Annual Report for the Year ended September 30, 1955.

Council. The Council has held five meetings during the year under review, and the previous Council held one meeting prior to the Annual General Meeting.

Membership. The total membership of the Branch is (1954 totals shown in parentheses): 383 (380), made up as follows:—Ordinary members, 281 (278); life members, 23 (21); life members of other branches now attached to Wellington, 11 (9); associates, 68 (72). Of this total, 224 (200) members receive the Transactions.

Twenty-seven new members and associates were elected and three transferred to the Branch; nineteen members resigned or died; four transferred to another Branch; and four were written off.

Meetings. The following meetings were held:—October 27: Annual General Meeting (1954). April 27: “Carbon 14 Work in New Zealand,” by Mr. T. A. Rafter. May 1: Presidential Address to the Royal Society of New Zealand,” by Dr. David Miller. June 22: Hudson Memorial Lecture, “Antarctic Adventure and Research,” by Dr. R. A. Falla. July 27: Presidential Address to the Wellington Branch, “The Geography of Freshwater Fishes,” by Mr. K. R. Allen. August 24: “Four Months in Pakistan,” Mr. S. H. Saxby. September 27: “The Place and Purpose of Geography,” by Professor Keith Buchanan.

In addition, the Branch joined with the New Zealand Society of Soil Science and the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science for three meetings: December 20, 1954: “Soils and Civilisation,” by Mr. G. V. Jacks, Commonwealth Bureau of Soil Science, Rothamsted, England. January 25: “Mineral Nutrition,” by Professor P. R. Stout, University of California, Berkeley September 19: “Factors Limiting World Food Production,” by Dr. E. W. Russell, Reader in Soil Science, Oxford.

With Victoria University College, a joint meeting was held on August 25, to hear Dr. L. A. du Bridge, President of California Institute of Technology, speak on “A Quick Look at Science and Engineering Education in the United States.”

An innovation this year was an “Open Day” at Wallaceville Animal Research Laboratories. Through the wholehearted co-operation of the Wallaceville Laboratories, the Branch was able to arrange an “open day” for members and families on Saturday, May 14 The Council is indebted to Dr. Cunningham and his staff at the Wallaceville Laboratories for providing the opportunity and organization for such a wonderful day.

Astronomy and Geophysics Section. October: “Geophysical Activities Overseas,” by Dr. E. Marsden. April: “Moving and Changing Patterns,” by N. F. Barber. June: “The Rome Conference,” by Dr. E. I. Robertson July: “Geomagnetism, the Ionosphere and Radio Propagation,” by J. W. Beagley and G. McK Allcock August: “Meteorology,” by Dr. J. F. Gabites. September. “Latitude and Longitude Measurements,” by R. J. Owen and G. A. Eiby.

Biology Section. October: Films. April: “Whaling in the South Pacific,” by W. H. Dawbin May: “Experimental Morphology,” by Dr. I. M. Sussex June: “Biological Effects of Electric Fields in Water and their Application to Fisheries,” by Lieut-Commander B. M. Bary. July: “Sharks and Rays of New Zealand Waters,” by J. A. F. Garrick August: “The Biology of Fish Parasites,” by Professor M. C. Meyer September: “Agriculture and Environment of the Indians of Central and South America,” by C. W. S. Wright.

Geology Section. October: “The Environment of Greywacke,” by J. Bradley. April: “A New Theory for the Origin of Geosynclinal Serpentine,” by G. W. Grindley, Dr. P. G. Harris, and H. W. Wellman. May: “Some Impressions of a Petrologist in Australia,” by J. J. Reed. June. “Some Geologic Features of United States.” by Professor Charles J. Vitaliano July: “Quaternary Geology of the Hutt Valley,” by G. R. Stevens. August: “Geological Traverse of the Himalayan Range,” by Dr. H. J. Harrington. September: “Field Techniques for the Estimation of Accelerated Erosion,” by T. Riney.

Physics Section October: “Statistical Methods and Physics,” by I. D. Dick. April: Joint Meeting with Astronomy and Geophysics Section May: “Recent Advances in Ionosphere Research,” by G. McK Allcock. June: “What Is Accuracy?” by W. H. Ward. July: Visit to the Meteorological Office August: “Some Aspects of Nuclear Physics,” by J. E. Drummond. September: “Discussion on Heat Balance of Birds and Animals,” by M. C. Probine.

Social Science Section. October: “Reflections on the Individual in the Welfare State,” by Professor G. E. Hughes (Fundamental Problems of the Social Scientist as a Theme for 1955). May: “Opinion Survey,” by Mrs A. Donald June: “An Economist's View,” by W. King. July: “Observational Research,” by J. Caughley August: “Educational Research,” by G. Parkyn. September: “Clinical Research,” by Dr. J. H. Robb.

Technology Section. July: “New Zealand's Energy Supply,” by Dr. E. Marsden. August: “Power for Photo-Synthesis,” by N. W. Vere-Jones September: “Fuel Utilization in Power and Industry,” by G. I. Frost.