THE NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE. ree § 
little faulty perhaps and confusing, but I see no gain in amend- 
ing it. (The Statute Law of the Colony is sufficiently bulky and 
useless as it is, but what caz we expect when our Members of 
Parliament use “ Hansard” for purposes of study). The volume 
of Transactions appears at the mere printer’s cost, the whole of 
the preparatory and editorial work being done gratuitously. The 
manager of the Institute, Dr. Hector, is actually the director of 
a Government department, and was so before the Institute was 
started. If Mr. Thomson thinks that the Colonial Secretary 
should no longer have the control of these particular depart- 
ments, constantly referred to by our mine managers, police 
magistrates, customs officers, and sailors, it will be well for him 
to move or get moved in Parliament that the Board of Governors 
of the New Zealand Institute relieve that Minister, and we 
shall then see whether Parliament thinks it advisable to grant 
his request. Whilst I firmly believe in the necessity of curtailing 
the work and power of the Central Government, yet in this par- 
ticular matter I think we had better leave well alone. In my 
opinion the Colony is not ripe enough for the change contem- 
plated, and I hope Mr. Thomson will agree with me in thinking 
so, and admit his partial misconception of the facts. There are 
really few truly scientific yet good all round men amongst us, 
and I think we expect a very great deal from them and treat 
them very shabbily as regards money matters. I have a per- 
sonal friend, a truly scientific man in his own particular branch, 
who finds it almost impossible to obtain employment in the 
public service. I think, therefore, we should leave matters as 
they are for some time to come with respect to the New Zealand 
Institute. 
Dry River, Wairarapa, April 25th, 1884. 
[I cannot undertake here to reply fully to Mr. Phillips’ criti- 
cisms and strictures, but will only refer to a few points, and trust 
that the matter will receive further examination from other 
members of the affiliated societies. My paper is not so “ full of 
mistakes” as Mr. Phillips imagines, nor do I overlook the essen- 
tial feature of the Institute, seeing that my information is drawn 
chiefly from the Act itself, and that as a member of the Council 
of the Otago Institute for the past nine years, and as hon. secre- 
tary for three or four of these years, I have a pretty good idea 
of the working of the Institute. However, I can leave the Act 
to speak for itself. There the duties of the Board of Governors 
are specified in so many words, and the fact that the Board does 
not do more than administer the grant of £500 voted by Govern- 
ment for the publication of the Transactions, does not alter the 
case that they have certain duties allotted them which they 
never get the chance of attending to. 
Mr. Phillips seems to think that Iam opposed to the Colonial 
Museum, Public Laboratory, and the other scientific departments 
which are under the management of Dr. Hector. Nothing could 
be further from my thoughts or expressed opinions. It is just 
because I, in common with all others who have the scientific in- 
