Reports of the Standing Committee.

I think it is time that the Board should give expression to its recognition of the excellence of the reports that we get annually from the Standing Committee. These reports are full, complete, clear, and admirably drawn up. If any one individual is mainly responsible for the very satisfactory character of the reports, he deserves the thanks of this Board. These reports go a long way, by reason of their fulness and completeness, towards making an address from the President almost a superfluity, and it must often be a matter of some difficulty for a President to find any subject concerning the activities of the Institute during the year which has not already been adequately treated in the report of the Standing Committee submitted to the Governors.

As to matters reported on in this year's report, Governors will notice with satisfaction that his Majesty the King has been graciously pleased to approve of permission being granted to use the prefix “Royal” in the title of the Institute. Steps would no doubt have been taken promptly to obtain the amendment to the Act necessary to establish the new title, but for the decision of the Standing Committee, arising from afterthoughts and after adequately sounding the opinions of members of the Board, that a more satisfactory complete title would be “Royal Society of New Zealand” rather than “Royal New Zealand Institute.” This decision involved delay while further permission was sought. Though the Institute (for such we must still call it, at least for a time) has behind it a high tradition and a record of valuable work well and faithfully done, the proposed new title would, from its associations, indicate more clearly the special work of the Society, and distinguish us more clearly from the numerous “Institutes” that exist. The proposed new title would bring its own traditions from the Old Country, and, in itself, would do much to urge the Institute to increase its efforts to promote the interests of Science.