Abstract Of Annual Report

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 27, 1894, Page 677

Nine new members joined since the last annual meeting, being a slight increase on the previous year; while fifteen names were withdrawn —three from death, nine from resignation, and three from non-payment of subscription—the number on the roll at the present time being 171. The total revenue of the General Account is stated at £1,357 10s. 5d., which includes the balance of £53 14s. 7d. from the previous year, and also a temporary advance of £306 6s. 7d. from the Capital Account for purchasing and re-erecting the carved house from Maketu. More than one-third of this amount has already been repaid, and it is expected that the remaining £200 will be repaid before the expiration of two years. Deducting these amounts, the real income was £997 9s. 3d., a marked increase on the previous year. The interest derived from the invested funds of the Costlev bequest was £474 12s. 2d.; while the Museum endowment contributed in rents and interest £343 2s. Members' subscriptions yielded £129 3s. The expenditure was £1,283 16s. 1d., leaving a credit

balance of £73 14s. 4d. The invested funds of the Institute are in a satisfactory condition. The total amount at the present time is £12,845, showing an increase of £356 during the year. As regards the Museum endowments, some small sales of township allotments have been effected. The Council are now negotiating with the Crown Lands Board respecting the utilization of the Tihithi Block, at Whangarei, the largest of the endowments; and it is hoped that a plan may be decided upon under which the block may be cut up and either sold or leased. The chief difficulty in dealing with the endowments is that there is little demand for country lands except under perpetual lease; and under that system the rents are so small, and are often paid with such irregularity, that the Council are unwilling to adopt it, except in a partial and tentative manner. Ten meetings were held during the year, at which fourteen papers were read. The attendance of visitors at the Museum was satisfactory. On Sunday afternoons 9,873 persons visited the building, being an average of 189 for each Sunday. The largest attendance was 334, on the 26th August, and the smallest 34, on the 17th June. The average daily attendance was about a hundred and ten. The approximate week-day attendance is given at 33,000, the total for the year consequently being 41,873. The greatest attendance on any one day was 443, on the 24th May. The most interesting addition made to the Museum is the Maori House.* See p. 674 for description. The desirability of securing for the City of Auckland such an excellent example of Maori art at a price so reasonable as £150 could not be gainsaid. The house was very carefully taken down and shipped to Auckland, and has since been erected in the centre of the Ethnological Hall. The total cost of its purchase, together with removal and re-erection, has been £306 6s. 7d. The Council record their appreciation of the services rendered by Mr. Fenton in this matter. All the preliminary negotiations for the purchase were made by him; while at considerable personal inconvenience he accompanied the Curator to Maketu to smooth over any difficulties which might arise in completing the purchase. During the re-erection of the house his wide knowledge of the Maori race and its manners and customs was freely available. Appended to the report will be found a complete list of all additions to the Museum. Many, of these are Both interesting and valuable. During the year the following work has been done in the Museum: The rearrangement of the foreign birds, commenced in the previous year, has been completed; several minor changes have been made in the classification of the ethnological collections; the mineralogical collections have been cleaned, rearranged, and relabelled, all recent additions being worked into their proper places; an explanatory series, intended to facilitate the study of the mineral collection by beginners, has been formed, and supplied with descriptive printed labels; the collection of New Zealand fossils, by far the greater proportion of which has never been exhibited to the public, has been cleaned, systematically arranged, mounted, and labelled; the type collection of rocks, purchased some time ago in London, has been more suitably displayed, as also a special collection presented by Mr. Park, intended to illustrate the geology of the Thames Goldfields; the recent shells, both New Zealand and foreign, have also been carefully overhauled and relabelled. In carrying out the above work the Curator has had the help of Mr. Henry Suter. The library is in a satisfactory state. At the conclusion of last year's report the Council drew attention to the serious delay in concluding the purchase of the Little Barrier Island,

and pointed out that the island was being gradually rendered less suitable for the preservation of the New Zealand fauna. At the annual meeting a resolution was passed requesting the Council to urge the Government to complete the purchase; and, in response to this, a deputation of the whole Council waited on the Premier, fully explaining the position of affairs, and the necessity for immediate action. The Premier expressed himself as being anxious and willing to expedite the purchase, and engaged that if the native owners continued to refuse reasonable terms a Bill would be introduced into Parliament providing for the compulsory purchase of the island at a fair valuation. This has since been done, and it is now stated that the Native Land Court has fixed the amount payable to the owners. Probably no long period will elapse before the Government will be the sole owner of the island. If so, the Council trust that no time will then be lost in removing the few Maoris still resident on the island, and in furnishing the caretaker with full powers to prevent unauthorized persons from landing.