Auckland Institute. 81 



Annual Meeting : 26th February, 1912. 



Mr. J. H. Upton, President, in the chair. 



Annual Report. — The annual report and audited financial statement 



were read to the meeting, and ordered to be printed and circulated 



amongst the members. 



Abstract of Report. 



Membership. — It is satisfactory to state that there has been a considerable influx 

 of new members, the elections during the year numbering forty-eight. On the other 

 hand, fourteen names have been removed from the roll — four from death, eight from 

 resignation, and two from non-payment of subscriptions for more than two consecu- 

 tive years. The total number of members on the roll at the present time is 235, ot 

 whom twelve are life members and 223 annual subscribers. Among the members 

 removed by death, the Council regret to mention the names of Messrs. J. Kirker, 

 W. Gorrie, D. L. Murdoch, and T. Ching. It is hoped that the increase in the 

 number of members will be maintained during the coming year, and will continue 

 to keep pace with the advancing prosperity of the city. 



Finance. — Full particulars respecting the financial position of the Institute will 

 be found in the balance-sheet appended to this report. The total revenue of the 

 Working Account, including the balance in hand at the commencement of the year, 

 has been £1,273 5s. lOd. This is slightly more than £'100 in excess of the income 

 for the previous year, which was £1,170 lis. Examining the separate items, it will 

 be seen that the Museum endowment has yielded in rents and interest on invest- 

 ments the sum of £527 12s. 3d. The revenue from the invested funds of the Costley 

 Bequest has been £392 7s. 6d. The increase in the number of members has naturally 

 led to a corresponding advance in the amount received for annual subscriptions, 

 which stand at £208 19s. The total expenditure has been £1,197 14s., leaving a 

 cash balance of £219 13s. 8d. in the Bank of New Zealand. The special fund sub- 

 scribed by the citizens of Auckland for the purchase of historic Maori carvings and 

 other objects will be alluded to in another portion of the report. The Council have 

 no changes to report respecting the invested funds of the Institute, the total amount 

 of which — £16,379 4s. 3d. — is the same as that announced last year. 



Meetings. — In last year's report it was stated that it had been found necessary 

 to engage St. Andrew's Hall, Symonds Street, for holding the meetings of the 

 Institute. This arrangement has been continued during the year, and, on the 

 whole, has proved satisfactory, both from the point of view of the suitability of 

 the hall and the attendance of members and others. In all, six meetings have been 

 held, at which the following lectures and papers were read and discussed : — 



1. Presidential address, " Free Public Libraries and Museums," by J. H. Upton. 



2. " Sources of Plague in Auckland, and its Prevention," by R. H. Makgill, 

 M.D. 



3. " Heredity," by Professor A. P. W. Thomas, M.A. 



4. " Whirling Discs and their Uses," by Professor F. D. Brown, M.A. 



5. "The Canterbury Plains and Banks Peninsula," by E. K. Mulgan, M.A. 



6. " Description of New Native Species of Phanerogams," by D. Petrie, Ph.D. 



7. " On Danthonia nuda and Triodia Thomsoni," by D. Petrie, Ph.D. 



8. " New Genera and Species of Coleoptera," by Major T. Broun, F.E.S. 



9. " On a New Genus and some New Species of Plants," by T. F. Cheeseman, 

 F.L.S. 



10. "List of Lichens and Fungi collected in the Kermadec Islands in 1908," 

 by W. R. B. Oliver. 



11. "The Geographic Relationships of the Birds of the Lord Howe, Norfolk, 

 and Kermadec Islands," by W. R. B. Oliver. 



Most of the above papers have been forwarded to Wellington for insertion in 

 the forthcoming volume of Transactions. 



Museum. — With the exception of the ten days devoted to the usual annual clean- 

 ing and rearrangement, the Museum has been open to the public daily throughout 

 the year. The attendance of visitors continues to be satisfactory. 



The year has been one of considerable activity in the Museum, and the progress 

 made must be regarded as satisfactory. Numerous additions have been made to 

 the collections, as will be seen from the appended lists, and several of them are of 

 more than ordinary importance. Those selected for exhibition have been carefully 

 and artistically mounted by Mr. Griffin, and have added much to the attractiveness 

 of the institution. 



