SPHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1580, 25 October 1912, Page 9

SPHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Tho annual meeting of the Wellington Phijosap'hical Society was held in t)su Dominion ATite'mim .011 Wednesday evening, Mr. R. V. Hudson was in the chair. The. report and balance-sheet were adopted. The report of the.astronomical section was also read. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Professor Easterfiekl; vice-presidents. Mr. T. Kins! and Professor Kirk; council, Messrs. A. Hamilton, Martin Chapman, P. Ci. Morgan, G. V. Hudson, Dr. O. .Aliniro Hector, and Professor Pictcn; secretary and treasurer, Jlr. C. E. Adams; librarian, Jlii-s J. A. Wilson; auditor, Mr. K. U. Dytnock.

The chairman then called upon Professor Easterfield, who wished to suggest an alteration of the rules of the society. Professor Easteriield .said that the rules at present in force .stipulated that any proposal to change existing rules must not be prouosed earlier than three months after notice of proposal. He therefore intended at fhu next meeting of the society to propose that the rule in regard to life members of the society be altered. At present any member who desires to Ijecomo a life member must do ;:o by paying .£lO into tho funds of the society. It. appeared that there, have.been cases when members of lou? standing have been _nnablo to comply with current subscriptions and have had to resign. Professor tasterfiold therefore suggested that the rule bc altcred to the effect that any member of thirty years' standing and who has' paid all liis" subscriptions to (late shall ipso facto become o life member. He lurthsr su"gested that the council have power to bestow the right of life membership as a reward for meritorious service to tho society- , ~ The chairman read two papers by .Mr. Alfred PhilpoU. One was on an instance of protective mimicry in New Zealand moths. The instance, as Mr. Hudson pointed out, was the first that had been recorded in New Zealand. The other paper by Mr. Philpott was an instance of the effects of natural selection and isolation in reducing the "wing expanse of a moth. , , . ~. A paper on the Physiography of the Tararua Eange by Mr. G. L. Adkin jvas of a very technical nature, and was taken as read. Two other papers had to be counted .is read, as the rules of tho society discountenance business after 9.30 p.m. Professor Laby proposed 11 motion to the elfect that tho council should arrange for a series of popular lectures and to arrange for discussions on papers published outside New Zealand appertaining ■to affairs appropriate to the society. The proposal led to a somewhat lengthy discussion, but eventually it was carried.