430 Froc.etdinrjs. 



Annual Meeting : '2Srd Oefoher, 1912. 



Present : Mr. G. V. Hudson, President, in the chair, and about forty 

 members and their fi'iends. 



Annual He port. — The annual report and bahmce-sheet were read and 

 adopted. Ihe report was as follows : — 



Annual Report. 



A special meeting was held on the 1st November, 1911, when Chief Detective 

 Mcllveney and Mr. E. Dinnie, of the Police Department, gave an interesting 

 lecture, illustrated by Inntern-slides, on the finger-print system for the detection 

 of criminals. 



The 1912 session opened on the 1st May, 1912, and ended on the 23rd October, 

 the number of regular meetings being increased from six to seven. 



Of the thirty papers read before the Society, fifteen were entomological, three 

 physical, four geological, one mathematical, one chemical, two astronomical, while 

 four were of a popular nature. 



Since the last annual meeting ten new members have been elected, eleven have 

 resigned, and three have died. The total number on the roll is now 138, including 

 one honorary member and six life members. 



A statement of the receipts and payments for the year ending 30th September, 

 duly audited, was presented with this report. Inclusive of the balance brought 

 forward from last year (£'63 14s. 2d.), the receipts amounted to ±'343 12s. 2d., and 

 the total payments were £'219 12s. Id., leaving a credit balance of £124 Os. Id. 



The Life Subscription Fund has been increased by £20, and now stands at 

 £41 15s. 8d., including interest. 



The Research Fund, including interest, now amounts to £41 9s. 2d. 



Both these funds are invested with the Public Trustee, and, together with 

 the credit balance at the bank, amount to £207 4s. lid. 



The Library Committee recommended that a number of the scientific 

 periodicals should be bound, and missing numbers obtained to complete the sets, 

 and these recommendations are now being given effect to. 



The Council disposed of the Philosophical Mwjazine to Victoria College, and 

 placed orders for the American Journal of Science from 1870, and for the Astrn- 

 p/njsical Journal from its commencement in 1895. 



Arrangements have been made with Victoria College for any member of the 

 Society to have the privilege of using the books in the College library, while the 

 Council offers similar facilities to Victoria College to make use of the Society's 

 library. 



The report of the Librarian shows that the Society receives by purchase or 

 donation twenty-one periodicals, which are available for the use of meml3ers. 



Tongariro National Park. — At the suggestion of Mr. E. Phillips Turner, the 

 Council communicated with the other Philosophical Societies as to the advisability 

 of urging on the Government the importance- -(1) Of having a photo-topographic 

 survey made of the park; (2) of extending the boundaries of the park as proposed 

 in the I'eport by Dr. Cockayne and Mr. Phillips Turner : and (3) of taking steps 

 to acquire the small area of Native land which includes the Ketetahi Hot Springs. 

 In every case the Council's recommendation was strongly supported by the other 

 Societies, and a favourable opportunity will be taken to place the subject before the 

 Government. 



The Council is much indebted to Mr. E. J. Ludford for a valuable donation 

 of books, some forty-four in number, chiefly relating to New Zealand. 



The Astronomical Section has erected an observatory at Kelburne, and has 

 mounted equatorially a 5 in. Cooke refractor, which is now available for use. 



Astronomical Section. — The annual rep-irt of the Astronomical Sec- 

 tion was read by the Secretar}-, Mi'. A. C. Gifford. The President con- 

 gratulated the section on its work. The report was as follows : — 



The chief work of the year has been the building of a small observatory at 

 Kelburne. It consists of an ante-room 12 ft. square, and an instrument-room of 

 the same size, the latter surmounted by a revolving dome. The plans of the 

 observatory were prepared by Mr. J. Campbell, Government Architect, and the 

 work carried out by Messrs. McLean and Gray. The 5 in. refractor is mounted 

 equatorially on an iron pedestal cemented on to a very solid concrete pillar. The 

 telescope was adjusted in time to allow members to make some good observations 

 of Gale's comet. 



