PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1614, 4 December 1912, Page 5

PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

THE ASTRONOMICAL SECTION.

The astronomical section of thoVWellington Philosophical Society held their annual meeting in the Observatory last .evening. Mr. C. P. Powles, the retiring president, presided. Mr. Powles said that ■ he had to congratulate the section on the progress made . during tho, past,, year., Thoy had been, ablo"l(j' put' up an observatory and to set up a good sin. refractor by Ccoke, of York. They were indebted to the Government for the telescope. Tho equatorial stand on which it is mounted was imported from England at a cost of .£3B. The late , Government allowed them a £1 for £1 subsidy uj> to .£IOO, and the City Council had given them £25. Their present .financial position was: Cs. 9d. in hand, and liabilities amounting to .£'ll 19s. Gd. . It had been, arranged that the telescopy would bo available, to the public on the first and third. Tuesdays in each month, and that a charge of Is. for,admission would .be,a help to their finances. Certain adjustments to the telescopo w«ro needed, and as the Government declared that they would not grant them a further subsidy, it was to be hoped that the public would help. •Mr. Gifford moved, tkat season, tickets be issued to non-members-of the section at 55., admitting holders to. tho observatory when it is open, and also to all free lectures given to the section. This motion was seconded, by Dr. Kennedy, aijd was carried.. It was also decided to ask the Philosophical Society to make a grant to the section, to assist it in paying off its liabilities, and also to ask the society to pay over to the section ss. per head per annum, for cacli member of tho society who is also a member of the section. 1 A. vote of thanks to Dr. Hector for presenting the furniture in the observatory was also passed. *' The following officers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Dr. Hector; vice-presidents, Dr. Kennedy, Professor Picken, Captain Hooper, and Messrs. Martin Chapman and C. P. Powles; council, Messrs. G. Ho.eben, C. E. Adams, W.S. La Trobe,- H. Sladden, E. Parry, C. G. Berry, and L. Birks.