74 Proceedings. 



IMJESJDENTIAI. ADDIJ ESS. 



The t'ollowing- is tlie presidfiiti.il addix'ss tlclivci-ed at the annual 

 meeting of tlie Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute at 

 Auckland, 26th Jannarv, 1011, by A. Hiuiiiltnii, Diiectoi-, Dominion 

 Miiseuni : — 



Gentlemen of the Board of Governors, — It is my duty to lay before you a 

 few remarks relating to the progress of the \\ork of the Institute during the last 

 year, and to supplement in some cases the items whiih yon wiH find in tlie annual 

 I'eport of the Board of Governors and the balance-sheet. 



In aectn-dance with the resolution of the Board passed last year, the Secretary 

 li;is diawn up ii list of the resolutions of the Standing Committee which have the 

 I'nri'c of reguhitions, and these are submitted for the purpose of being put into such 

 form as may be required to bring them into line \s ith the regulations originally 

 gazetted. As I have said before, I think it is our duty to have these duly printed 

 and set forth for the information of members so long as they stand as valid and 

 operative regulations of the Board of ({oveinors. I have suggested that instead 

 of their being dealt with seriatim in this meeting they should be referred to 

 a small committee, who could report later on to the Council, and that we should 

 consider the report of the committee as a whole. 



In the ](>port of the Publication Committee y(ju will find ii good many practical 

 suggestions for the improvement of the Transacti(jns. It is a matter which requires 

 constant attention, and although many improvements have been brought about 

 within the last few yeais, still much might be done with advantage, especially in 

 the way of condensing a good deal of the matter which is now printed in full. 

 The ijuestion of the expense of publishing is also one which will require veiy care- 

 ful consideration, as the publication of Proceedings ((uartcrly increases the total 

 Hiinual cost of publication. 



When in Australiii recently I noticed that there is also ;i movement there in 

 the direction of co-oi'dinatiug the serial pul)lications taken liy the various bodies, 

 :in(i that an effort is being made to avoid the duplication of necessary and ex- 

 pensive works in the collection. The same movement is being initiated in Wel- 

 lington, and the various libraries in that city have agreed to a systematic and 

 mutual co-operation in the procuring of magazines, and have agieed to render them 

 available to all students under certain conditions. By this means a certain amount 

 has been set free for expenditure in magazines not hitherto taken. There are still 

 several important serial publications which are not taken by any Inanch of the 

 Institute oi' liy any public library in New Zealand, and I think it would be within 

 the province of the Institute to ascertain which of these are most necessary and 

 <lesuiible. and to subscribe for them for the library of the Institute, where they 

 would be at the service of students generally. I think also that it would be to our 

 advantage to circulate within the year, if possible in the first part of the Proceed- 

 ings, ;i full list of the periodicals received by the societies, universities, parlia- 

 inentarv and public liluaries. and that the list should indicate how far the back 

 voluDles are available. I do not propose that in the list any of the regular publica- 

 tiong of learned societies, ]3ublic institutions, ;ind luuseums should be included, but 

 a separate list might be published quarterly of these. It is true that all the univer- 

 sities' colleges, and public libraries have not hitherto been asked to agree to render 

 theii- serial publications available under certain conditions, but I feel sure that we 

 are approaching a time when universities and public institutions will do more in 

 this direction "than they have done. In the Librarian's report the necessity is 

 pointed out tor a bibrarian who can give s(mie time to library work and cata- 

 loguing. I must not omit to mention that the Hon. the Minister of Internal Affairs 

 eonsented to the employment of a lady for library work for two months. During 

 that time lists were prepaied showing the ctunpleteness or othei'wise of the most 

 valuable serial publications, and from these lists the missing jiarts can be ordered 

 and procured if possible. 



A sum f)f money has been collected and jjlaced in the hands of the Institute 

 for the puipose of providing a memorial medal and prize in memory of the late 

 Sir James Hector, who devoted so many years of his life to the furtherance of 

 the interests of the Institute. This year, too, the Institute is bringing into opera- 

 tion the memorial fund raised in honour of the late Captain Hutton. whose researches 

 laid such a good foundation in a numliei' of branches of natural history. There is 

 also an application for a grant from the fund in aid of I'esearcli. which will be 

 submitted for your consideration. 



