XXll PROCEEDINGS OF ANNUA! MEETING. 



the dealh of such Member, be repaid by the Trustees to the 

 General Account of the Association,' " were discussed; and it was 

 resolved, on the motion of Rev. Dr. Flint, to adopt the motion of 

 Mr. Walsh, subject to the following amendment, vis., that the 

 w^ords " may, if the Council shall so decide," be substituted for 

 the word " shall." 



Admission of Public to Sectional Meetings. — The 

 motion of Dr. Potts, carried at the last Annual General Meetinc^, 

 that the attention of the incoming- Council be directed to the 

 desirability of admitting the public to Sectional Meetings, wis 

 re-submitted l)y the Council for discussion ; the Council being of 

 opinion that, in view of the importance of the issues involved, 

 the matter should be reserved for the decision of the Annual 

 General Meeting. The following is the memorandum obtained 

 by the Council from Dr. Potts in support of his proposal : — 



" The attendance is often very small, which is disheartening 

 to everyone, especially the authors of papers, if present. At 

 Section C, in 1914, the average attendance was about three — the 

 President, Secretary, and one other Member, who read the paper 

 for the absent author. 



" If the public were admitted, it would probably increase the 

 attendance, and might result in the acquisition of new members 

 for the Association. It would also be a further return for the 

 hospitality of the town." 



On this the Council added the following comment : — " The 

 Council inclines to the view that such a course would deprive 

 local residents of their chief inducement to pay 15s. and become 

 Associate Members for the Session, and would thus reduce the 

 funds available for use by the Local Committee to defray 

 expenses : the sub.scriptions received from Associates being an 

 asset of the Local Committee." 



On the motion of the Chairman, it was resolved to refer the 

 matter back to the incoming Council for disposal, together with 

 the subjoined further proposals for the conduct of future 

 Sessions, which were submitted by Prof. vShand : — 



(a) That in future years a list of the papers offered to the 

 Association be issued to Members some time before the com- 

 mencement of the Session. 



(b) That with this list be issued balloting cards, and that 

 Mem1)crs be asked to return these cards to the Secretary, having 

 indicated upon them, by number, those papers zuJiich they particu- 

 larly desire to hear. 



(c) That the Council do then scrutinize the balloting cards, 

 and that those papers which shall have received the greatest 

 numbers of votes (the minimum to be at the discretion of the 

 Council) be appointed to be read at General Meetings of all 

 Sections; and that the remaining papers be allocated among the 

 various Sections separately. 



