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Philosophical Institute of Canterbury.
Fourth Meeting: 2nd August, 1911.
Present: Mr. A. M. Wright, President, in the chair, and eighty others.
New Member.—Mr. S. S. Blackburne.
Kapiti Island Sanctuary.—The following resolution was carried: “That the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury desires to express its cordial approval of the enlightened action of the Government in declaring Kapiti Island a sanctuary for the birds and animals of New Zealand, and hopes that the proposal to use it as a holiday resort as reported in the Lyttelton Times of 1st August is not seriously contemplated. Its reservation as a sanctuary is already widely known and cordially approved by naturalists throughout the world, and specially so seeing that it is ideally situated for the purpose. Its use in the manner proposed not only would inevitably undo all the good which has resulted from its original reservation, but it would be universally regarded as a retrograde step, and out of keeping with the admirable policy of the Government in providing adequately for our native fauna and flora.”
Paper.—Observations concerning Evolution derived from Ecological Studies in New Zealand.” By Dr. L. Cockayne, F.L.S.
The paper on which the address was based had been previously circulated amongst members, as the details were too numerous and technical for submitting to a mixed audience. The following heads were dealt with: Elementary species, variation, mutation, epharmony, persistent juvenile forms, hybridization, the struggle for existence, distribution of species, and evolution in the genus Veronica. The address was illustrated by forty lantern-slides.
A critical discussion followed, in which Drs. Hilgendorf and Chilton and Messrs. Laing and Andersen took part.
Fifth Meeting: 6th September, 1911.
Present: Mr. A. M. Wright, President, in the chair, and forty others.
New Member.—Mr. T. D. Burnett.
Addresses.—1. “Bogs and their Bearing on Climate.” By Mr. R. Speight.
The lecturer gave a résumé, of the work which has been done recently in Sweden, Scotland, and the United States in this department of science, and sketched the general tendency of the conclusions as to the variations of climate since the last period of glaciation. A number of lantern-slides were shown illustrative of bogs and peat-deposits in various parts of the world, including New Zealand, and the lecturer expressed a hope that it might be possible to examine some of our own bogs by modern methods.
2. “Modifications of Deep-sea Fish to suit their Environment.” By Mr. Edgar R. Waite.
The lecturer gave a most interesting account of the modifications of deep-sea fish to adapt themselves to their condition of life, and specially to the effects of pressure in the abyssal depths, and to the absence of light. A number of excellent
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slides showing the grotesque varieties of form and the lures with which these fish attract their prey, and the modifications of the mouth and stomach to deal with it when caught, were displayed on the screen.
Papers.—1. “A Redescription of Aegaeonichthys appelii.” By Edgar R. Waite.
2. “Miscellaneous Notes on some New Zealand Crustacea.” By Dr. Charles Chilton.
Exhibit.—A specimen of Veronica lycopodioides was exhibited and described by Mr. R. Nairn, who said that the specimen under consideration had been grown in a greenhouse from cuttings, and had put forth not only larger leaves than it usually showed when growing wild, but also the leaves of the ordinary form. This he attributed to the influence of the warm, still, and damp atmosphere of the greenhouse.
Sixth Meeting: 4th October, 1911.
Present: Mr. A. M. Wright, President, in the chair, and seventy-five others.
New Members.—Misses Sanders and Izard, and Mr. Henry Suter.
Address.—“Profit-sharing.”
The lecturer in his introductory remarks said that neither employer nor employee was satisfied with the present wages system, but he was not in a position to formulate a remedy for the defects of that system. The lecturer dealt with the nature of capital and with the evolution of the modern industrial system. He said that socialism, co-operation, and profit-sharing had been suggested as remedies for the present defects. His personal opinion was that though compulsory socialism might be successful in equalizing the division of products, it is certain that there would be less products to divide than at present. Co-operation had failed generally because of the rarity of organizing and directing ability. Profit-sharing was a modification of the wages system which made the worker a partner to a specific extent in the profits realized.
The speaker gave instances of cases in which profit-sharing had been tried in industries. He gave full details of the following cases—the French house of Le Clair, of the Pillsbury Flour-mills in Minnesota, of the South Metropolitan Gas Company in London—and brief reference to numerous other cases where the scheme had been successful, as well as to others where it had been unsuccessful. In conclusion, the lecturer said that the examples he has quoted led him to consider that profit-sharing was practicable and advisable. It was necessary that any arrangement made should have an element of permanency, and should not be dependent upon the arbitrary action of the employer. Every system should be suited to the business to which it was applied. The ideal trade-union would be that in which employer and employed were united to advance the interests of the industry by which they earned their livelihood.
At the conclusion of the address Dr. Hight pointed out that in estimating the effects of profit-sharing they must inquire whether the conditions prevalent in any two businesses were quite the same. In some cases success was partly due to the business having a partial monopoly, as in gas companies, and in other cases to special organizing ability. He also pointed out that there had been a steady decline in profit-sharing in England, and that the method was only a palliative and gave no ultimate solution of the labour problem
The lecturer was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.
Papers.—1. “New Plant-habitats,” Part VII. By Dr. L. Cockayne.
2. “Descriptions of New Species of Plants.” By Dr. L. Cockayne. (See page 50.)