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Volume 60, 1930
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Minutes and Proceedings of The Fourth Science Congress of The New Zealand Institute.

Held at Auckland in the University College Buildings, January 24th to 29th, 1929.

Executive Committee of The Congress.

President: Mr. B. C. Aston, F.N.Z. Inst., Retiring President of the New Zealand Institute.

Committee: The Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute and the Council of the Auckland Institute and Museum.

General Secretary: Gilbert Archey, Auckland Museum.

Officers of The Auckland Institute and Museum.

President: Mr. H. E. Vaile.

Vice-Presidents: The Hon. Sir James Parr, K.C.M.G.; Sir James Gunson, C.M.G., C.B.E.; The Hon. Sir Edwin Mitchelson, K.C.M.G., M.L.C.

Council.

Mr. R. A. Falla, M.A., Mr. C. R. Ford, Mr. J. Kenderdine, Mr. W. Cecil Leys, Mr. A. G. Lunn, Mr. F. Crossley Mappin, Mr. A. T. Pycroft, Professor H. W. Segar, M.A., F.N.Z. Inst.; Mr. W. F. Short, M.Sc.; Professor A. P. W. Thomas, M.A., F.L.S., F.N.Z.Inst.; Professor F. P. Worley, D.Sc.

Representatives of The Auckland City Council.

His Worship the Mayor, George Baildon, Esq.; Mr. M. J. Bennett, Mr. J. W. Court, Mr. S. I. Crookes, Mr. L. A. Eady, Mr. A. J. Entrican, Mr. E. J. Phelan.

Preliminary.

The delegates assembled at Auckland University College at 10 a.m. to receive badges, programmes and copies of the “Municipal Record” (official organ of the Auckland City Corporation), a Special Scientific Number of which had been issued for the Congress by the Auckland City Council with the co-operation of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Notification was given of invitations to visitors from The Lyceum Club, The Remuera Bowling Club, The Takapuna Jockey Club, and The Anniversary Regatta Committee.

As the Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute was holding its Annual General Meeting during this day it had been decided that no congress or sectional meetings should be held until the Official Opening Meeting in the evening.

At 11 a.m. the delegates were entertained at morning tea at Messrs. Milne and Choyce by the Council of the Auckland Institute and Museum.

From 1.30 to 3.15 p.m. visitors were conducted through the newly completed War Memorial Museum Building in the Auckland Domain, and at 3.15 p.m. they were taken to Ellerslie, where they were entertained at afternoon tea by the President (the Hon. Sir Edwin Mitchelson, K.C.M.G., M.L.C.) and members of the Executive

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of the Auckland Racing Club, and were given an opportunity of inspecting the extensive gardens, conservatories and nurseries of the Ellerslie Racecourse.

Inaugural Meeting.

The Inaugural Meeting of the Congress was held in the Auckland University College Hall on Thursday evening, 24th January, at 8 p.m. Mr. H. E. Vaile, President of the Auckland Institute and Museum, was in the chair, and associated with him on the platform were his Worship the Deputy-Mayor of Auckland, Mr. A. J. Entrican; the President of the Congress, Mr. B. C. Aston; the President of the New Zealand Institute, Dr. C. Coleridge Farr, F.R.S.; and the Hon. Mr. G. M. Thomson, M.L.C., F.N.Z. Inst.

Apologies for absence were received from his Excellency the Governor-General, the Rt. Hon. the Prime Minister, the Hon. the Minister for Internal Affairs, and from his Worship the Mayor of Auckland.

On behalf of his Worship the Mayor and the Auckland City Council the Deputy-Mayor extended to visiting delegates a very hearty welcome to Auckland. The President of the Auckland Institute then expressed the pleasure of his Council and of the members of the local incorporated society in being able to invite the New Zealand Institute to hold the fourth New Zealand Institute Science Congress in Auckland. He referred to the many practical benefits which scientists had conferred upon our present civilization, and expressed the best wishes of the Council of the Auckland Institute for the success of the Congress.

At the Chairman's invitation, the President of the Congress, Mr. B. C. Aston, then rose to present the Hector Medal to Professor D. M. Y. Sommerville, in doing which Mr. Aston referred to the work of Sir James Hector and eulogised the distinguished researches of the recipient. Professor Sommerville, in reply, expressed his appreciation of the honour conferred upon him and paid a tribute to the notable studies of preceding holders of the medal.

The Chairman then invited Mr. B. C. Aston to deliver his Presidential Address entitled “Mineral Foods, with Special Reference to our Agricultural Industries.”*

At the conclusion of the address the Hon. Mr. G. M. Thomson, M.L.C., expressed the pleasure of the meeting at having heard such an interesting and informative account of the valuable research carried out by Mr. Aston and his colleagues, and moved that Mr. Aston be cordially thanked for his Presidential Address and that he be asked to allow it to be published in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, which motion was carried with applause.

Before closing the meeting the Chairman offered the hearty congratulations of the meeting to Dr. C. Coleridge Farr, F.R.S., on his election by the Board of Governors to the position of President of the New Zealand Institute. Dr. Farr expressed his appreciation of the honour implied in his election to the Presidency and of the good wishes of the meeting.

[Footnote] *This is published elsewhere in this volume—see pp. 38–53.

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On Friday morning Sectional meetings were held, details of their proceedings being recorded separately. Presidential addresses were delivered at the meetings of the Physics and Chemistry, the Anthropology and History, and the Social Science and Economics sections, while papers were read and discussed at the Geology, Biology and the Agriculture and Forestry sections. On Friday afternoon the Presidential Address was delivered at the Geology section, and papers read and discussed at the remainder.

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