Ninth Annual Meeting. 77 



From the above it is evident that if the publications of the Institute are to be 

 issued in a style comparable to that of the previous three years, then additional 

 funds must be obtained. An increase in the statutory grant payable by Parliament 

 would solve all difficulties and enable the Institute to print its Transactions in a 

 proper and creditable manner. The present grant of £'500 per annum dates from 

 18G8, when the circumstances of the colony were very different from what they are 

 now, and when the entire membership of the Institute amounted to only 178. At 

 the present time there are no less than nine incorporated societies, all actively 

 engaged in carrying out the objects of the Institute, each in accordance with its 

 local requirements, and possessing a total membership of not less than 1,000. Their 

 growth has naturally been accompanied by increased duties and responsibilities, 

 which tax their resources to the utmost ; but all such demands have been cheerfully 

 met. On the other hand, notwithstanding the lapse of forty-five years and the 

 altogether changed conditions, the Government grant is the same as in 1868. It is 

 only reasonable that the subsidy should be made more proportionate to the amount 

 raised by private subscription by the incorporated societies and expended on the 

 purposes of the Institute. 



During the last session of Parliament an attempt was made to induce the 

 Government to enlarge the grant, but, from a variety of causes, no satisfactory 

 result was obtained. Another application is now being made, which I trust will 

 prove more successful. I would suggest that this meeting should consider what 

 steps ought to be taken to support the proposal. The affiliated societies can exer- 

 cise considerable influence on members of Parliament, and a concerted attempt, if 

 carefully organized, would probably prove successful. In the meantime I should 

 recommend that as large a portion as possible of the Government Printer's account 

 should be paid, and that the rest should stand over until the fate of the application 

 is known, or possibly until the receipt of the grant for this year. 



The report of the Standing Committee, shortly to be placed before you, suggests 

 certain savings in the expenditure, and alludes to a possible levy on the funds of 

 the affiliated societies. I am strongly of opinion that such a course is altogether 

 inadvisable, and should only be adopted as a last resource after all other plans have 

 failed. It is to the affiliated societies that we must look for the progress of the 

 Institute. They provide the material for the annual volume, they carry out the 

 work of the Institute in their separate districts, and they have in most cases entered 

 into obligations which absorb the whole of their income. To levy contributions 

 upon them is to arrest progress and create dissatisfaction, without effecting any 

 permanent improvement in the position of the Institute. 



The separate publication of the Proceedings, and their great enlargement, are 

 responsible for much of the increase in our printing bill. Most of us will cordially 

 welcome the improvements in the Transactions proper ; but I think it will be diffi- 

 cult, under present circumstances, to justify the additional expenditure on the Pro- 

 ceedings. After all, a considerable part of the material printed therein is of 

 ephemeral value. Five years hence few people will be interested in the doings at 

 the meetings of the various branches of the Institute, provided that all papers of 

 permanent value are published in the Transactions. Something can be said in 

 favour of printing notices of scientific memoirs relating to New Zealand published 

 outside the Dominion, but even in that case there is little necessity for lengthy 

 abstracts, the main point being to draw attention to the memoir, and to state where 

 it can be seen in the Dominion. As for the publication of short papers in the 

 Proceedings, if such possess any permanent value, they ought to form part of the 

 Transactions, to which they properly belong, and where they would be naturally 

 sought for. If, as appears to be the case, the funds at the disposal of the Institute 

 are insufficient to print both Transactions and Proceedings in the style now being 

 followed, then it is clearly with respect to the latter that retrenchment should take 

 place. 



Leaving the financial position of the society, there are still one or two matters 

 upon which some remarks may be expected. In the first place, I have to announce 

 that a branch of the Institute has been formed at Wanganui, and that you will be 

 called upon to sanction its incorporation, the preliminary steps for which have been 

 taken by the Standing Committee. Wanganui has already shown marked activity 

 in scientific matters, as is evidenced by the establishment of a public Museum and 

 the foundation of a small astronomical observatory. I am sure you will join with 

 me in welcoming the new Wanganui Institute and assuring it of our good wishes 

 for its future success. 



While on the subject of the incorporated societies I ought, perhaps, to state that 

 it is doubtful how far two of the number are complying with the regulations of the 

 Institute. Notice of a motion on the subject has been given by Mr. Hamilton, and 

 I trust that it will receive the careful consideration of the Board. 



