New Members Needed

For PI Society President Reports at Annual Meeting

INCREASED membership and larger attendances at monthly meetings and social gatherings are necessary if the Pacific Islands Society is to continue to function vigorously. This was made clear to members in the report submitted by the president of the society at the annual general meeting in Sydney on July 25.

The membership is now 161, of whom 12 are new members. There was one resig nation from the society during the year, and a number of unfinancial members were struck off the list.

Twelve gatherings were held during the year; eight speakers addressed members on Pacific subjects during the same

period. ( ,

Members were urged to do their utmost to obtain new members for the society, both among Pacific Islands residents, and those interested in this region.

Finances BALANCE at the bank on June 30, was £36—£6 less than at the same date last year. Receipts from subscrip tions during the year were £29. and from social gatherings, £53. Expenditure on social gatherings was £Bl, making a deficit for the vear of £6.

Later in the evening, the secretary, Mr J. T. Bensted, reported that Miss A D. M. Bushby, of Bowral, had donated the sum of £6/14/- to offset the deficit for the year.

Election of Officers rE following officer bearers were elected: President, Mr. F. D.

McCarthy; vice-presidents, Mr. L.

Freeman and Major C. A. Swinbourne, OBE; secretary and treasurer, Mr. J. T.

Bensted; assistant secretary, Mr. C. Price- Conigrave; councillors, Mrs. M. S.

Williamson, Major C. M. Southey, Messrs.

A. E. Stephen, E. A. Sturt, and L. Walker; hostesses, Mrs. R. W. G. Gosset, Mrs. E.

Marie-Irving, and Mrs. G. Mackaness; auditor, Mr. R. H. Clarke.

Address by the President

AFTER the business of the meeting had been completed, members were ad dressed by the president, Mr. F. D.

McCarthy, who spoke on the art of the Melanesians of the Western Pacific.

He drew 'attention to the need for more intensive collecting by the museums of Australia in order to secure adequate collections of Melanesian art material. In spite of the war, he said, there still remains in the Western Pacific, many fine speciments of native art.

The Rev. N. H. Wright, of the Metho dist Mission, Lautoka, Fiji, is on deputa tion work in South Australia.

Flying Officer Victor Hjorring has been awarded the MBE. His father was at one time Mayor of Levina, Fiji, and

he himself spent his youth there. He joined the RNZAF before the beginning of the war.