8 4 
It will be remembered that the Society took up the question 
of the preservation of Barrow Island as a fauna and flora reserve. 
The island is of great scientific importance as it contains species 
of animals which are unknown in any other part of the world. 
It was proposed by the Government to include the island in a 
lease to be granted to Mr. Barron Rodwav. I he Council entrusted 
the matter to me. Through the introduction of Mr. Arthur Male, 
M.L.A, 1 had an interview with the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Connolly 
who listened to my arguments with sympathy. As a result, on 
the gth March, I received a letter from the Under-Secretary, saying 
that the request that the island should be excluded from the lease 
was granted and also that it would be declared a Class A Reserve, 
which means that its purpose cannot be changed without an Act 
of Parliament. 
It is necessary for me now to say something about our 
change of quarters'. For a Society of this kind to be carried on 
successfully two rooms are necessary— one, a large One, in which 
general meetings can be held; another, smaller one, in which .. 
our library and collections can ke kept and in which Council 
meetings can be held. This room must be for our use exclusively, 
while the lecture-room need not be. On the 8th of September 
last we received a notice from the Museum Committee that the 
lecture room used by us at the Museum would be required for 
Museum purposes. Endeavours were made to lind another room 
in the same building. Rooms were there, but we could not get 
granted to us the essential condition that the small room should 
be accessible at all times to members and the public. It was 
plain, therefore, that we had to leave the Museum. Hopes 
were held out to us by the Director of Technical Education 
that he might be able to give us accommodation at the new 
Technical School, but he was not able to fulfil his words. The 
Hon. the Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Mitchell, and his I’nder- 
Secretary, Mr. McNulty, received us gladly and with sympathy, 
and have granted us the use of the room in which we now are for 
our meetings, and also the small room for our exclusive use, in 
which are stored our Library and Collections. This room is 
now open to members and to the public at all times, and it is 
hoped that good use will be made of it, for we have a really 
good library. 
Ladies and Gentlemen, this slight review' of the year that has 
passed shows that this Society has become re-invigorated. We 
have had a series of papers read before us of high standard and 
scientific value. Our excursions have been well attended and of 
great interest ; our meetings also have been well attended. The 
number of members has increased from 6i to 90. We have 
permanent and reasonably comfortable quarters and I have 
personally the confident feeling that a solid foundation has this 
year been laid for the future to build upon. 
