SCIENCE & ART BILL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1848, 6 September 1913, Page 3

SCIENCE & ART BILL.

« PRINTING "TRANSACTIONS." MINISTER & N.Z. INSTITUTE. ./ The proposed Science and Art Bill was the subject of discussion yesterday at a meeting of the New Zealand Institute held at the Museum. The meeting was attended by the Hon. H. D. Bell (Minister for the Interior). Dr. Chilton (Canterbury College) presided. The president stated that the Science and Art Bill would provide for the constitution and control of a Dominion Museum and Art Gallery, and for the publication of scientific works. Under the Bill there would be a Dominion Museum at Wellington upon a site to be determined subject to tho control of the. Board of Science and Art, and a Dominion Art Gallery within or adjoining the museum. Until the erection of t'he museum and art gallery the Government Museum would be tho Dominion Museum, and tho money necessary would bo appropriated! by Parliament. The Board of Science and Artwould consist of the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Director of Geological Surveys, tho Director of tho Dominion Museum, the President of the Governors, an officer of the Department of Agriculture to bo appointed by tho Minister for Agriculture, the Government Printer, and two persons to be appointed by tho Governor-in-Council. Tho board would manage and control tho museum and publish t'he transactions of the New Zealand Institute, which would be sold by the Government Printer at fixed prices. The Minister's Remarks. The) Hon. H. D. Bell, in explaining the Bill, stated that at present tho New Zealand; Institute had a statutorygrant of £500 a year. That sum was not .sufficient for the purpose of printing the transactions, and they were asking the Government for a further grant • in aid. He understood that the institute was unable to pay the editor of tho "Transactions" for his services. Tho president: We have never been asked to pay an editor. Mr. Bell, continuing, - said that if there was to be a further grant they must persuade him that he would be, right in asking the Government for it. Their grant of £501) was swallowed up iti printing, except for a miserable sum paid to the secretary. They must, therefore, have a supplementary grant unless the Government did the printing altogether. His proposal was that they should still have the grant of £500 to be spent in purposes which could easily bo found, and that the Government should do tho printing. The board would have control, but they would have no power to insert in the "Transactions" anything except that which was submitted to it by the New Zealand Institute, but it would have power to exclude any matter which it did not consider of sufficient interest. Somebody must have a say beforo the voluino was swollen to dimensions which might bo the result of a desire on the part of scientific men to give tho scientific men a chance. He was not satisfied that it would bo right to supply money from tho Government purse without any control, but he„was quite satisfied that the £500 could be made good use of. There wero a number of members who valued and preserved their copies of "Transactions," but. at every salo of books broken and unbound] parts wero offered by auction, and the Government Printer told him that if the "Trans- ' actions" were sold to scientific men the number would bo reduced from 1300 to 500. If they stopped the frco distribution they would lose somo members, but they would have £500 to spend, and could devote that to the purchase of volumes for free distribution. President's Vlcw-polnt. The president then replied. He stated that they were all grateful to the Minister for his expressions of- opinion. They appreciated the fact that Mr. 801 l was responsible for money which he might ask Parliament for, but he did not think that tho Minister quite understood the position. Tho papers published in tho "Transactions" had brought very great credit to New Zealand. The Government was already by the Minister and four governors. He had lotters from the Utago Institute and the Canterbury Philosophical . Institute protesting against the Science and 'Art Bill. The fact that members got their volumes free was a great inducement to them to subscribe their guinea. The £500 had been granted every year since 1867, had never been increased though tho membership and -the work had grown enormously. The meeting then went into committee, and on the motion of Professor Kirk, seconded by Mr. Petrie, it wais resolved: "That the institute cannot agree to the proposal that the issue of its transactions and proceedings should come under tho review of an outside body." Tho voting was six either way, i and the president gave his vote in favour of things remaining as they were. 1 Mr. Varney Stewart proposed that i under tho constitution of the Board of Scienco aijd Art tho representation of. the-New Zealand Institute be increased t to four members. ' I This was seconded by Mr. A. Hamilton, and carried. I It was decided that the . president I should give evidence before the committeo which is considering the Bill, and I which it is expected will be introduced j into the House in about two months' time.