AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 44, 21 February 1900, Page 6

AUCKLAND INSTITUTE.

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of the members of the Auckland Institute was held on ' Monday evening in the Museum Buildings, Princes-street. ■Professor A. H. Talbot-Tubbs presided.' The attendance was small. REPORT OP THE COUNCIL. The secretary (Mr T. F. Cheeseman) read the annual report of the Council, i which contained the following items: —

Members. —Five new members have been elected during the year, a number considerably below the average. On the other hand, 15 names have been withdrawn from the roll—two from death, five from resignation, and eight from non-payment of subscription for more than two consecutive years. There is thus a net decrease of 10; the total number of members at the present time being 153. The Council regret to announce the death of Lieu-tenant-Colonel T. L. Murray, who had been connected with the Institute for more than 20 years, and during1 the whole of that period had taken a steady and consistent interest in its affairs. For the last two years he had served as a member of the. Council. Finance.—The total revenue of the working account, excluding the balance of £84 4/0 brought from the previous year, has been £900 18/2. Last year the amount was £890 2/10, very nearly the same sum. Examining the separate items of the balance-sheet, it will be seen that the receipts from the invested funds of the Costley bequest have been £328 5/, against £305 IC/3 for 1898-99, the reduction being mainly due to a temporary delay in the payment of interest on one of the investments. The Museum endowment has yielded £444 1/4, the amount for the previous year being £355; while the sum. received for members' subscriptions stands at £118 13/, showing a reduction of £9 9/. The total expenditxire has been £923 16/10, leaving a balance of £61 6/1 in the Bank of New Zealand. The Council have no change to report respecting the invested funds of the Institute, the amount being the same as last year, £13,590. It has been found necessary, however, to renew some, of the smaller investments at a reduced rate of interest, and one or two mortgages have been paid off, the funds now waiting reinvestment.

Museum Endowment.—There is little to report under this head. The interest on the capital sum invested has been'regularly paid, and the Crown Lands Board have from time to time handed over the rents received from those endowments which are leased.

There still remain a considerable number of allotments in country townships from which no revenue is derived. Attempts have been made to dispose of these by piiblic auction, but. so far ■without success. It is also a matter for regret that the mining leases taken up on the Waikanae endowment have peen abandoned as unremunorative, thus cutting off the special income received during the last two or three years from that source. Trustees;—At the close of the year tMr Percy Smith resigned his position as one of the trustees of the Institute, after holding it for 15 years. • The Council are anxious to put on record their appreciation of Mr Smith's longcontinued services, and of the careful attention that: he has always given, to the' affairs tpi the Institute. It is pleasing to.'kriow that his name still remains oji the, roll'of the Institute, and though no longer serving it in an official capacity, he still has the intention of assisting in its work whenever opportunity occurs. Nine meetings have been held during the year. Museum: The Museum has been open to the public throughout the year, with the- exception of a few days devoted to cleaning and rearrangement. The hours of admission have remained as before, from ten a.m. to live p.m. on week days, and from 2 p.m. to five p.m. on Sundays. The attendance has been large, but not quite equal, to that of the previous year. The register kept by the janitor shows that 13,230 people entered the building on Sundays, being an average of 254 for each Sunday. On the eight chief holidays the attendance was 2302, or an average of 288. On week days the visitors can only be occasionally counted, but the average attendance cannot be far from 110. The approximate number of week day visitors would therefore be 33,550, and the total for the whole year 49,082. Last year the number was 51.641. The chief progress made by the Museum has been in the ethnographical department. Mr Elsdon Best, of Ruatahuna, has forwarded a second collection, made by htm among the Maoris living near Lake Waikaremoana, which contains several articles . not previously represented in the. Museum. A beautiful " Toki Houhoupu," or battleaxe, with elaborately carved wooden handle, of great age and perfect preservation, has been obtained by purchase, together with several rare bone ami greenstone ornaments. During a visit to Rarotonga, the curator collected a series of 132 articles, illustrating the ethnology oE that island; and through the kind offices of the Rev. Mr Ciillen, seconded by Colonel Gudgeon, two of the celebrated carved ceremonial axes from Mangaia have

been secured. An interesting exchange has been received from the Bishop Museum at Honolulu, in the shape of two of the rare kihilis, or wands, ela-, borately decorated with feather woflc. Through the kind co-operation of Mr W. G. Laurie, of this city, a very acceptable collection of mound-builders' pottery from the Mississippi Valley has been obtained from Dr. Bushnell, of St. Louis. There have also been some minor additions which it is impossible to mention here. In the zoological department the most noteworthy accession has been an almost perfect moa skeleton, purchased from Mr Kingsley, of Nelson. It has a special value from being the type of Capt. Hutton's new species Dinornis tarosus. Two remarkably good mounted specimens of echidora and ornjthorhynchus have been presented by Tvlrs Calder, of this city, and several .rare New Zealand bird skins have been purchased. The want of a resident taxidermist is severely felt in this branch of the museum, and until the funds of the institute are sufficient to allow of the engagement of one little more can be done than to keep in good condition the specimens at present exhibited, and to pack away all additions as they arrive. The Council much regret that they have been unable to arrange for the preparation of the large groups of mammals intended to occupy the centre of the main hall —an addition which perhaps more than any other would enhance the appearance of the museum, and add to its value as a means of recreation to the general public. Among the miscellaneous additions special mention should be madfc, of a valuable timber exhibit presented by the Leyland and O'Brien Timber Company. It consists of a complete section of a kauri tree, 6ft in diameter, supporting- a framework containing panels of the chief ornamental woods of the colony. It affords an excellent illustration of the value of our timber trees for furniture or decorative wood-

work. Library: Few additions have been made to the library d\iring the year, but the Council have recently authorised the purchase of an instalment of books, which it is hoped will arrive before the commencement of the approaching session. !

Little Barrier Island: The management of the Little Barrier Island as a reserve for the preservation of the avifauna of New Zealand still remains in the hands of the Institute, the Government contributing an annual grant of. £200 to cover'the expensesin conneclion with it. The curator (Mr Shakes--pear) reports that matters are in a satisfactory condition on the island, and that most of the native birds appear to be increasing in numbers, now thfat they are not in any way molestetr. 'A short time ago the curator detected Uvo men at work on the island gumdigging. He at once turned them off, and reported the occurrence. It is 'tne intention of the Crown Lands Department to proceed against the men as soon as they can be found. With this exception, no attempt has been made to land upon the island or interfere with it in any way.

In concluding the report, the Council invite the active assistance of tne members and general public in furthering the objects of the Institute, either by contributing- papers to the read at the meetings, by adding to the library or museum, or in any other way that may seem advisable. They feel sure that in" the future, as in the past, a liberal support will be given to an institution whose chief aim is to secure the advancement of knowledge, and the diffusion of scientific and practical information throughout tne community. REMAEKS BY THE CHAIRMAN. [ The Chairman (Prof. Tubbs): in moving- the adoption of the report,l said it had been rather strongly im-; pressed upon him that the work being! done by the Institute was not all that it should be. They might take as evidence of that the fact that in the face of an increasing population —and a population increasing- somewhat in the' level of culture and intelligence—the; Institute was not attracting, as it. ought to attract, the culture of the communit3 r. The work of the Institute was not focussed;. and he was, inclined to believe that this was one; of the causes of the lack of interest in its work. He thought the Society; should take up some definite branch of work, and he instanced the Maori branch of the Institute's objects as a; desirable one to take up. In Auckland, they were, perhaps, better placed than in any other part of New Zealand for thoroughly appreciating and investigating- the steadily perishing civilisation of the Maori. There was a magnificent field for research there which was as yet almost unworked. He believed that if the Institute were to set. for itself a definite policy such as that of controlling a well-organised and thoroughly scientific research into the language, the customs, the act, and everything connected with the Maori the result would be that the Institute would steadily increase its influence and prestige. The work done in-New Zealand in connection with investigations into Maori ethnology and archaeology had been miserably inadequate, and there was a great field for reseai'ch, and if they took up such a work as this it would raise the standard of the Institute in the eyes of the community.

Mr Graves Aickin seconded the adoption of the report and accounts, which was agreed to.

Professor H. W. Segar was elected President of the Auckland Institute for the ensuing year, on the motion of Mr J. 11. Upton, seconded by Mr E. A: Mackcchnie.

Mr J. H. Upton, Prof. F. D. Brown, and Prof. A. P. Thomas were elected to fill the vacancies on the Council. Mr W. Gorrie was re-elected auditor, and was accorded a vote of thank's for his past services.

Some discussion then took place on the remarks made by the Chairman. Mr Upton thought the Institute should not particularise or specialise its work too much. What was particular interested a few; what was broad interested the many. Mr Graves Aickin thought that popular lectures on biology and electricity by such men as Professor Thomas and Professor Brown would be of verj"- great interest and value. Mr.IT. G. Ewington thought the papers read should be less tecnnical and less scientific. They wanted to get the working classes and the general. public to attend. Mr Petrie suggested the formation of a Field Naturalists' Club and a Mieroscopib Club in connection with the Society. The Chairman said that while any museum could make a general collection there was always some special direction/in which a museum or an institute of this sort worthy of the name excelled, and. he.again urged upon members the desirability of giving their attention to completing researches . into Maori matters, Maori

antiquities and all that pertained thereto. Mr Ewington said the Miiseum had been endowed for the people at large, and not for a select few; and tliey should treat .their subjects in apopular.. way. . n Mr J. A. Fond said the Institute had been giving popular lectures for the last four or!five years. • At a special meeting of the Institute Mr J H. Upton was unanimously elected trustee of the Institute in place of Mr S. Percy Smith (resigned), and itwas resolved to place on record the members' appreciation of Mr Smith s long and valuable services as trustee.