POLYNESIAN SOCIETY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 325, 26 February 1910, Page 4

POLYNESIAN SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING. I

The annual meeting of the Polynesian. .Society was held in the Technical School last night, Mr. S. Percy-Smith presiding. The annual report submitted by the president as follows was adopted:— The council lias pleasure in presenting to the annual meeting of the society its seventeenth annual report, which will be found to be brief, for there is little to record beyond the continued steady progress towards carrying out the object for which the .society was founded, namely, the preservation in print of all that can be obtained relating to the Polynesian race. Our journal has appeared with great regularity at the end of each quarter. It contains 230 pages of matter, besides a larger number of illustrations and maps than in any previous volume, the maps being due to the liberality of the Uoverntfrent, who have had them drawn and printed without cost to the society. The usual number of 1500 copies have been struck off, which, after supplying our members and exchanges, leaves us from 50 to (!() copies for future disposal. During the year arrangements have been made with Karl Heirsseman, of Leipzig, to reproduce the first four volumes of the '•Journal" by the anastatic process', as those volumes have long been out of print and many inquiries are made for them. The Memoir Fund, referred 'to in the last two annual reports, • *o\v stands as follows: Cash in hand £lsl 3s Bd, promises £ll4 2s—total £203 sft Bd, out of which the Government contributed .1100. The fund is to be used in printing a number of papers in the hands of the society, which our ordinary funds will not allow us to accomplish. During the coming winter it is hoped a start will be made with the publication. Our library, now safely housed at the Technical School, continues' to increase. It is fairly well indexed up to date. More shelving has been supplied, which will meet our wants for a couple of years. The council regrets that the library is not made more use of, for it is probably the best ethnological and philological collection in the dominion, and will yet—as interest increases in these studies'—be more and move appreciated. Archdeacon W. H. Williams reports that the new Maori dictionary—which is to be published under our auspices—is progressing fairly well, two important additional lists of words) having been incorporated. It is hoped that the fair copies for the printer will be commenced this year. They are to be typewritten. But the Archdeacon is a very busy man. Our membership does not increase as it should do, and during the year we have lost several members through death and resignation, whilst others have been struck off through non-payment of their subscriptions. Amongst the deaths are j Prof. Otis T. Mason, of the Smifhsoni inn Institution; tho Rev. Dr. J. E. ■Moultan. of Tonga; F. H. Edger, late Judge of the Native Land Court; A. : Mackay, also a Judge of the stim'n ; Court; R. Mnunsell, of Masterton; and j Dr. B. Friedlaender, of Berlin. There : were only six now members elected dur- . ing the year, a less number than in any ' previous period. On the ,11st December our numbers were as follow: Patrons 1. honorary members 7, corresponding members 1-1, ordinary members 100— l total 101. which shoves a decrease of > cijfht members during the year. Of the j original numbers and founders of the society there are now only 35 left on the roll. Tn financial matters we end ; the year with a small balance of £8 ! 2s. rather less than last year, as will he scon by the treasurer's. accounts attached. Tho council regrets to report , that on 3let December there were 'lff ; members in arrear for one year, 12 for two years, and 21 for longer periods; ; many of -these will have" to be struck off the roll for non-compliance with the ; rules. Were the names of those in ar- , tear published" it would cause considerj able surprise to members. Their default [means .that the "Journal" • contains fewer pages' than it otherwise would do.