1913] Albert P. Mathews 267 



further, that the Society transmit to the other societies copies of this 

 plan with the request that the plan be presented to the members of 

 the societies; that each society appoint one delegate to meet mem- 

 bers appointed by the other societies to act as a committee of Or- 

 ganization of the American Biological Society; and that such 

 committee shall carefully examine into the feasibility of such an 

 Organization and, if possible, draft a Constitution and report to the 

 societies at their next annual meeting. 



Suggestions for carrying out, practically, the Journal part of 

 the plan. ( i ) It will possibly be f ound that $30 or $20 a year is 

 more than the majority of the Society feel able or willing to pay. 

 Arrangements could be made whereby at a somewhat larger relative 

 cost such members could subscribe to two, three, or half a dozen of 

 the Journals as they desired. Arrangements could be made with the 

 Journals whereby copies would be sent to the members of the Society 

 at a reduced price, if a certain number of subscribers was received 

 in this way. For example, the Society might offer the Biological 

 Abstract Journal, and any two others, for $10 a year ; the Biological 

 Abstract Journal, and five others, for $20 a year; and the whole 

 number, say, for $30 a year. In this way there would always be 

 an incentive for the members, who could not at the Start pay the 

 füll sum, to increase their subscriptions and thereby enable everyone 

 to get his subscription at a reduced cost. It would not, however, be 

 possible on this basis to give so much to the members as if all 

 subscribed to all the Journals, but still a great reduction of cost could 

 be obtained. The object aimed at should be to increase as rapidly 

 as possible the numbers of those taking the whole number of 

 Journals. 



(2) The relation of the Society to the management of the Jour- 

 nals would, of course, have to be worked out gradually. Several 

 courses are open to the society. One is to leave the Journals as they 

 are under their present control and for the Society to make such 

 arrangements with the Journals as would be most advantageous to 

 the members. This is the club-rate principle, the society buying so 

 many copies at a reduced rate to distribute to its members. This. 

 arrangement might do as a temporary makeshift, to get started, but 

 would probably be unsatisfactory in the long run, since it would not 

 be permanent enough. 



