ASTRONOMY

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 89, 12 October 1934, Page 7

ASTRONOMY

DONOVAN LECTURER

MR. A. C. GIFFORD APPOINTED

THE CARTER BEQUEST

Mr. A. C. Gifford has been appointo under the terms of the Donovan Trua as the Donovan Lecturer in .astronomy for the present year. On the recommendation of the observatory committee, the City Council has invilcd Mr. Gifford to deliver a lecture in the Concert Chamber on a date to be decided later. The hall will be granted free of charge for the purpose. Mr. Gifford, said the chairman of tha observatory committee (Councillor M. F. Luckie) was probably the leading astronomer in New Zealand, and certainly the greatest enthusiast in encouraging interest in the science. One of the terms of the Donovan Trust lectures was that they must bo free, for the purpose of proinotingpublic interest in astronomy. Eeferring to the bequest of Mr. P. E. Cartel1, who died about 35 years ago, and left soino £!JOOO as a nucleus for the establishment of an observatory ia the neighbourhood of Wellington, Mr. Luckie said that that fund was under the control of trustees. Nothing kxi been done by the trustees to make nte of the fund, though- the sum was now in the neighbourhood of £9000. The reason was that it was apparently considered that even this sum was not sufficient to make a proper start with. It was an open secret, however, that attempts had bocn nmde by members of the trustees' executive to endeavour to get the benefits of the Carter bequest transferred to some other part of New Zealand than Wellington. . The observatory committee was satisfied that the trustees could not do that, but it felt that the fund had grown big enough now to justify the expenditure of a sum that would establish an observatory. The site was secured, and one of tho largest telescopes in New Zealand was in hand. He wished to make the facts as public a.s possible, in order to arouse public interest in astronomy and also to stimulate possible grants and donations. It was an honour to the council, said Councillor H. A. Huggins, that Mr. Gifford, the only New Zealander asked to lecture under the Donovan Trust, was a member of tTie observatory committee. The Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) said ho was very glad that Mr. Gifford had been recognised, and the council would be honoured by the delivery of the lecture in the Town Hall. He had no doubt that any attempt to spend the money away from Wellington would be objected to strenuously. He did not think there was much risk of it.

Councillor T. Brindlc supported Councillor Luckie's reference to the possibility of doing something with the Carter bequest now.