PROCEEDINGS AT GEN^ERAL MEETINGS. 19 



mistaken my honourable friend never on one occasion suggested the name of a single 

 gentleman whom he A\i?hed placed on the Board of Direction. I think it scarcely con- 

 sistent — excellent as my friend and energetic as he is in these matters — to sit silent all 

 the year, at the very time when he is asked to suggest members for the Direction, and 

 afterwards to come here and find fault with those who have been selected, and who, as 

 I have shown you, are men who exactly meet his requirements, because none of them 

 are interested in other professions. 



Mr, Waldegrave Leslie — May I explain one word ? I do not think that the great 

 bulk of the members were aware of the power of suggesting gentlemen for the Board. 

 I certainly was not aware of it, and we must say we are indebted to Mr. S^\^uton for 

 his kindness in apprising us, and now that we know we have the power we may exer- 

 cise it. 



The Chairman said that it was advertised every year, and if Mr, Waldegi-ave Leslie 

 did not read the advertisements it was his o^vn fault. 



Lord Polwarth, in the absence of the convener of the committee which was aj)- 

 pointed to deal with this particular subject, said that the fact that a committee had 

 been appointed to deal with this subject was a tacit acknowledgment that the arrange- 

 ment at present was not satisfactory to the general membership. Although he was not 

 able to put before the meeting the proposals of that committee, because they had not 

 yet been submitted to the Directorate, he assured them that the members of the com- 

 mittee were most anxious that the responsibility of the choice of Directors should, so 

 far as consistent with the charter, rest upon the general membership of the Society. 

 He was of opinion that, in order that the Society should maintain a real vitalitj' 

 throughout, there should be a feeling of responsibility as to the choice of those who 

 were to hold office in the Society. They might be satisfied that the report would be 

 satisfactory to the general membership. 



Mr Waldegrave Leslie — Now, in regard to the second resolution — that the lists 

 of members of the various committees should be revised and reduced — I wish to draw 

 attention to the fact that in the books of the Society there are no less than twelve 

 committees, and that one is amissing — that is, the Steam Committee, I believe I was 

 the member of the Society who first brought forward the matter, that it was desirable 

 to have a committee to consider the question of steam cultivation. As far as I can 

 remember, that committee met only once. The then convener was the pioneer of sub- 

 soil cultivation — the late Marquis of Tweeddale — and it was long after liis death that 

 that committee went on under the presidency of the Marquis of Lothian ; but some- 

 how or other this committee had never met, and it has been purged out of the list, I 

 don't know why. It appears to me that the matter of steam cultivation in the Society 

 in these days cannot be ignored ; and I think that one of the greatest cultivators of 

 the day, the Master of Blantyre, is one who should be on the Directorate of the Society. 

 I think it is very hard that year after year should pass away without having him 

 placed on the Directorate. There is another committee — that of machinery — of which 

 I am a member, and I do not remember that we have ever been called together ; and I 

 am told by members of other committees that some do meet and some do not meet, 

 but that there are so many members of some committees that the work is not thrown 

 upon three or four working members, and the con.sequence is that the committees 

 never meet and never do anything. I beg to suggest that the lists of meml>er3 of the 

 various committees should be revised and reduced, and I hope that this subject will 

 be undertaken by the Directors, and considered themselves, before Januar)-, 



Mr Mackenzie of Portmore — In reference to what has l)een said, I have to inform 

 this meeting — and prol>ably many present must know the fact already — that every 

 year the Directors of the Society revise the lists of the committees, and make such 

 alterations as they think will be most beneficial for carrying on the work most efti- 

 ciently. This is the answer to the question of the revision, but Mr. Leslie goes on to 

 say tliat the memliers of the committees should be reduced in number. Well, I have 

 myself the honour to be the convener of one of these committei-s, antl I serve upon 

 some of the others, and I know from practical experience that, although the committee 

 I presiih' over is one compo.scd of a large number o( members^ we often have consider- 

 able ditliculty in getting together a sulficient number of gentlemen to fairly take into 

 con.sideration matters brought before us, and if you reduce the numbers further you 

 will simply in<'rease that dini«ulty, P» opU- cannot always attend; and unless you 

 have a large number on the conuiiittce you will fre(jiiently find the attendance is too 

 small to entrust to it the important work which devolves npon theso connnittees, 



Mr. W.M.i)K<iUAVK Lfsi.ik— What li ' ' ' -• '' mitte© ? 



The Ch.mh.man — That is not a q' u ;il>er of oommittees. 



I am informed that conimitte-' wa-s amalgamated with anotlier, so that it ban 

 been reduced to a certain e.xtont. It has been amalgamated with the Machinery Com- 

 mitteo. 



Mr, Waij)KOrave Lbslib — Then why is it th« Maf'hincry Committee were nev^r 

 called together i 



