Thirty-first Annual Report.

The Board held meetings on the 26th January and 7th September, 1899.

Messrs. Tregear and Mason retired from the Board in compliance with the Act, and there was a third vacancy caused by the death of the late Mr. Maskell. His Excellency the Governor reinstated the two retiring members, and appointed Mr. J. W. Joynt to fill the third vacancy.

The following gentlemen were elected by the incorporated societies to be Governors of the Board for the year—viz., Mr. James McKerrow, Mr. S. Percy Smith, and the Hon. C. C. Bowen.

There are now five vacancies on the roll of honorary members, the vacancies during last year having been caused by the deaths of Sir George Grey, Sir George Bowen, and Sir Frederick McCoy.

The members now on the roll are: Honorary members, 25; Auckland Institute, 163; Hawke's Bay Philosophical Society, 61; Wellington Philosophical Society, 141; Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 75; Otago Institute, 105; Nelson Philosophical Society, 16; Westland Institute, 59; making a total of 645.

The volumes of Transactions now on hand are: Vol. I.(second edition), 233; Vol. V., 8; Vol. VI., 15; Vol. VII., 98; Vol. IX., 98; Vol. X., 129; Vol. XI., 27; Vol. XII., 29; Vol. XIII., 30; Vol. XIV., 53; Vol. XV., 164; Vol. XVI., 164; Vol. XVII., 163; Vol. XVIII., 135; Vol. XIX., 154; Vol. XX., 155; Vol. XXI., 87; Vol. XXII., 89; Vol. XXIII., 163; Vol. XXIV., 167; Vol. XXV., 167; Vol. XXVI., 173; Vol. XXVII., 176; Vol. XXVIII., 180; Vol. XXIX., 450; Vol. XXX., 400; Vol. XXXI., not yet fully distributed.

The volume just published (XXXI.) contains seventy-two articles, and also addresses and abstracts which appear in the Proceedings. The volume consists of 802 pages and 62 plates.

The following gives a comparison of the contents of the present volume and that for last year:—

[The section below cannot be correctly rendered as it contains complex formatting. See the image of the page for a more accurate rendering.]

The cost of printing Vol. XXX. was £416 15s. 9d. for 638 pages, and that for the present volume (XXXI.) £539 6s. 3d. for 802 pages. This amount includes the preparation and printing of the plates.

The treasurer's statement of accounts hereto appended shows that the credits for the year were £,261 2s. 9d., and the expenditure £768 13s. 3d., leaving a balance of £,492 9s. 6d. This balance is already appropriated for the completion of the “Maori Art” (Parts IV. and V.) and other works, the accounts for which are not yet presented.

A consignment of Part IV. of “Maori Art” has just been received from the publisher, and Part V., which completes the work, is already in the press.

James Hector, Manager.