02 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



" The Committee beg further to report that a draft agree- 

 ment 83 settled by the solicitors lias been approved by the 

 Committee, such agreement not entailing any liability either 

 at law or equity on any parties executing it on the part of the 

 Club." 



Frofessor SiMONDS having moved the adoption of the 

 report, and this motion having been seconded, 



Mr. Jonas Webb said, at the last meeting an insinuation 

 was thrown out against the Inspection Site Committee to the 

 effect that, after having been a year and a-halfiu looking about 

 for a site for a new building, they had ended by forming a 

 company for their own benefit. Now, he must remind the 

 meeting, that when an amendment vras proposed for post- 

 poning the matter, the number who Bupported it was very 

 small. 

 Mr. B. GiBBS remarked that the votes were 16 to 8. 

 Mr. J. "VVebb continued : What he wished to impress upon 

 the meeting was, that the Company was formed by the pro- 

 moters, not for their own benefit, but entirely for the good of 

 the Club (Hear, hear.) He had only taken shares himself for 

 the purpose of securing the formation of a company ; and no- 

 thing would induce him to proceed without the general assent 

 of the members. He did not consider a majority of 16 to 8 a 

 sufficient indication of their feelings on the subjecf; ; and what 

 he would suggest was, that the Secretary or the Solicitor 

 should send a circular to every member, which would effect the 

 object of the amendment proposed by Sir John Shelley at the 

 last meeting. He could not allow it to be supposed that he 

 and others had formed a Company for their own benefit ; the 

 object being, in fact, solely to benefit the Club : and therefore 

 he wished every member to have an opportunity of saying 

 whether he approved or disapproved of the course taken by 

 the Committee. A statement had appeared in the Mark Lane 

 Express that at the last meeting he was the only person among 

 the originators of the Company who left the room when the 

 question was decided. That was not correct. Besides himself, 

 Mr. John Clayuon, Mr. Druce, juu., and Professor Simouds 

 retired. Mr. Webb concluded by pvoposiog what he suggested 

 by way of amendment. 



Mr. GiBLETT observed that he was the only promoter who 

 voted on the question. 



Mr. Garrett remarked that had it been true that none of 

 the promoters except himself left the room, the majority of 16 

 to 8 would in fact have been very small. 



Mr. B. GiBBS said that remark applied only to the division 

 ou the amendmeot. The original motion for the reception of 

 the report being carried by 20 votes to 6. 



Mr. Garrett quite agreed with Mr. Webb that there must 

 be no room left for saying that there was a separation of in- 

 terests in this matter. The object of those who formed this 

 Company was simply to provide increased accommodation, and 

 if there was much difference of opinion it would be for them 

 to consider whether it should carry out the project. Under 

 all the circumstances, he thought every member of the Club 

 should have a circular sent to him before any final step was 

 taken. 



Mr. Sidney thought the best course would be for the 

 meeting to pass the resolution, and for Mr. Webb afterwards 

 to propose what he advocated, by a substantive motion. He 

 agreed with that gentleman that a circular should be issued 

 before the contract was signed, because if anything was done 

 which was against the wishes of the subscribers they might 

 withdraw in consequence; but if the result of that meeting 

 should be that the motion was postponed and the amendment 

 carried, they would in fact be in the same position that they 

 were eighteen mouths ago (Hear, hear). 



Mr. Webb said lie should be happy to adopt Mr. Sidney's 

 suggestion. 



Mr. Dokman (Solicitor of the Company) wished to know 

 whether he was to understand that if the majority of the an- 

 swers to the circulars were unfavourable, the scheme would be 

 abaudoned altogether? 



Mr. J. Webb : O, yes ; decidedly. 



Mr. Morgan said it was necessary that a company should 

 be formed, in order that some determination might be come 

 tOi The directors were obliged to put down their names for a 

 certain number of shares, when the company was formed, 

 merely in order that the Club might have somebody to deal 

 with in the matter. 



Mr. Clayden remarked that it having been settled that 

 the Club was not in a position to build, but must be a tenant, 

 it was arranged that the shares should be offered in the first 

 instance to the members, adding that the sole object of the 

 directors was to secure suitable premises f6r the Show (Hear, 

 hear). 



Mr. Ade (solicitor to the Club) said the agreement 

 simply bound the members of the Club, as was explained at 

 the last meeting, in honour ; assuming that the report of 

 the committee, if adopted that day, would be the sole 

 effect ; but the company would, nevertheless, like to know 

 whether or not the majority of the members approved of it. 

 He trusted that if the report were adopted the Company would, 

 before the arrangement was finally made, be enabled to ascer- 

 tain the opinion of the members, because it was obvious that 

 if the Company, who were desirous solely of benefiting the Club, 

 should erect the building, and then find that the majority of 

 the members were against it, the object would not have been 

 accomplished. 



Mr. Giblett believed that the Compau}' desired to pursue 

 that course which would be most agreeable to Mr. Webb. 

 That gentleman was naturally sensitive when it was insinuated 

 that the Company had been formed partly for his benefit 

 (Hear, hear). Everyone there knew that everything which 

 was done was done with the view of benefiting the Club 

 (Hear, hear). He would suggest that for the purpose of at- 

 taining this object — namely, the satisfaction of Mr. Webb and 

 the other directors — the solicitor of the Club should address a 

 letter to every member, requesting that an answer might be 

 sent within a certain period, and that silence should be re- 

 garded as affirmative. 



Mr. Sidney said : On the last occasion, when a discus- 

 sion took place on this subject, there were no reporters pre- 

 sent ; and hence, perhaps, it was that the arrangement with 

 the Building Company contemplated had been represented as 

 a sort of hole-and-coruer affair, got up for the benefit cf Mr. 

 Webb and others. Now there was no foundation whatever for 

 such a suspicion (Hear, hear). Eighteen months ago a com- 

 mittee, which included almost every influential member of the 

 Club, was appointed to consider the subject, and the report 

 ultimately made was adopted unanimously (a voice, "No"). 

 Well, at all events, by a very large majority ; there was, he be- 

 lieved, only one dissentient (Hear, hear). That report was sub- 

 mitted to an unusually large meeting of the Club, and obtained 

 its approval ; and there could not now be the slightest pre- 

 tence for saying that there was anything like a ho'e-and- corner 

 character in the scheme. It would, in his opinion, be very 

 unbusiness-like not to adopt the report on that occasion ; and 

 at the same time he admitted that, for the sake of the Com- 

 pany, steps ought to be taken to satisfy them with regard to 

 the opinion of the members of the Club. On the previous day 

 he heard a whisper that if the club went to the Angel, a split 

 would take place, and an attempt be made to form another 



