meetings of the Geographical, Polynesian and other specialist societies, or at annual meetings such as those of the Geological Society of New Zealand and the staff conferences of the Geological Survey.

The other Branches and Member Bodies of the Royal Society also have wide fields of interest. The Canterbury Branch includes Field Club, Mathematics and Physics, and Scientific Photography sections, and has a large programme of General Meetings. The Otago Branch likewise has a programme of Main Branch Meetings in addition to those of its Historical and Astronomical sections. The Hawke's Bay Branch has Ornithological and Meteorological sections as well as two Historical sections, one in Napier and the other in Hastings. The Auckland Institute and Museum has wide public support, and as a Member Body has a series of Institute Lectures, a series of Sunday Lectures for the public, and supports Conchology and Anthropology sections.

Should the Scope of the Transactions be Changed?

As shown above there is a great contrast between the scope of the Society and the scope of its Transactions. The members of the Society are drawn from most fields of Science and Technology and to a lesser extent from the Arts, whereas the Transactions are basically a “New Zealand Journal of Biology and Geology”. Moreover, as shown in Table 2, 82% of the biological papers for the years 1951 to 1955 were in the fields of Systematics and Structure and Anatomy, whereas other biological fields such as Cytology, Genetics, Physiology, Biochemistry and Applied Ecology were represented sparsely or not at all.

The contrast should be recognised consciously whether or not it is justifiable and reasonable. It has been discussed at length by the sub-Committee.

The discussion commenced with consideration of whether physicists and others could be assured that the biological and geological papers in the Transactions are valuable, and worthy of the cost of publication. Members of the sub-Committee who work in these fields gave that assurance, with the qualification that the journal is not perfect, and that some papers could be condensed.

For purposes of discussion the sub-Committee then considered the propositions that “the Society as the premier scientific organisation of New Zealand should publish Transactions of wider appeal and coverage, and that the present journal is an historical survival that has not been changed deliberately to meet a changed environment”. In this connection the possibility was discussed of facilitating the widening of the scope of the Transactions by dividing them into series or sections following the custom of the Royal Societies of London, Edinburgh and Canada. It was suggested for example that our Transactions could be divided initially into three series or sections (A, General Science; B, Biological Sciences; C, Geological Sciences), and that if there was demand other series could be added from time to time to cover the physical, chemical, social and other sciences. The desirability or otherwise of separate publication of the Proceedings of the Society was also discussed.

The sub-Committee has reached agreement on the following: (1) That the scope of the Transactions need not be changed, though its actual scope should be recognised and should be stated on the title page or in the section on “Instructions to Authors”. A suitable statement would be:

“Papers published in the Transactions are mainly of a biological or geological nature.”

(2) That though division of the Transactions would have advantages, it cannot be successful at present for want of a sufficient number of papers. It would also be expensive, and is partly unnecessary because three journals for general, agricultural, and geological sciences are being commenced by the D.S.I.R. If division of the Transactions were attempted the obvious initial division would be into a biological series and a geological series. The biological series could be published sufficiently frequently to satisfy the needs of authors, but the geological series could be published probably only once a year. Rapid increase in the number of geological papers submitted for publication is unlikely because a “New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics” will be started by the D.S.I.R. in January, 1958.

(3) That the Proceedings of the Society should be printed separately from the Transactions, so that they may be distributed to members who do not take the Transactions.

Does the Quality of the Transactions Need Improvement?

It is recognised that “maintaining the highest attainable standards in publishing scientific papers is the greatest service scientific societies could render to the community, and successful journals of high quality provide a stimulus to scientific endeavour of the greatest importance.'

The maintenance of standards (at minimum cost) in our Society has been achieved largely through the labours, amounting almost to dedication, of the Society's editors.

It seems that some papers, especially student theses, could be improved by compaction of shortening, but that is a matter that could be watched by referees or supervisors. Additional labour should not fall on the Society's editors.

Should Methods of Distribution be Changed to Better Meet the Needs of Members?

In 1955 the membership of the Wellington Branch was 383, consisting of 281 ordinary members, 23 life members, 11 members of other Branches now attached to Wellington, and

68 associates, and of this total 159 members (41%) did not receive the Transactions. If associates are excluded the total membership was 315, and 91 (29%) did not receive the Transactions.

In July, 1957, the total membership of the Branch was 418, including 247 full members receiving the Transactions, 87 full members not receiving the Transactions, and 84 associates. Of the total membership 171 (41%) do not receive the Transactions, and of the full members 26% do not receive the Transactions.

Many physicists and others (including some members of the Wellington Council), do not take the Transactions because its contents are of no interest to them. Nevertheless, the Proceedings of the Society are of interest to all members and the sub-Committee recommends that the Proceedings should be printed separately from the Transactions and distributed to all members.

The sub-Committee also discussed and rejected the possibility that the “appeal” of papers in the Transactions could be improved by judicious use of editorial invitations to contribute papers. It is recommended, however, that Hudson Lectures should be printed in the separate Proceedings as well as Presidential Addresses and similar papers. It is recommended also that consideration be given to including in the Proceedings abstracts of the more important papers read before Branches.

The sub-Committee has not reached agreement on one very difficult matter touching methods of distribution. As mentioned above 44% of the members of the Wellington Branch did not receive the Transactions in 1955, and the question arises of whether they should have to pay for the Transactions. There are two opposed arguments. The first is that it is democratic for all members to pay for all of the benefits of the Society, even if some members receive only some of the benefits. The second argument is that a journal of bioligical and geological papers is a special benefit that is not received by a substantial minority of the members of this Branch (41% of all Branch members, and 26% of the full Branch members), who therefore should not be required to pay for it. Nevertheless, it is considered that the minority (excluding associates) would pay willingly if it is made clear that the Transactions are necessary, that the papers are valuable and are published at the minimum cost, and that financially the Transactions could not be published without the support of all members.

Mr. Allen moved the first recommendation, which was carried.

That the Proceedings of the Society be printed separately from the Transactions, and that they be distributed to all members.

In reply to a question, Dr. Salmon said he calculated that the cost involved would be approximately £150. Mr. Allen then moved, and at was carried:

That the Standing Committee be asked to investigate the possibility of including in the Proceedings the texts of Presidential Addresses and summaries of all suitable papers that are read before the Branches or before Sections of Branches.

Mr. Brooker stated that the appended report of the Sub-committee of the Wellington Branch was a valuable contribution, setting out as it did a tabulated section on the material published in the Transactions over a period of five years.

Mr. Callaghan said he thought that scientific publications in New Zealand as a whole would require to be looked into.

Proxies for Standing Committee Meetings. Dr. Dixon said the Rotorua Branch had raised the question of provision being made in the Rules for Member Bodies to have the right of proxies in attendance at meetings of the Standing Committee. Member Bodies had been asked to express an opinion, but from the replies received there did not appear to be a great deal of support. After reiterating the advantages of proxy representation, Dr. Dixon moved that the matter be referred to the Standing Committee. On being put to the meeting the motion was lost.

Travelling Expenses. Mr. Allen spoke to the report on the method of assessing the amount of travelling expenses which Member Bodies should share, stating that very few of the Branches had as yet expressed an opinion. He moved, Dr. Barnett seconded, and it was carried, that the matter be referred to the Standing Committee with a request that it continue investigations.

Accommodation. A letter from Dr. Hamilton regarding a proposal to provide accommodation in the building being erected for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at the corner of Bowen and Sydney streets was read to the meeting.

On the motion of Dr. Falla, seconded by Dr Archey, it was resolved that a reply be sent thanking the Secretary of D.S.I.R. for the offer of accommodation, and set-