Auckland Institute. 499 



AUCKLAND INSTITUTE. 



At the annual meeting, 24th February, 1919, the annual report of the 

 Council was read and adopted. 



Abstract. 



In presenting the fifty-first annual report of tlie Aiukland Institute and Museum 

 tlie Council can once more direct attention to the steady jirogress of the society, and 

 the increasing interest taken in its operations by the community. 



It is also satisfactory to state that this year has witnessed the successful completion 

 of the attempt to obtain a new site for the Museum, in a situation where it is possible 

 to erect a buildmg free from the many drawbacks and deficiencies of the existing site, 

 and where there is not only room for present needs, but ample space for future extension. 



Members. — Maiialy through the activity of the Hon. E. Mitchelson and Mr. H. E. 

 Vaile, forty-eight new members have been elected during the year. On the other hand, 

 tliirty-six names have been withdrawir from the roll — eighteen from death, eleven by 

 resignation, and seven by non-payment of subscription for more than two consecutive 

 years. The net gain has thus been twelve, the number on the roll at the jiresent time 

 being 462. It may be incidentally mentioned that not one of the other societies 

 incorporated with the New Zealand Institute has a members roll of over 20U. 



The number of members removed by death is far above the average, and includes 

 several who have long been m association with the Institute. Mr. C. Cooper served 

 upon the Council from 1886 to 1894, and contributed several pa^iers on conchological 

 subjects ; Mr. T. Buddie, Mr. M. Casey, Mr. J. W. Ellis, Mr. H. Larkin, and Mr. H. H. 

 Metcalfe have all been of considerable service to the society in one direction or another. 

 It should be mentioned that the Institute still retains on its roll, as dormant honorary 

 members, all tho.se of its subscribers who are at present serving their King and country 

 in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, the number of such being twenty-one. 



Finance. — The total revenue of the Working Account, excluding the balance in 

 hand at the beginning of the year, has been £1,678 13s. 9d. This is a little under last 

 year's amount, the difference being altogether due to a temporary delay in the payment 

 of certain items of interest on investments. Examinmg the various headings, it will be 

 seen that the members' subscriptions have yielded £437 17s., against £420 contributed 

 last year, and being the largest sum yet received from that source of income. The 

 receipts from the Museum Endowment, consisting of rents and interest, have amounted 

 to £656 los. 6d., the previous year's contribution being £713 12s. lid. The invested 

 funds of the Costley Bequest have provided £432 17s. 6d., the amount for the previous 

 year being £453 18s. Id. The total expenditui-e has been £1,717 6s. 9d., being some- 

 what smaller than last year's amount, which totalled £1,763 lis. 4d. It is satisfactorj'^ 

 to state that a sum of £200 has been jjaid in final liquidation of the cost of fitting up 

 the foreign ethnographic hall. The cash balance in hand at the present time amoimts 

 to £127 7s. 6d. 



There is little to rej^ort respecting the invested fimds of the Institute, which have 

 been increased during the year by the sum of £76 Os. 2d., mostly obtained from the sale 

 of some small endowments. The total amount now stands at £22,945 13s. 9d., almost 

 the whole of which is satisfactorily placed in specially selected mortgages or municipal 

 debentures. 



Members are aware that during the last session of Parliament the Institute 

 submitted a petition praying for the refund of a sum of £912, paid under protest as 

 mortgage-tax, on the ground that the income of the Institute, as a scientific body 

 not carried on for private pecuniary profit, was not liable for taxation. The Petitions 

 Committee upheld the contention of the Institute, and recommended the petition to 

 the " favourable consideration of the Government." Notwithstanding this, the Cabinet 

 has decided that " after careful consideration, it was regretted tliat no action could be 

 taken in the matter." 



Meetings. — At the beginning of the session a Meetings Committee was appointed 

 to ascertain how far the Institute could take a more active interest in the dissemination 

 of scientific knowledge by means of lectures. After consideration it was decided to 

 increase the number of lectures, and also to provide, in a tentative manner, for the 

 introduction of courses of lectures in cases where it was obvious that the subject was 



