Ayinual General Meeting, December 6, 1911. xxxix 



Hastings. Lord. Melton Constable Park. Norfolk. 



Hiscock. Arthur, Manor Farm, Motconibe, Shaftesbury, Dorset. 



Hosken, W. J., Pulsack, Hayle, Cornwall. 



Howard, John Howard. Clapham Park, near Bedford, Bedfordshire. 



Knightley, Sir Charles V., Bart.. Fawsley, Daventry, Northants. 



Midwood. G. Norris, The Grange, North Rode. Congleton, Cheshire. 



Miller. T. Horrocks. Singleton Park, Poulton-Ie-Fylde, Lancashire. 



Myatt, John. Lynn House. Lichfield. Staffordshire. 



Overman, Henry. Weasenham, Swaffham, Norfolk. 



Patterson, R. G.. Acton Hill, Staflford, Staffordshire. 



Rea, George Grey, Middleton, Wooler, Northumberland. 



Ridley. Viscount. Blagdon, Cramlington, Northumberland. 



Taylor. George, Cranford, Middlesex. 



Wheeler, E. Vincent V., Newnham Court, Tenbury, Worcestershire. 



Wrigley. Louis C, Trelleck Grange, Chepstow, Monmouthshire. 



Election of Auditors. 



Mr. J. Herbeht Taylor had very great jjleasure in moving that the 

 Society's best thanks be tendered to Mr. Jonas M. Webb, Mr. Hubert J. Green- 

 wood, and Mr. Newell P. Squarey, the three Auditors, for their services during 

 the past year. Their work must be considered a somewhat dry one, but it was 

 nevertheless highly important. He begged to move that a vote of thanks be 

 given to these gentlemen, and that they be re-elected for the coming year. 



The motion was seconded by Mr. F. L. GoocH, and carried unanimously. 



Members' Suggestions. 



The Acting- President then asked if any one present had any remarks to 

 make or suggestions to ofEer for the Council's consideration. 



Sir John Swinburne thought that very often too much attention was paid 

 to gaining a large sum of money over and above expenses at these Shows. He 

 considered the Royal Agricultural Society should be rather above that. They 

 held their great meetings, not for pecuniary advantage, but for the sake of 

 encouraging agriculture in every way, and not only in the United Kingdom 

 was the Royal Agricultural Society looked to, but all over the civilised world. 

 They might sometimes get a slight deficiency, as at Norwich, but when they 

 weighed this with the enormous amount of gooil carried out by those Shows, he 

 did not think they ought to take that deficit too much into account. 



Mr. J. Egebton Quested had hoped to have seen, or to have heard, that 

 they were to have some slight reduction in the entry-fees for sheep. He thought 

 that some of the Breed Societies had petitioned the Council with the view of 

 obtaining a reduction in the entrance fees. They looked back into the days 

 when the fee was 5.^., when the Cotxncil was going down hill it was lO.v., and it 

 had now reached the maximum of II. They had not grumbled wlien the 

 Society was not in a flourishing condition. He drew attention to the remarks 

 of the last speaker, and said that the Council were now in a good financial 

 position, and had a wonderful Reserve Fund. He thought the time had come 

 when the Council should seriously consider the interests of exhibitors, and 

 reduce the entry-fees for sheep. In the Report for the Doncaster Show the fee 

 was already fixed for 1/., and he simply threw out the suggestion that when 

 they considered the prize-sheet for 1913 they would see their way to give 

 assistance by reducing the entry-fees, 'i'he desire had been expressed that 

 there should be an increase in the number of Members of the " Royal," and he 

 thought it would be some incentive if tliey reduced the fees, and they would 

 probably increase the membership accordingly. He only hoped the C'ouncil 

 would see their way to consider the suggestion. 



The Chairman assured Sir John Swinburne and Mr. Quested that their 

 suggestions should be considered by the Council. As regards Sir John Swin- 

 burne's remarks about the finances, he might say that the Show at Norwich 

 cost 3O,()00Z., and with a reserve of only .0(),OOOL, there was not a very great 

 margin. He did not think the Members ever wanted the '• Royal" to get back 

 into the position of a few years ago. (Hear, hear.) 



