:?6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



We need the Iielp of our Council if we are to accomplish what 

 we wish. Wo must ask Council to scrutitiise on our h(;h:ilf, in 

 advance of each election day, tlie waiting list of candidates in its 

 entirety, and we must authorise Council to select from the whole 

 list, without reference to the date of proposal of any candidate, 

 and with regard only to the (pialitications of all the candidates, 

 the names, within some predetermined maximum numher, of those 

 whom they can recommend to us for immediate election. 



A minor hut not unimportant matter is that of ' Validity of 

 Proposals.' When, in time, we come to appreciate as we should 

 our new responsihility, a particular candidature may be un- 

 successful at the first ballot. Such a candidature will therefore 

 have to be reconsidered at the next succeeding ballot or ballots. 

 A decision must therefore be arrived at beforehand as to tlie 

 duration of the period within which a particular ])roposal shall 

 continue to be valid. There may even be instances, in our sub- 

 sequent liistory, when a particular candidature may prove unsuc- 

 cessful at every ballot during the period of validity of its proposal. 

 Such a proposal may be replaced by a new proposal. Again there- 

 fore there must be a decision in advance as to the time that should 

 elapse before such a new proposal can be received by the Society. 



So far we have been considering matters which call for the 

 framing of new regulations. Doubtless our new Council will 

 prepare and submit for our approval, as soon as they can conveni- 

 ently do so, the regulations we need. The requisite approval we 

 must accord without delay if we really desire to pay due regard to 

 the spirit of the decision which renders them necessary. 



Let us now turn to matters, equally urgent, which differ from 

 the ones so far discussed in that our Statute-book already 

 contains regulations that profess to deal with them. We must 

 make quite certain that these old regulations, in their present 

 form, meet our new needs. 



One of these matters is the ' Admission of Fellows.' Our bye- 

 law on this subject enjoins that every person chosen a Fellow 

 shall appear personallj^ for his admission within a space of six 

 months from the date oF his election or within such further time 

 as shall be granted by the Council. The ' List of the Society ' now 

 shows how we have been treating what our predecessors.considered 

 a necessary order. Nearly one-third (30*6 per cent.) of the 

 Fellows who have paid their admission fees have not appeared in 

 person to sign their obligation and receive the right hand of fellow- 

 ship. It is no empty formality tliey thus disregard ; a Fellow 

 may not vote at any election or meeting till he has been admitted. 



Some may feel that the situation is less serious than it seems. 

 Over one half of the Fellows who have not yet sought admission 

 (ICy'd per cent, of the Society) may have been prevented because 

 they are usually resident outside the United Kingdom. The 



