Encyclopaedia Account

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30811, 24 July 1965, Page 1

Encyclopaedia Account

(Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, July 23. Although the ashes of the Mount Eden cells are scarcely cool, an account of the riot is already in type in the embryo pages of the “Encyclopaedia of New Zealand.” This kind of work is an example of what is achieved by the Parliamentary historian (Dr. A. H. McLintock) as his small staff strive to keep their monumental work up to date between its earlier typesetting and eventual publication in June, 1966. The same treatment will be accorded statistics, sports records and many other subjects which may change between now and the publication date. The encyclopaedia will comprise three volumes, each of about 950 pages. More than

2000 subjects will be covered, an dthe finished work will contain about 900 illustrations, maps, plans and sketches. Of the many articles on sports, institutions and historical subjects, some are 20,000 words long. In the biographical section, some of the notes on historical figures of New Zealand are 3000 words or more. The index, when completed, will contain more than 30,000 references. The task was authorised by the Labour Government in 1959, shortly after the then Prime Minister (Sir Walter Nash) received the first copies of the “New Zealand Atlas.” “When changes have occurred, or where we find that something has to be added, we can still do this on a replacement basis,” Dr. McLintock said tonight. This was done recently when it was realised that the stamp-vending machine was a New Zealand invention. Full details of the first automatic stamp-vending machines were obtained from newspaper files

and a paragraph was added to an earlier story. As departmental annual reports are tabled in Parliament, Dr. McLintock and his staff will continue to amend and add.