NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE: THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT, 1902-3.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1903 Session I, H-33

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1903. NEW ZEALAND.

NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE: THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT, 1902-3.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

Meetings of the Board were held on the 21st October and the Bth December, 1902, and the 2nd April and the 3rd July, 1903. Messrs. Tregear, Mason, and Young retired from the Board in compliance with the Act, and were renominated by His Excellency the Governor. The following gentlemen were elected by the incorporated societies as Governors of the New Zealand Institute : Hon. C. C. Bowen, Mr. Martin Chapman, and Mr. S. Percy Smith. The members now on the roll are —Honorary members, 29 ; Auckland Institute, 163 ; Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 62; Wellington Philosophical Society, 150; Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 69 ; Otago Institute, 112 ; Nelson Institute, 17 ; Westland Institute, 66 : making a total of 668. The volumes of Transactions now on hand are —Vol. I, (second edition), 215; Vol. V., 4; Vol. VI., 8 ; Vol. VII., 90; Vol. IX., 90; Vol. X., 120; Vol. XL, 20; Vol. XII., 25; Vol. XIII., 25; Vol. XIV., 48; Vol. XV., 150; Vol. XVI., 160; Vol. XVII., 160; Vol. XVIII., 125; Vol. XIX., 150; Vol. XX., 154; Vol. XXI., 85; Vol. XXII., 85; Vol. XXIIL, 160; Vol. XXIV., 165; Vol. XXV., 160; Vol. XXVI., 170; Vol. XXVII., 168; Vol. XXVIIL, 173; Vol. XXIX., 290; Vol. XXX., 345; Vol. XXXI., 395; Vol. XXXIL, 396; Vol. XXXIII., 400; Vol. XXXIV., 400; Vol. XXXV. not yet fully distributed. The volume just published (XXXV.) contains sixty articles, also addresses and abstracts which appear in the Proceedings. It consists of 623 pages and fifty-four plates. The following is a comparison of the contents of Vol. XXXV. with those of Vol. XXXIV.: — 1902. 1901. Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... 305 156 Zoology ... ... ... ... ... 77 96 Botany ... ... ... ... ... 64 166 Geology ... ... ... ... ... 16 86 Chemistry and physics ... ... ... ... 77 44 Proceedings ... ... ... ... ... 29 43 Appendix ... ... ... ... ... 55 54 623 pages. 645 pages. The cost of producing and printing Vol. XXXIV. was £452 2s. 6d. for 645 pages and forty-two plates, and that for the present volume (XXXV.) £482 lis. 6d. for 623 pages and fifty-four plates. Both these volumes were entirely turned out at the Government Printing Office. From the Honorary Treasurer's statement of accounts it appears that the amount received for the year was £964 Is. 3d., including the balance carried forward, and the expenditure £604 12s. Bd., leaving a balance in hand of £359 Bs. 7d. Museum. There have been 100 entries as additions to the Museum since last report, a list of which will be published in due course. The collections have been regularly cleaned and arranged. Library. —This is, as far as possible, being kept scientifically up to date. Meteobological. The returns of the principal stations for 1902 have been supplied as usual to the EegistrarGeneral to be included in his annual statistics, and the monthly rainfall returns from 180 stations have been regularly supplied to the Gazette. The monthly returns for vital statistics has been supplied, and the daily weather exchange by cable is continued between this colony and Australia.

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Colonial Time-ball Obsbkvatokt. Mr. Thomas King, the officer in charge, reports as follows: " The work of the time service has proceeded as usual. Eegular observations for the determination of clock-error have been taken, and exact time has been distributed throughout the colony as heretofore. The clocks have maintained very good rates. The time-ball at Wellington has been dropped daily (Sundays excepted), and galvanometer signals have been sent hourly from the Observatory in the manner described in previous reports. During the stay of the relief ship " Morning "at Lyttelton, prior to her start for the antarctic regions, signals were frequently transmitted to her by special telegraph-wire direct from the Observatory to the officers' cabin, and the vessel was thus enabled to rate her chronometers accurately for some days before the beginning of her important voyage. The value llh. 39m. 5-3s. E. has, since the beginning of 1903, been assumed as the longitude of the Observatory in computing time. This longitude has, of course, been for very many years recognised as the correct one ; but owing to the fact that the old value—viz., llh. 39m. 9-3s. E.—was retained on the Admiralty charts it was not deemed wise to employ the amended longitude for the purposes of the time service, as the advantage from a navigator's point of view of having a value in harmony with the one shown on the charts was obvious. The Admiralty, however, has at last found it practicable to adopt the true longtitude in one or two of its harbour-charts ; and, although in view of the smallness of the error involved and of the expense of regraduating a large series of charts the Admiralty has no present intention of amending the majority of the coastal charts, this partial recognition of the corrected longitude has opened the way for a reconsideration of the matter, and, after submission of the point to the Hydrographer to the Admiralty, the value llh. 39m. 5-3s. has, with that official's entire concurrence, been adopted as the one for use in calculations necessary for time-determination. The whole question is discussed at length in a paper which I had the honour of reading before the Wellington Philosophical Society on the 18th March, 1903 (' On the Longitude of the Colonial Observatory, &c.'), and I would respectfully ask reference to that paper for details of the whole subject." The balance-sheet, duly certified, is appended, and the schedules and correspondence will be published with the report in the usual pamphlet form. Approved. James Hectoe, Manager. Maetin Chapman, Chairman. 3rd July, 1903.

New Zealand Institute Accounts foe 1902-3. Receipts. £ s. d. Expenditure. £ s. d. Balance from last year .. .. .. 408 211 Printing Vol. XXXV. .. .. .. 482 11 6 Vote for 1902-3 .. .. .. .. 500 0 0 Exp-nses of library .. .. .. 20 0 0 Co itriuution from Wellington Philosophical Expenses, " Maori Art " .. .. .. 36 8 8 S jciety .. .. .. .. 17 10 0 Postages, foreign volumes.. .. .. 317 6 Sale of " Maori Art" .. .. .. 37 7 4 Expenses, International Catalogue.. .. 15 0 0 Sale of Transactions .. .. .. 110 Miscellaneous items .. .. .. 46 15 0 Balance .. .. .. .. .. 359 8 7 £964 1 3 £964 1 3 Examined and found correct. Maetin Chapman, 3rd July, 1903. Acting-Treasurer. Approximate Cost of Paper. —Preparation, not given ; printing (1,375 copies), £1 2s.

By Authority : John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9o3. Price 3d.]