organisations. In 1929 he was President of Section IV, the Geological and Biological Sciences section, of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1934 he was President of the Geological Society of America. Death Collins suffered health problems long before his death, undergoing a major operation as early as 1926. Nonetheless he carried on with field work for some time before succumbing to kidney failure on January 14, 1937. Bibliography References 1878 births 1937 deaths Canadian geologists Geological Survey of Canada personnel University of Toronto alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni People from Grey County Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Heidelberg University alumni University of Chicago alumni Canadian people of English descent Canadian people of French descent Presidents of the Geological Society of America Canadian expatriates in Germany Canadian expatriates in the United States