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Canterbury Branch of the Royal Society of
New Zealand.
Abbreviated Report for the Year 1944.
President: Dr. R. O. Page.
Secretary: Mrs. S. W. Boyes.
Membership: The figures for ordinary membership continue to reflect the tendency which has existed for some year—namely, that the number of new members searcely balances the loss by death, transfer. or resignation. At the end of 1943 the membership stood at 133. and the Society has lost 15 members during the current year,“Three by death and two by transfer, one written off and nine by resignation. As against this, only 15 have been added, 13 by election and two transferred from associate membership, leaving the present roll at 133. Associate membership is likewise static, last year's total of nine being lessened by four resignations and two transfers, while only four elections for the year fail to balance this loss. (Figures to October 31.)
Obituary: The Society records with deep regret the loss by death of three of its oldest members. Mr S. Page (father of the retiring President), Mr. F. D. Waller, and Mr. A. W. Beaven. The Council wishes to express its deep sympathy with Dr. Page in the loss of his father.
Council: Ten ordinary meetings of the Council were held during the year.
Coleridge Farr Memorial Fund: Thanks to the efforts of an organising committee, comprising two members of the University Graduates' Association and two representatives of the Society (Dr. R. O. Page and Mr. F. J. T. Grigg), under the direction of Dr. D. B. Macleod, an interim sum of £436 has been collected, and handed over to the Society to administer in trust. The fund is still open to subscription, and the Council hopes to attain the immediate objective of £500; in the meantime thanks are expressed to the many members of the Society and the general public who have subseribed.
By a decision of the Organising Committee on July 5 of this year, which was adopted by the Council on July 17, it was decided that the Fund (preferably the interest only), should be used towards contirring and completing the purchase and binding as from January 1, 1945, of the Proceedings A of the Royal Society of London, and if possible Proceedings B. The approximate completeness of Proceedings A, in the Society's Library. is largely due to the generosity of the late Dr. Farr, who regularly handed over to the Library the Proceedings which he, as a Fellow, received. All publications thus acquired from the Memorial Fund will be the property of the Society, and will be suitably inscribed.
Hilgendorf Memoiral: Members will be gratified to learn that progress is also being made towards a memorial to the late Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, whose activities and whose standing in the Society need no retelling. A Memorial Committee, on which the Society has representation, has decided to produce and publish a biography of Dr. Hilgendorf, for which the necessary funds are being found by commercial and scientifle interests in the wheat industry. The editor will be Dr. O. H. Frankel. and the present intention is to limit the work to 1000 copies.
Programme: In presenting the report of the year's programme, the Council does so in the hope of attracting some expression of opinion from members on what they think should be the general policy of the Society.
For some time the Council has been aware that the number of original papers presented through the Society, for publication in the Transactions has been declining. When the Philosophical Institutes were first formed, and for many years afterwards, the presentation of original papers (and addresses) was regarded as the chief function of any branch. Not only was the number of papers presented greater in itself than the average of recent year in out
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Branch, but few, if any, papers were presented only by title. Perhaps, owing to this constant need to prepare papers, suitable both for interesting a lay audience when read, and for later publication in the Transactions, the published papers of this period often carried a wide and general appeal, and would correspond somewhat to the popular addresses of our recent programmes. The present tendency is not only for fewer papers to be presented but the papers themselves tend to be of more specialised appeal, and the authors appear unwilling to endeavour to interest members by reading them. During this year, of the seven papers presented for publication in the Transactions through this Branch, six were presented by title only, and only one read and explained in full. This exception was the joint presentation by Mr. G. Stokell and Dr. R. A. Falla of their researches into the food habits of New Zealand freshwater shags, and well showed that a specialised paper can be presented in a generalised and not un-interesting manner.
In addition to the presentation of papers for the Transactions, a single evening was devoted to the presentation by Dr. Macleod and Mr. C. R. Russell of papers intended for other publications, a custom which the Council hopes to encourage. Only the ordinary meetings of April and July were devoted to the presentation of papers; that of March took the usual form of the Presidential Address; of September, the Farr Memorial evening; those of May, June, August, October and November took the form of popular addresses. This decline in the presentation, by reading, of original papers which are often specialised, and the consequent increase of addresses which though of wider appeal do not icpresent original progress in science, is not peculiar to the Canterbury Branch, and reflects the changing position of natural science societies in a changing world. In Auckland, Wellington and Otago the problem has been to some extent overcoine by the division of the membership and the programme into specialist sections. Each section runs its own programme, and presents its papers to an audience of those specially interested, while the popular addresses, Annual and Presidential Meetings which are run by the Branch as a whole are attended by all sections. For this division into sections a certain minimum membership is required, and the membership of the Otago Branch, as the smallest which maintains the sectional organisation, is about 170.
The Council therefore places before the Annual Meeting, for its consideration, the suggestion that the present membership might justify division into two sections, one in Biology, and one in Social Science (others to be formed if and when circumstances permit).
The following addresses were given at the ordinary meetings of March, May, June, August, September, October and November respectively:— “Materials of the Future” (Presidential Address), Dr. R. O. Page; “Insect Behaviour and the Applications of Entomology,” Dr. D. E. Miller; “Psychological Medicine,” Dr. M. Bevan-Brown; “Geology from the Air,” Dr. R. S. Allan; “Life and Work of Dr. Farr,” Professor A. H. Tocker, Mr. H. F. Baird, and Dr. D. B. Macleod; “Geography and Land Planning,” Mr. K. B. Cumberland; “Genetics: Recent Advances and Their Application,” Dr. O. H. Frankel.
The following papers were presented, by title, for publication in the Transactions:—March: “Palaezoic and Mesozoic Brachiopod Fauuas in New Zealand, with an Index to the Genera and Species.” R. S. Allan. “The Survey and Classification of Land in New Zealand,” K. B. Cumberland; “Systematic Arrangement of the (N.Z.) Galaxiidae. G. Stokell. May: “Protozoa in New Zealand Termites,” F. R. B. Nuise; “The Genus Prorhitrcus in New Zealand,” E. Percival. November. “Reference List of the Rotatoria of New Zealand, With Ecological Notes,” C. R. Russell.
The following papers were presented:—April: “Van der Waal's Equation and the Compressibility of Molecules,” D. B. Macleod. (For Transactions of the Faraday Society of London.) “The Application of Suction Gas-Producers to Automobiles,” C. R. Russell. (For Transactions of the New Zealand Institution of Engineers.) July: “Investigation of the Stomach Contents of New Zealand Freshwater Shags,” R. A. Falla and G. Stokell. (For Trans. Soc. N.Z.)
Lectutes to Secondary Schools: Judging by the size and keenness of the audiences, the most successful effort of the Society to popularise science was the winter programme of six evening lectures, revived for the first time since 1940. Invitations were extended to all Christchurch secondary schools, and
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the response was so great that each school had to work within a quota. The use of Room 15 was kindly granted by Canterbury College, and audiences of between 130 and 200 gathered regularly to hear the lectures, which were as follows:—June 9: “Geography of Christchurch,” Mr. K. B. Cumberland. June 16: “New Zealand Bird Life,” Mr. L. W. McCaskill. June 23: “Everyday Electricity,” Mr. E. Hitchcock. June 30: “Materials of the Future,” Dr. R. O. Page. July 7.“Human Heredity,” Dr. O. H. Frankel. July 13: “Races of Mankind,” Dr. I. L. G. Sutherland.
The Council wishes to record its thanks to the lecturers who in each case went to some trouble to prepare an informative and interesting address.
Riccarton Bush: The Board of Trustees of the Riccarton Bush again reports that the operations during the past year have been confined to general maintenance. Owing to conditions indirectly caused by the wai the Board has been unable to carry out projected improvements.
Hon. Librarian's Report: At the time of the last Annual Report the bound volumes of journals had been moved to their places in the College Library, in terms of the 1942 merger agreement. During the current year the books have been moved, after being catalogued, classified and labelled. Some, which are valuable and/or little used, have been transferred to storage, where they are available on application, and this fact has been noted in the catalogue. Unbound journals, both current and past, are still in the room unstairs. Unfortunately, although there is a great deal of binding to be done, and funds available for some of it, there is a serious shortage of skilled binders. Many volumes have been at the bindery for a year, though there is some hope of an improvement in the situation early in 1945.