1903 Ei iito rit 1 Is 2 8 1 



lished in various localities, even beyond the seas, since the 

 place of meeting changes from year to year, and is not 

 limited to these islands. The President continued — 



" We not only, then, have a scientific Parliament com- 

 petent to deal with all matters, including those of national 

 importance, relating to science, but machinery for influencing 

 all new councils and committees dealing with local matters, 

 the functions of which are daily becoming more important. 



" The machinery might consist of our corresponding 

 societies. We already have affiliated to us seventy societies 

 with a membership of 25,000. Were this number increased 

 so as to include every scientific society in the Empire, 

 metropolitan and provincial, we might eventually hope for 

 a membership of half a million." 



So far, so good. We fully admit the need for some 

 such body, and the possibility of its inception by the 

 British Association. But we should like to draw attention 

 to the words, " We have already affiliated to us seventy 

 societies." We should like to know if the Council of the 

 British Association is aware that there are in the British 

 Islands something like 500 scientific societies, including the 

 field clubs, which are engaged in studying the local aspects 

 of science. If they are aware of this, we should further 

 like to ask if any systematic effort is being made, or has 

 been made, to secure the assistance of these bodies, and to 

 enrol their members on the list of the British Association. 

 And lastly, we should very much like to know how it is, if 

 any attempt has been made to affiliate all these societies 

 and to enrol their members, why such a small measure of 

 success has been attained. There is a very serious fault 

 somewhere. The British Association will do well to 

 earnestly consider why it is that such a very large propor- 

 tion of the local scientific societies in this country take no 

 interest in its proceedings, and why the majority of the 

 members of these societies are not to be found on the list 

 of the members or associates of the Association. 



We are in a position to state that it is not from a 

 feeling of apathy that the local societies stand aloof to such 

 a large extent as they do. We are fully aware that a 

 certain number of them send delegates to the Association, 



