THE Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1869.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1991, 22 September 1869, Page 2

THE Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1869.

The question of the in coloration of the Otago Institute with the New Zealand Institute, which conies on for discussion on Friday evening, is one of considerable moment, and one vitally affecting the prosperity and usefulness of the particular Institute recently established in our midst; and for which Institute every true friend of the Province must desire a prolonged career of effective operation and effort, which, if well directed and systematically carried on, cannot fail to result in a vast amount of benefit, not simply to its individual members, but to the Province at large. Earnestly desiring, as we do, such a career for our own local Society, we are disposed to regret that the introduction of the vexed question cf (i incorpora-

“ tion ” had not been for a while delayed. This particular question, which at the outset so nearly proved latal to the successful launching of the Institute into existence, will, we believe, be found just now to provoke an amount of conflicting argument and possibly of antagonistic feeling, which it would have been well to avoid. Few things act so prejudicially upon the interests of any society, as that its members should be called upon at the very

outset of its career to oppose each other in argument respecting the constitution of the Society itself; more especially as in this particular case the point of difference may well be allowed to remain in abeyance without prejudice. Far better had some common objects been placed before the members, calculated to elicit united . sympathy and effort, in some of the many important departments of labor which the Institute, in its constitution and rules, has marked out for itself. This would have had the effect of knitting the members together by a feeling of common effort, resulting in mutual benefit, and productive of a general good. And hence a good, hearty, and united commencement at least might have been made with the real legitimate work which the Institute Ims proposed to itself; and for the discharge of which, indeed, it was called into existence. This done, there would have been a far fairer prospect of the vexed question of “ incorporation" being amicably disposed of; for few things prepare men to discuss without prejudice a disputed point, more effectually than

do preliminary exercises upon topics mutually agreeable, and of common interest With regard to the question itself to be submitted for consideration, we think it right to refer to the nutnei'ous objections to the proposal to incorporate, made when the subject was last under consideration, and the most weighty of which objections, wo are bound to say, have never yet in our judgment been satisfactorily replied to. We will not recapitulate the whole of those objections, but content ourselves with a short reference to a few only. In the first place, it was stated that under the Act as it at present stands, all legal rights in the property of a local Society, would immediately, upon its incorporation be transferred to the Governors of the New Zealand Institute. To this particular objection Dr Hector refers, in a letter recently published by our contemporary. But how does Dr Hector meet the objection as made? Not, certainly, by denying the fact, but by assuring us that —“ It is “ only in case that the Society should “ cease to exist that the Governors “ would desire to exercise any trusteeship “ over the collections and donations that “ had been entrusted to the Society, “ for the purpose of seeing that thev “ were properly applied.” Hence, it appears clear that the main part of the objection is admitted—which is not what powers the Governors would “ desire ” to exercise, but what the Act itself empowers them to exercise. Again, Dr Hector says : —“ If the “ Governors ever have to interfere, it “ will be only as the legal trustees, to “ enforce the conditions imposed and “ the intentions implied by the original “ donors.” Here again the question at issue was not, under what conditions the Governors might choose to “ inter- “ fere ” with the property of the local Society, “if” they should think well to do so at all, but the far more important one of the right to do so at all. This point, however, Dr Hector clearly admits when he invests, as most assuredly does the Act, the Governors of the New Zealand Institute with all the powers of “ legal tnistees ” of all property accumulated by incorporated societies.

We now 7 apply the conclusion arrived at above to the special question at issue. We are justified in stating that w 7 e have good grounds for believing that the Provincial Government were favorably disposed to a suggestion that was made to grant accommodation to the Otago Institute in the New Post Office Building, and to place the Provincial Museum under the management of the Council of that Institute. That they very probably would have agreed to incorporate the two, and thus the Institute would have had a “ local habitation ” as well as a “ name.” But that when it became apparent that a successful effort might be made to incorporate with the New

Zealand Institute, and that thereby the whole of the Museum property would be handed over to the Governors as the only ‘‘legal trustees,” the scheme was abandoned. Another of the objections urged against the proposed “incorporation” was the want of provision for anything like fair representation in the Board of Governors, and this point, as far as we

are aware of, has never been referred to at all by way of reply. As the law now stands, it would seem that in the event of incorporation, the sole means of any local society having any voice, weight, or influence in or upon the “ Boai’d of Governors,” would be by electing one of its own members to •v ote in the election of the three elec-

tivo Governors, who, with other six nominated by His Excellency, or specified in the Act itself, arc to complete the “ Board,” into whose hands are to be committed not only all the powers of “ legal trustees,” but also the absolute control and management of the affairs of the whole of the body corporate.

We have said enough to show that there is much need of caution, or great injury may be inflicted upon the Province by rendering abortive, or at least comparatively so, the means at our disposal of establishing in our midst an institution capable of doing much service for the benefit of the Province at large.