A MATTER OF NEGOTIATION 



terms I made and the then secretary of the Bath 

 and West Society assured me that they were more 

 liberal than had ever before been granted to a 

 provincial Society were that, in return for sus- 

 pending our show for the year, and making a 

 contribution to the prize list of the visiting Society, 

 our members should be put on precisely the same 

 footing, with respect to admissions, entry fees, 

 etc., as the members of that Society. This 

 satisfied our members, because they had a five 

 days' instead of only a two days' show and a 

 much more extensive one, to boot for their 

 money, whilst, if they exhibited, they had the 

 opportunity of competing at a low rate for a con- 

 siderably larger amount of prize-money than 

 ordinarily. Beyond this, local classes were pro- 

 vided to meet the special wants of exhibitors in 

 the district. Under these satisfactory conditions 

 we drew our subscriptions as usual for that year, 

 whilst we were relieved from any risk of holding 

 a show. That the course pursued did not pre- 

 judice our future was shown by the success of 

 our shows in following years. These are the terms 

 which, I think, a visiting Society should be pre- 

 pared to offer and a County Society to accept, 

 and if this be done, I believe that the result will be 

 satisfactory to both parties to the transaction. 



At any rate, I thought the arrangement so far 

 fair to both sides, that when I had, as secretary 

 of the Bath and West Society, to deal with a 

 similar position, I advised the Council perma- 

 nently to adopt these terms in the case of pro- 

 vincial Societies, and this was acted upon, and has 

 prevailed ever since. Here came in the advantage 



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