208 ESSENTIALS OF VETERINARY LAW 



may be specially fitted for his position ; but essen- 

 tially the members are endowed with, not only 

 equal power, but also equal irresponsibility and 

 equal lack of authority. In consequence, the work 

 of boards shows a lack of vigor, exjoedition, and 

 certainty of action, which are necessary for effi- 

 ciency in executive performance. 



Added to these inherent objections to the idea, 

 a board is generally composed of citizens who 

 devote only a portion of their time to their official 

 duties, often without pay, and they are generally 

 also without special training or education which 

 would fit them for their special service. What is 

 worth having is always worth paying for. It is 

 puerile to expect a man to neglect his private af- 

 fairs to attend to business which others can do 

 as well as he, and for which others have quite as 

 much legal responsibility. In consequence, though 

 the members may be punctual in attending to the 

 meetings of the boards, they come unprepared for 

 the work before them, and waste much time in 

 talking over matters upon which none of the 

 board is posted. 



Every one knows that for a well posted man to 

 be obliged to consult one less informed before 

 action must impede efficient administration; yet 

 that is the essence of the American and English 

 ''board" idea. Every member of a board is an 

 obstructionist in executive efficiency in proportion 

 as he is less competent than the one most compe- 

 tent. 



An attempt is made, especially in English 

 boards, to obviate this weakness by employing or 

 appointing a competent executive, but under this 



