New Zealand institute Science Congress. 473 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE 

 SCIENCE CONGRESS, I9I9, 



A Series of Meetings of the Members of the New Zealand Institute, 

 HELD IN the Canterbury College Buildings. Christchurch, 4th 

 TO 8th February, 1919. 



Introductory Note. 



By section 9 of the New Zealand Institute Act. 1908, the Board of 

 Governors of the Institute is empowered to make arrangements from time 

 to time for tlie holding of general meetings of the Institute for the reading 

 of scientific papers, the delivery of lectures, and for the general promotion 

 of science in New Zealand by any means that may appear desirable. This 

 section had been inserted in the Act on the suggestion of the late Captain 

 F. W. Hutton. 



On more than one occasion the Board of Governors endeavoured to 

 arrange for general meetings of the members of the Institute, but for 

 geographical and other reasons these efforts were not successful. 



At the meeting of the Board of Governors at Wellington in January, 

 1918, the representatives of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 

 acting on behalf of that Institute, invited the New Zealand Institute to 

 hold a series of meetings in Christchurch early in the year 1919. This offer 

 was accepted, and later in the year preliminary arrangements were made 

 and it was decided that, while the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury 

 would be responsible for the local arrangements, the selection of the papers, 

 lectures, and other matters connected with the meeting should be attended 

 to by the New Zealand Institute through its Standing Committee, and a 

 sub-committee of the Standing Committee was appointed for this purpose. 

 Some progress with the arrangements was made, but in November, 1918, 

 owing to the illness of some members of this sub-committee and other causes 

 the Standing Committee requested the Philosophical Institute to take over 

 the whole of the preparations necessary for the meetings, and thi!> the 

 Council agreed to undertake. 



At the request of the Council, the Mayor of Christchurch, H. Holland, Esq., 

 had previously convened a public meeting of the citizens of Christchurch 

 to consider what steps should be taken to provide for hospitality to the 

 visiting members and for other local arrangements. At a subsequent 

 meeting a Hospitality Committee, an Excursions Committee, and a Finance 

 Committee were set up, and many offers of assistance were received. 



The influenza epidemic during the latter part of the year, and the conse- 

 quent alteration of the dates of the meeting of the Senate of the New 

 Zealand University and of the Matriculation Examination gave rise to 

 unexpected difficulties, but the meeting was successfully held at the time 

 previously agreed upon, 4th to 8th February, 1919, in the Canterbury 

 College buildings, the use of which had been kindly granted by the 

 Board of Governors and the Professorial Board of the College. 



A small handbook containing the provisional programme, the list of 

 officers, and notes for visitors was prepared, and early in January, 1919, 

 was widely distributed among the members of the New Zealand Institute. 



