N.Z. INSTITUTE

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 200, 21 May 1931, Page 13

N.Z. INSTITUTE

Board’s Annual Meeting

STRAITENED FINANCE

Government Vote Reduced

The annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute was held in the Biology Hall, Victoria College yesterday. There were present: Professor C. Coleridge Farr (president) ; Mr. B. C. Aston, Mr. W. R. B. Oliver, and Dr. E. Marsden (Government representatives) ; Professor 11. B. Kirk and Mr. G. V. Hudson (Wellington Philosophical Society) ; Professor 11. W. begar and Professor F. P. Worley (Auckland Institute) ; Professor R. Speight (Canterbury Philosophical Institute) ; Hon. G. M. Thomson and Professor J. lark (Otago Institute) ; Professor T. 11. Easterfield (Nelson) ; Mr. C. F. 11. Pollock (Hawke’s Bay Philosophical Institute! ; and Mr. M. A. Eliott (Manawatu Philosophical Society). Apologies for absence were received from his Excellency the Governor-General, and from the Prime Minister. Links With the Past. In the course of his presidential address, Prof. C. Coleridge Farr referred to the losses to science by death since the governors last met, of Mr. A. M. M right, Mr. Carse, of Auckland ; Sir Robert Stout, Dr. Philpott, of the Cawthron Institute; and Mr. Crosbie Smith, life members of the Otago Institute; Mr. F. T. Leighton, who acted as secretary during Mr. Aston s absence in England; and Lady Hector, who, as the widow of Sir James Hector, was a link between the past history of our institute and the present time. Effect of Depression. “The financial position of the institute is a matter of grave concern,” said Professor Farr. “I may perhaps be permitted to point out that the New Zealand Institute is performing a public work 'n the publication of some of the scientific papers which are read before the local institutes. . . . Science is ascertained knowledge, and the scientific publications of a country are a record of observational and experimental ascertained fact, very often regarding the resources of that country. From £2500 to £750. “It is undoubtedly the scientific advance of the past fifty years that has been the main cause of the industrial development,” Professor Farr continued. “For some years past the institute has had to draw on the resources of the local institutes, mainly to pay a debt which had been incurred whilst our printing was being done at the Government Printing Office. When other arrangements became possible we were gradually, with the aid of support drawn from the local institutes, enabled to reduce the debt, and had practically managed to wipe it out when the present depression came upon us, and we have just been informed that not only has our vote been cut down to half its former value, but also our research grant vote, which we have had for many years, has this year been totally abolished. These things arc a serious blow to the institute’s activities, as our resources from the Government have thus been cut down from about £2500 to £750. This covers a grant for general purposes of £l5OO and a research vote of about £lOOO. All of us, of course, recognise the seriousness of the financial depression through which we are passing, and trust it will soon be past. When this takes place we shall look confidently to the Government to restore us to the position we have occupied so long and I think so honourably. we nre performing a public service and have a right to expect sufficient financial aid. The local institutes are entirely supported by their local voluntary subscriptions and have their own provincial duties to discharge. . . “The encouragement of science m the district, the establishment of scientific libraries for workers in science, the encouragement and in some cases the actual support of local museums, is their work; the publication of the best of the work done by them is ours. It is not an encouragement to a man if, besides devoting a great deal of time and labour without thought of payment to the elucidation of a scientific question, he has also to pay for the cost of making the results of his efforts known to the world in general. He is, as it were, asked not only to give his knowledge, his energy, and his time to the public .without fee, but also to pay the public tor the cost of the present. “Under such circumstances, if they continue long, the gifts so given, the volume and merit of scientific work done that is to say, are likely seriously to decline, to the detriment of the culture and knowledge of the Dominion, and to its discredit in the eyes of the scientific, world. 1 therefore very seriously hope that as soon as these present clouds of depression clear away the New Zealand Institute’s finances may be put on so satisfactory and permanent a footing that it will be unnecessary to continue this improper taxation of local affiliated societies—a taxation, be it said, rendered necessary by the high cost of printing at the Government Printing Office,, as we soon discovered when, with Ministerial authority, we were permitted to go into the open market with our work. New Dominion Museum. “At last the affairs of the Dominion Museum are reaching finality,” said Professor Farr. “While some of us no doubt may regret that the present site cannot be maintained—indeed, I do myself —yet no doubt the Mount Cook site will not, even now, be unsatisfactory and will in time become more suitable as the Museum and Art Gallery themselves attract a better class of building in the neighbourhood, for a notable pile of buildings is to be erected. I think I may say that the standing committee are very gratified with what has been done. The New Zealand Institute receives a very proper representation on the board of trustees and will, we understand, have an even greater influence on the management committee of the museum itself as distinct from the art gallery.. The Act provides for two representatives on the board of trustees —viz., the president and vice-president, but very wisely provision is made for the appointment of deputies in case of inability to attend. In my own case I have considered that some Wellington resident would in every way be a more suitable representative than myself, and Professor Kirk has very kindly acted for me in this respect. From the number of notices of meetings of the board of trustees which I receive I conclude that the board is getting to work actively and energetically, and I feel that we may well congratulate the trustees and especially Mr. Troup on the progress that has nt last been made. May I add, as a resident of another city, that it is not. from any want of interest in the museum that I have asked Professor Kirk to act for me, but from the conviction that this was much the most sensible thing to do.”