In view of the fact that among the many interesting ingredients that go to make up that rich confection, the New Zealand Centennial Celebrations, are the various literary competitions open to your native writers, some particulars of, and comments upon, the series of similar competitions arranged by the Literary Committee of Australia's 150th Anniversary Celebrations Council, may be of interest. Of that committee I, as President of the Sydney branch of the P.E.N. Club, had the honour to be the Government's nominee as chairman; and, as such, was largely concerned in the establishment and conduct of the competitions, to say nothing of the other work of the committee. For we had many other activities to control in addition to the competitions — the most important being the Exhibition of Australian literature which was held in the magnificent hall of the Fisher Library, Sydney University. At this Exhibition every variety of Australian Literature was shown, arranged in accordance with date and subject, with the result that the Exhibition as a whole presented a complete review of Australian letters in every field and of every period. It proved to be an extraordinarily interesting feature of the Celebrations and, despite the distance of the Fisher Library from the centre of the city, it was visited during the fortnight of its currency, by a very large number of persons, who were by no means confined to literary experts and book-lovers. But this is by the way. My real theme is the Literary Competitions.