Ways and Means.

At the very first meeting of the Committee it was decided to institute a series of literary competitions; but before we could decide upon their exact nature it was necessary to find out how much money we were to be allotted by the N.S.W. Government. It was decided, after careful consideration, that we should ask for £1,200. We received £500! But further pressure added £150 for expenses, so that the initial grant could be preserved intact for the prize money. In view of this lack of funds—and also, I may add, of time, for it was half way through 1937 before we were constituted as a committee—it was decided not to include a full length novel among the subjects for competition. The £500 was, therefore, eventually allotted as follows:—

Short Story: 1st prize, £80; 2nd, £20.

Short Poem: 1st prize, £50; 2nd, £10.

Short Essay: 1st prize, £50; 2nd, £10.

Long Essay: 1st prize, £100; 2nd, pound;30.

Full Length Play: 1st prize, pound;125; 2nd, £25.

A few days later, however, we were notified that the Commonwealth Government had decided to allot our Committee the sum of £250 to be awarded as a special Commonwealth Prize in such manner as we might think fit. Considerable discussion resulted in the decision to offer the whole amount as a prize for the best novel “published or accepted by a publisher,” during 1937. This particular limitation was decided upon firstly because it was clear that if the entries

The Alexander Turnbull Library, a modernised Elizabethian style in red brick, Wellington, New Zealand.

page 28 page 29 were limited to such novels as were actually published during 1937, considerable injustice might be done to those writers who were able to complete their M.S., and have them accepted by the end of 1937, but who had not had time actually to publish them; and, secondly, because it was even clearer that the shortage of time made it absolutely impossible for us to read and judge the flood of novels in M.S. that would assuredly engulf us if we left the competition open and unconditioned.