leave as he was going to England, and in February, Dr. Barnett was granted leave to attend a Meteorological Conference.

Financial. In June advice was received from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research that the Society's grant for 1958–59 would be increased to £5,000. The Department stated that it was intended that this increase should cover the Royal Society's subscription to the Special Committee on Antarctic Research (S.C.A.R.) set up by the International Council of Scientific Unions.

In accordance with an instruction from the last annual meeting, the Finance Committee drew up a budget for 1959/60 for presentation to the Minister after approval by the half-yearly meeting of the Council.

Prior to waiting on the Minister, a deputation consisting of Dr. Dixon, Dr. Barnett and Mr. Willett called on Dr. Hamilton, Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and acquainted him with the budget proposals. Dr. Hamilton said he would recommend the continuance of the present grant of £5,000, but he reiterated his opinion that the Society, in order to justify its position as an independent body, should do more to help itself financially.

Subsequently, the deputation waited on the Minister, the Hon. P. N. Holloway, who also stressed the need for the Royal Society itself to make greater provision towards its financial needs. He stated that he had had difficulty in finding £5,000 for the 1958–59 grant.

The Minister agreed, if possible, to meet the Council in May and give him views on financial matters.

Half-yearly Meeting. The Hawke's Bay Branch invited the Council to hold its half-yearly meeting in Napier. The meeting was held on December 1.

The Council was accorded a welcome by the Mayor of Napier, Mr. P. Tait, and the President of the Hawke's Bay Branch, Mr. J. S. Peel.

The Branch made excellent arrangements for the Council meeting, and it extended most liberal hospitality not only to the Council but to the wives of Council members who had accompanied their husbands to Napier.

The President, Professor R. S. Allan, extended to Mr. Peel and to Mrs. J. Winkley, Secretary of the Hawke's Bay Branch, an invitation to attend the Council meeting as observers. An invitation had also been extended to the Gisborne Philosophical Society, which was considering the question of affiliation with the Royal Society, and Mr. J. Fowler attended as observer.

In the evening Professor Allan delivered a lecture entitled “The Birth and Reception of an Idea,” this subject being chosen in view of the Darwin centenary. The meeting was a public one and was very well attended.

An innovation in connection with this half-yearly meeting was a meeting of the Council held on the final morning with the local Branch members. At this meeting discussion centred round the problems of the Branch and the ability of the Council of the Royal Society of New Zealand to assist it. The chief difficulty affecting the vigorous life of the Hawke's Bay Branch appeared to be in the fact that it comprises two areas, Napier and Hastings, towns differing in their interests.

Many suggestions regarding prospective speakers and subjects for meetings and other matters were made, and it was felt both by the Branch and the Council members that the meeting had been of considerable value.

The President, Mr. Peel, thanked the Council for its assistance, stating that because of the Council's visit to Napier, a great deal more was now known of the Royal Society of New Zealand and its activities.

The Director of the Hawke's Bay Museum, the late Mr. Bestall, entertained the Council at morning tea.

The Gisborne Philosophical Society took advantage of Professor Allan's visit to Hawke's Bay to arrange a meeting in Gisborne which he was asked to address.

Afterwards the President of the Gisborne Philosophical Society wrote stating that the meeting had been a great success and interest in the Royal Society had been stimulated.

Publications. During Dr. Salmon's absence overseas, Professor C. A. Cotton acted as Honorary Editor.

Obituary Notices: Professor Allan was asked to write for the Transactions an Obituary Notice of Professor W. N. Benson, and Miss L. B. Moore was asked to write one of Dr. H. H. Allan, former Director of the Botany Division of D.S.I.R. Both Professor Benson and Dr. Allan were Past Presidents of the Royal Society of New Zealand.

Proceedings: As the result of a decision by Council to issue Proceedings separately from the Transactions, Volume 85 of the Proceedings (1957–58) to correspond with the Transactions of that year, was issued in May, 1958, and copies were distributed to Exchanges, to Member Bodies in accordance with their stated requirements, to regular subscribers, and to Honorary Members. The question of the distribution of costs was left for later decision. At the half-yearly meeting, 1958, after a good deal of discussion a decision was made to distribute the

Proceedings free of charge to all members of the Branches. This decision made it necessary to distribute an additional 1,150 copies of Volume 86.

Volume 86 of the Proceedings included the Hudson Lecture for 1958 and the Appendix, which had formerly appeared at the end of the Transactions. The cost of printing 3,400 copies (120 pages) was £625.

An endeavour is being made to have the Proceedings published as soon as possible after each annual meeting in May.

Transactions. The Standing Committee was concerned at the delay in the printing of the Transactions, and the matter was taken up with the manager of the Printing Department of the Otago Daily Times Co., who promised an immediate speeding up process. However, to overtake the time lag which had arisen, the printers would require to print six parts each year for three years, and it was evident that with its other printing commitments the Otago Daily Times was unable to fulfil this objective. The Standing Committee therefore, on the recommendation of the Editor, decided to publish double parts-i.e., Volume 86 (Parts ½), and 86 (Parts ¾) and subsequent volumes until such time as the time lag had been overtaken As a further means of reducing delay the Editor was authorised to bring forward for acceptance by the Standing Committee papers as they were refereed instead of warting for a sufficient number of papers for a Part to accumulate.

Indices: The preparation of the material for the Index to the Transactions (Volumes 64–85) is going forward. The Zoology Section has been practically completed by Professor H. B. Fell; the Botany Department of Victoria University has undertaken to prepare the Botany Section; Dr. J. Marwick has undertaken to do the Geology Section, and Mr. S. G. Brooker has completed the Chemistry Section.

Maori Art: In addition to some single parts, three sets of Maori Art were sold during the year, thus reducing the total number of complete sets left to 16.

In view of the continuing demand for this work, the question of its republication was considered, and it was thought the Government Printer might be interested in the proposal.

Donations: As a gesture of appreciation of the Transactions as an avenue for the publication of scientific papers and the treatment of authors by the Society, Mrs. A. Hodgson donated £10 towards publications expenses.

Sales of Publications: Sales have been very steady throughout the year. In addition to the regular subscribers numbering 45, orders for specific volumes of Transactions amounted to £262; Bulletin 5 (Mosses) amounted to £46. This brings the number of copies sold or distributed to 686. The printer still has 250 copies for correction. Bulletin 6 (Mosquitoes) realised £16, leaving 372 copies still in stock.

Fellows. In accordance with the decision of the annual meeting to elect four Fellows in 1959, nominations were called for. Fifteen nominations were received from Member Bodies and were forwarded to the Fellows for selection.

The Fellowship Selection Committee will make its recommendation to the annual meeting in May.

Hector Award, 1958. The Hector Award Committee was unable to make its recommendation in time to the last annual meeting, and the Standing Committee was authorised to act in this direction as soon as the Award Committee reported. At a meeting of the Standing Committee on June 27, the Award Committee's recommendation that the 1958 Medal and Prize be awarded to Professor A. G. McLellan, University of Canterbury, for his theoretical work on the properties of fluids, was adopted.

The presentation of the Hector Medal and Prize was made to Professor McLellan by the President, Professor R. S. Allan, at a meeting of the Canterbury Branch held on October 1, 1958. At that meeting Professor McLellan was the speaker, his subject being “Theory and Experiment in Physics”.

The following members were appointed to the 1959 Hector Award Committee in addition to Dr. A. W. B. Powell, who was appointed at the Annual Meeting in May, 1958:— Dr. J. Marwick, Dr. F. B. Shorland.

E. R. Cooper Award, 1958. At the same meeting as the presentation of the Hector Award was made, the President presented the first E. R. Cooper Memorial Medal and Prize to Dr. C. D. Ellyett, Lecturer in Physics at the University of Canterbury.

Hutton Grants. The following applicants were granted amounts from the Hutton Memorial Fund during the past year: Mr. G. A. Knox and Dr. E. Godley, £30, for the purchase of films for use in the South Pacific Expedition to Chile; a revised application for £25 for field work from Dr. Charlotte Wallace; Mr. Jiro Kikkawa, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, £26, to study the productivity of birds in Lake McKerrow area as part of a study of the habitat segregation of land birds m New Zealand.

One application for a grant for field work in connection with a M.Sc. thesis was declined.

T. K. Sidey Summer-time Award, 1959. Professor Walker found that owing to pressure of work he was unable to act on the Summer-time Award Committee for 1959. Professor A. G. McLellan was appointed to the Committee as Convener.

Applications for the 1959 award were called for in the press throughout New Zealand, and notices announcing that an award would be made were distributed throughout the Commonwealth and America.

Applications are being considered by the Award Committee for report to the Annual Meeting in May.

Member Bodies. Annual Reports and Balance Sheets have been received from Member Bodies as follows:—Auckland Institute, for the year ended March 31, 1958; Southland Branch, for the year ended March 31, 1958; Canterbury Branch, for the year ended October 31, 1958; Wellington Branch, for the year ended September 30, 1958; Otago Branch, for the year ended October 31, 1958; Waikato Scientific Association, for the year ended October 31, 1958; Rotorua Branch, for the year ended September 30, 1958.

Contributions: The last Annual Meeting opened and referred back to the Standing Committee the question of Member Bodies' contributions. A sub-committee was set up to draw up a report which might be acceptable to the Council and Member Bodies. With the approval of the Standing Committee, proposals in the form of a Notice of Motion were presented to the Half-yearly Meeting. These proposals made provision for Member Bodies to have categories of contributing and non-contributing members to the Royal Society, and new rules, A (4) and (5) were framed accordingly, the existing Rules A (4, 5, 6, 7) to become Rules A (6, 7, 8, 9). After a good deal of discussion these proposed rules were adopted. They are now being gazetted.

Library. Work in the Library has been exceedingly busy throughout the year, an influx of Honours students in the Biology, Geology and Geography Departments and scientific research generally, in and out of the Victoria University, being responsible. In addition, 230 interloans involved a good deal of attention.

Volumes coming into the Library during the year number 800, and to make room in the main Library many sections have had to be transferred to the stack room, where there is left only 637 feet of unoccupied shelving. Stock takes up 748 feet of shelving.

Approximately 10 partial sets of Transactions have been sent out during the year either as volumes for the war years which had been applied for by exchanges or by agents acting on behalf of clients.

Binding: 108 volumes have been bound during the past year. This is as much as our present binder can cope with.

At the Half-yearly Meeting the annual allocation from general funds was increased from £50 to £100, and the amount in the Building Account to £160.

The work of assessing the monetary value of the Library as directed by a previous annual meeting of the Council has begun, but to give any realistic figure this will take some time, as during the last ten years prices have varied considerably.

The Secretary's assessment of the Library in 1941 was £12,000. Since that date, the selling price of most volumes has increased from 50% to 100%. As indicative of the variation in publishing prices and current day values, Challenger Reports were published at approximately £2 each for 48 volumes. A recent bookseller's listed price is £800 for these volumes.

U.S. Post-Doctoral Fellowships. It was announced at the Half-yearly Meeting that the following had been selected and approved for the 1958 Post-Doctoral Fellowships in U.S.A.: Dr. John H. Darwin, Wellington; Dr. David G. Edgar, Ruakura; Dr. Bruce R. Penfold, Christchurch; Dr. R. L. C. Pilgrim, Christchurch.

Many enquiries as to Post-Doctoral Fellowships for 1959 have been received, and in reply to enquiries the National Academy of Sciences wrote:

“…. The procedure of allocating funds for this extension has been very slow, and we are reluctant to request additional applications from you before the programme has been made certain. We shall notify you immediately when this happens and then forward the forms which you require.”

N.Z. Science Congress. An invitation has been received from the Wellington Branch to hold the Ninth N.Z. Science Congress in Wellington in 1960. This invitation has been accepted and the Wellington Branch has already commenced its organization for the Congress.

South Pacific Expedition. The proposal to send a third man (a geologist) with the Expedition was confirmed at a meeting of the Standing Committee in June, and the Society undertook to find the amount necessary, this being estimated at £700.

The appeal for funds to Member Bodies and others was launched, and the response was exceedingly satisfactory, a total amount of £357 9s 6d being received to date. A draft for £700 (plus exchange £7) was forwarded to the Royal Society of London on August 14, to cover the expenses of Dr. W. A. Watters.

At a meeting of the Standing Committee in August, Dr. Watters was present at morning tea (the two other members, Mr. G. A. Knox and Dr. E. Godley, being unable to attend) and Dr. Dixon conveyed the Royal Society's best wishes for a most profitable and enjoyable experience. Dr. Watters thanked the Royal Society for the opportunity given to him to take part in the Expedition, and said he would do his best to justify its confidence in him.

Summarised reports from members of the Expedition have been cyclostyled and circulated to Council members, Member Bodies, and to interested departments and organisations.

At the Half-yearly Meeting, Dr. Falla reported that the Royal Society of London would not make any plans towards a major Darwin Expedition until the reports of the preliminary South Pacific Expedition had been considered.

A.N.Z.A.A.S. Professor Cotton reported on the A.N.Z.A.A.S. meeting held in Adelaide, where he had represented the Royal Society of New Zealand.

The next meeting is to be held on August 24–28, in Perth, and delegates to this meeting have yet to be appointed.

National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum. Board of Trustees: It was reported at the Half-Yearly Meeting that the reform in the Constitution of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum advocated by the Management Committee had now been agreed to by the Board of Trustees and the Museum Management Committee had been authorised to draw up a scheme to embody these reform proposals.

Museum Management Committee: Dr. C. G. Morice resigned from the Museum Management Committee, and tributes were paid to the valuable work Dr. Morice had carried out while on the Committee. The Standing Committee has not yet nominated his successor.

Technological Museum: Arising from a report to the Half-yearly Meeting on Natural History and Technological Collections drawn up by Mr. F. R. Callaghan and Dr. C. A. Fleming, it was resolved that a committee should be set up to invest gate and report on the need for and possible organization of Technological Museums in New Zealand. To implement this resolution the Standing Committee at its February meeting appointed a sub-committee consisting of Mr. Callaghan, Dr. Falla, Dr. Fleming and Dr. Salmon. The Waikato Scientific Association has expressed its interest in the establishment of such a museum, and has pointed out the advantages of siting one in Hamilton.

I.C.S.U. Dr. J. T. Salmon, who was in the United States at the time of the Eighth General Assembly of the International Council of Scientific Unions (I.C.S.U.) was asked to represent the Royal Society of New Zealand at the Assembly in Washington. Dr. Salmon agreed to do so, and on his return he reported to the Standing Committee on the Assembly and discussed the resolutions which had been passed, particularly those which had a bearing on New Zealand.

A resolution on the freedom of scientific research in connection with investrgation of the continental shelf was brought to the notice of the Minister of Scientific and Industrial Research and one on the need for the inclusion of scientific personnel in delegations to U.N.E.S.C.O. conferences was sent to the Minister of Education.

Some of the resolutions passed at I.C.S.U. General Assembly are being circulated to members, together with graphs which depict the organisation of I.C.S.U. and its ramifications.

Scientific Liaison Officer in Washington. Dr. Salmon reported that the non-appointment of a New Zealand scientific liaison officer in Washington was adversely criticised, and he asked that the matter should be ventilated at the annual meeting. This action was agreed to.

Union of Crystallography. The Secretary of the New Zealand body of Crystallographers stated that it was now prepared to pay the dues demanded by the International Union of Crystallography, and it asked that the Royal Society of New Zealand should make application on its behalf for affiliation with the International Union.

After the names of the New Zealand members had been obtained they were sent with an application for affiliation and have been accepted provisionally.

Special Committee on Antarctic Research (S.C.A.R.) Dr. E. I. Robertson was appointed to represent the Royal Society of New Zealand at a meeting of S.C.A.R. in Moscow, in July/August.

S.C.A.R. recommended that national committees should be set up to deal with all aspects of scientific work in Antarctica, and Dr. Robertson recommended that the Ross Dependency Research Committee recently established by the Minister and Department of Scientific and Industrial Research should be asked to accept this responsibility. The Standing Committee resolved:

“That the Royal Society designates the Ross Dependency Research Committee to be the New Zealand National Committee on Antarctic Research subject to its reappointmen ment as such at the annual meeting of the Royal Society of New Zealand.”

The annual subscription for 1958 to S.C.A.R. (500 dollars) was forwarded to I.C.S.U. in September The request for the 1959 subscription came to hand in February, and this was forwarded as soon as a permit was received from the Reserve Bank.

Dr. Robertson and Dr. R. G. Simmers represented New Zealand at the meeting of S.C.A.R. held in Canberra in February/March, 1959, and the expenses of Dr. Robertson, as the Society's representative, were undertaken by the Royal Society. These amounted to 131.5s 3d. The two years' subscription to S.C.A.R. and the expenses of Dr. Robertson to Canberra were thus all paid for in the 1958/59 financial year.