A N. Z. ASSOCIATION OF SCIENCE. 149 
and not of great names. Every man on the cammittee should 
be chosen because of his known capacity as an organiser and 
worker, and no man should be on it merely because he isa “ Sir ” 
or an M.L.C. or M.H.R., or a luminary of the Church guileless 
of all scientific work. The Association should be very broad in 
its aims, embracing all workers, and shutting out no one. The 
Council should be elected by ballot. The meetings of the Asso- 
ciation should be so governed as to be of interest to all. Very 
much benefit would often follow if it were agreed, as is often 
done in the medical societies in London, that some expert should 
read a paper on a topic of great general interest at the time, and 
be followed by a list of speakers, all bringing their special 
knowledge to bear on the subject. Take for instance such sub- 
jects as “ The Whence of the Maori,” read by its author and dis- 
cussed in turn by such men as Colenso, Fenton, Manning, Locke, 
fonn White, |Haast, Hector, Stack, and .others; or, “The 
Resources of the Colony,” by Dr. Hector, and its discussion by 
other leading experts. In the special discussions at the Patho- 
logical and Clinical Societies in London, this plan is frequently 
productive.of good, and leads to a real advance in our knowledge. 
It shows each worker on what varied lines others are working, 
and the bringing together of these varied plans corrects many 
errors, and leads to the breaking of fresh ground. . 
Another way in which such an Association might do good 
would be the publication of a journal, which should be the special 
organ of all scientific workers. The British Medical Journal 
some years since began as a small weekly sheet, the mouth-piece 
of the small Medical Association. It owed something as the 
years rolled on to the help of the Association, but this it has 
fully repaid in every sense. It now is the accredited organ of 
an Association numbering many thousands, and has been of 
much service to the profession. Such a paper would be of ser- 
vice to a large class of people who have little bits of special 
knowledge and make little discoveries of interest, yet not suffi- 
ciently large, perhaps, to form a monograph for publication in 
the over-crowded “ Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.” 
As the “ Transactions” appear only once a year there is a long 
interregum, and some monthly journal is needed to fill the blank. 
In conclusion, after looking at the subject in all its lights, I 
see nothing impracticable, or any actually serious difficulties in the 
way of forming such an association. If, during this winter, the 
various Philosophical Societies would discuss the matter, and 
would send their written opinions to each other, and if they 
would unite, I feel sure that a meeting early next year would 
crown their efforts with success. In starting anything of this 
kind it is very easy to conjure up a host of difficulties, and there 
are those who delight in sodoing ; but if members resolve to 
overlook difficulties, they would soon vanish. Perhaps the best 
way after all will be for someone to take the initiative step, and as 
“everyone’s business is no one’s business,” I will test the feeling 
of the Wellington Society directly after the publication of this 
