Annual Meeting. 493 



Collection of New Zealand Coleoptera. — On learning of the desire of the New Zealand 

 Institute to have Major Broun's collection of coleoptera retained in New Zealand for 

 a time in order to give entomologists an opportunity to refer to it and determine 

 authentic specimens of as many species as possible, the British Museum authorities 

 wrote, on the 17th March, 1920, agreeing that the collection should be housed in the 

 Dominion Museum for a period of two years. A copy of their letter was forwarded 

 to the Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs, who replied on the 23rd June, 1920, that if the 

 British Museum authorities would agree to extend the period of deposit from two to 

 five years he would agree to find fireproof storage and skilled attention for the collection, 

 and give a permit to export the collection at the end of that period. 



Index to Last Ten Volumes. — The index to the last ten volumes of the Transactions, 

 which had been compiled by a returned soldier paid to do the work by Major R. A. 

 Wilson, D.S.O., had been approved by the Standing Committee after referring it to 

 Professor Kirk and Dr. Cotton, and is in course of publication. 



Dixon's Bulletin of Mosses. — It was resolved that the Publications Committee be 

 authorized to proceed with the publication of Dixon's bulletin on the mosses of New 

 Zealand, the cost not to exceed £60. 



Scheme of Scientific and Industrial Research. — A proposal of the Science and Art 

 Board for a Board of Trustees to control the Dominion Museum, Turnbull Library, 

 Scientific and Technological Library, Dominion Art Gallery, and the publication of 

 scientific and historical papers, including also the control by the same Board of the 

 organization of scientific and industrial research, was considered by the Standing 

 Committee. The committee could not support the association of the organization of 

 scientific and industrial research with the control of the Dominion Museum, &c, and 

 agreed that in case the Government could not see its way to expend the sum recom- 

 mended by the Efficiency Commissioners the following scheme should be approved : — 



1. That the annual sum to be appropriated for scientific and industrial research 

 be £6,000, to be divided as follows : (a) £1,000 should be distributed in small grants to 

 investigators working in the Dominion who were unable to devote their whole time to 

 research; ' (6) £4,000 to £5,000 should be distributed in salaries and travelling and 

 other expenses to those who are able to devote their whole time to carrying out 

 research under approved supervision. 



2. That the distribution of the £6,000 be effected by the New Zealand Institute, 

 subject to such safeguards as the Minister thought best. The salaries paid to investi- 

 gators to be of sufficient amount to enable them to live. 



3. That the scheme of local advisory committees described on page 57 of Mr. Hogben's 

 scheme (National Efficiency Board's Report, Schedule II) should be given effect to. 



4. That the President should make it clear to the Minister that only the smallness 

 of the amount available had necessitated the modification of the original scheme of 

 the Institute as set forth in the National Efficiency Board's report. 



It was left with the President to put the above matter before the Hon. Minister. 



Contoured Topographical Map. — A resolution passed at the last annual meeting 

 urging the necessity of a contoured topographical map was forwarded to the Hon. 

 Minister of Lands, who replied on the 25th October, 1920, that he regretted that owing 

 to interruptions and delays occasioned by the war it had not been possible to organize 

 a staff or to obtain the necessary equipment to undertake this pressing work. 



Catalogue of Scientific Literature. — The resolution of the last annual meeting 

 expressing the view that the catalogue would be of little value without the subject- 

 index, and offering to urge the Government to subsidize a subscription for three further 

 copies of the catalogue, was forwarded to the Royal Society. The society held a 

 conference in September, 1920, to discuss the future of the International Catalogue of 

 Scientific Literature, and the Standing Committee asked Professor Dendy to represent 

 the New Zealand Institute at that conference. Unfortunately, Professor Dendy was 

 able to attend only the opening meeting of the conference, but he forwarded the agenda 

 paper, reports, and balance-sheets which were presented at the conference, and since 

 then the report of the conference has come to hand. 



Regulations to be gazetted. — A committee consisting of Professor Easterfield, Dr. 

 J. Allan Thomson, Mr. C. A. Ewen, and Mr. B. C. Aston was appointed to formulate 

 resolutions of the Institute which have the force of regulations, in order that where 

 advisable they might be gazetted. 



Yellow-leaf Disease in Flax. — A resolution from the last annual meeting urging 

 the Government to take steps to investigate the yellow-leaf in flax, and suggesting that 

 this could best be done by assisting the Cawthron Institute to obtain a plant patho- 

 logist, was forwarded to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, who replied on the 14th July 



