Report of the Forty-Fifth Annual General Meeting. 809 



"I am organising a group of Fellows to meet regularly for the study of the 

 Empire. For history, geography and all Imperial questions. I believe much can be 

 done here to keep the flag flying although we are small in numbers." 



A speaker from Sydney suggested we should do something by way of celebrating 

 Empire Day. That is already the settled policy of the Institute. Last year it was 

 our endeavour to organise a celebration of Empire Day by a banquet to be given by 

 members of the Institute in every big town of the Overseas Dominions of the Crown, 

 not only in the Empire, but as far as possible outside the Empire also, and, under 

 the influence of the suggestion and push of the Institute, I am in hopes that before 

 many years have passed every single town where you can collect together a good 

 community of Englishmen will celebrate Empire Day, and that that celebration will 

 be known as having been organised by this Institute. I was glad to hear the testi- 

 monies which have been given as to the value of the Library ; it is one of our boasts 

 that we have the finest Library in the Empire in matters relating to Overseas 

 Dominions, and I am glad to receive this unsolicited testimony, not only to the ex- 

 cellencies of the Library, but to the courtesy and assistance which frequenters derive 

 from the officials connected with it. Captain Slack suggested that we should go on 

 hammering at the Postmaster-General until we are able to obtain cheaper postal rates 

 for our Journal to other Dominions besides Canada. When I was Governor-General 

 we were told it would almost pauperise the Imperial Government if they were to allow 

 penny postage for four pounds of printed matter to Canada. I am glad to think, 

 however, that Mr. Buxton was able to overcome the opposition to the scheme, and 

 that thanks to his services and to the energy with which the Canadian Government 

 pushed through the matter that reform has been adopted, and I quite agree it will 

 be very useful if a similar service can be applied to other parts of the Empire as well. 

 It has been suggested by Colonel Allen that the Institute would be much strengthened 

 if we could only send some members of our Council or other representatives to take 

 a holiday in the beautiful Dominion he represents. He gave me a charming and 

 pressing invitation. I can assure you that nothing would give me greater pleasure 

 than to pay a visit to New Zealand, but unfortunately I am not yet in a position 

 to gratify a wish so near to my heart. I may mention that the Council recommend 

 that one of the vacancies on the Council should be filled by Mr. Evelyn Wrench, the 

 founder of the Overseas Club, which has now 100,000 members in all parts of the 

 Empire, and he has been touring through New Zealand and writing home letters 

 which make one wish to participate in the pleasant experiences he is enjoying. Allusion 

 has been made to the importance of our Journal, and indeed, when we think that 

 5,000 of our 7,000 members are Overseas, and that one of the chief advantages they 

 enjoy as members is the perusal of the Journal, one realises how important it is that 

 no effort shall be spared to make the Journal the most powerful instrument in print 

 for bringing about a satisfactory solution of the Empire problem. Colonel Allen 

 told us there was one other paper which, in his opinion, was rather ahead of ours. 

 I have ascertained that he referred to the Round Table. That is a periodical which 

 comes out quarterly, and I quite agree that there is no more valuable Imperial quarterly 

 published. I am sure Colonel Allen will be pleased when I tell him that one of the 

 recommendations of the Council now before you is that Mr. Philip Kerr, editor of the 

 Round Table, shall become a member of the Council. We all realise the advantage 

 of making our Journal even better than it is, and our efforts shall certainly be devoted 

 to that end. It has been suggested that the City luncheons to distinguished visitors 

 should be given in this building instead at De Keyser's Hotel. We thought w 



