INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2632, 30 November 1915, Page 8

INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS

ANNUAL REPORT.

Til© annual report of the council of ' the.Aew Zealand Institute of Architects states tliat tlie membership consists of 136 Fellows" and .179 -Associates, 1 ) 315. During the year the chief duties of the council have been the classification of new members registered by the lioard and the preparation of new regulations. For the purpose of framing regulations a special committee was set up consisting of Mr. W C. Chatfield, Mr. A. Atkins,' Mr. R F Bacon, and Mr. W. Beiuchamp-Platts. • Hiis: committee performed its arduous duties very thoroughly, and a perusal' , of the regulations shows the great care and i forethought the committee displayed in safeguarding the welfare of tie institute and its members, lie draft regulations as finally passed by the general meeting held on August 31 last were approved by the Governor- n-Council without a single alteration. • ■ The reports of the several district branches snow that steady progress has been _made during the year. Owing to ™ that the regulations provide that the "annual meeting" is the awiual meeting of the council, and not en Annual general meeting of members, the district branches, assume a more important and useful charaoter than in. the past. Town planning and other questions of interest to architects have in a measure, been obliged to give way to ■matters of more pressing and immediate importance to the institute. The council, however, trusts that with, the successful termination of the war and the return to normal conditions, so earnestly loped for by the whole nation, the energies of each succeeding council will be directed, in a. greater' measure as years go on, ■ towards the advancement of town planning and other matters bearing upon the jvelfare of the country .and its architecture. The council has on every occasion brought to its notice inquired the conditions of. architectural competitions, and where occasion required has exercised its fullest-powerß to induce promoters to adopt the gazetted .regulations; Realising the very great importance of ensuring that in future all architects'admitted to the institute Bhould be well educated, the council gave a great amount of care and consideration to the question of an educational scheme and of the examinations to which that scheme leads. The futilities for education are, however, so different in each centre that while , the council prefiares the scheme of education .11 carnot ay down hard and'.fast rules of carrying it out. The work of encouraging and developing and carrying out tho scheme must be loft in the hands of the various branches and individual members of those branches. The council sincerely hopes that in the near future one of the Univorsity Colleges of New. Zealand will see its way to establish a Chair of Architecture with, a full and complete course of study enabling students to reaoh the degree of Bachelor of Science in Architecture, as set forth in the Calendar. • The expenses of tho yca.r have been very heavy, and' the council has of ceisity incurred heavy liabilities'against the coming year's revenue by way of law costs, printing of regulations, form's, appendices, and new certificates of membership. The question of travelling expenses of members of the council mil require careful consideration' so tha,t no district will suffer disfranchisement for want of adequate representation. The question has been carefully-consid-ered by the officials best qualified to form an estimate, and a proposal will in all probability be presented for tie - purposo of authorising the transit • charges'only of one councillor from each district; branch, and in'or.der that each 1 branch shall have .its full representation tho regulations 'provide that absent • Saaojltot* max .vote hj proiy- L'