THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE. 63 
that this duty, which must often be an objectionable one, should 
be undertaken by a committee, who should bear the brunt of any 
ill-feeling thereby generated. Again, authors should have the 
power of revising their own proofs. Once a paper is out of the 
writer’s hands, he does not see it again for months; whereas he 
should have an opportunity, while it is in type, of making any al- 
terations or corrections he might deem necessary. Of course, 
some authors might abuse such a privilege, either by interpolating 
a very large amount of new matter, or by detaining the proofs 
for an unreasonable length of time ; but the Board of the Insti- 
tute would have the ultimate remedy in their own hands. Then 
it is apparent that the work of printing and illustrating the an- 
nual volume of “ Transactions” and other publications of the 
Institute is mixed up with a lot of departmental work of the 
Government, with which it ought to have nothing to do. A per- 
sonal grievance with many authors is the nature and quality of 
the illustrations adopted in the “ Transactions.” The subject is 
a difficult one, and resolves itself into one of pounds, shillings, 
and pence. Some papers can be illustrated by photo-lithography 
very well; but there are others for which this style of work is 
quite unsuitable, and provision for such exceptions should be 
made more fully than it is at present. 
I shall make no comment on the Colonial Laboratory, Wel- 
lington Observatory, or the libraries in connection with the 
museum, as I know but little about them. But there is just one 
point further in regard to all these departments which an outside 
public interested in and anxious for their success would like to 
see amended. That is, that they be kept all separate in their 
working, so that while the manager exercises a general super- 
vision over them, yet each assistant should be directly respon- 
sible for the carrying out of his own special department. And 
along with this, the annual vote of three or four thousand pounds, 
which appears on the Estimates each session, should be carefully 
allotted, and the accounts of each department kept strictly 
separate. 
And all these are matters which, if the Board was properly 
constituted, and looked after its duties, it would have in proper 
working order under due supervision. At present the manager 
not only looks after all these departments, but apparently man- 
ages the Board also. 
In passing all these strictures I hope I shall be acquitted of 
personal feeling in the matter. It is the principle of the consti- 
tution of the Institute which appears to me wrong, and which I 
desire to see altered. And until it is radically altered, I do not 
hope to see any Board, constituted as this one is, acting differ- 
ently. ae 
As to how the change is to be brought about, I can only 
throw out a few suggestions, It is a question for the incorpo- 
rated societies to solve, and until they take the matter in hand, 
things will remain zw statu quo. Concerted action is necessary 
in the matter, and there must be very substantial unanimity in 
