NORTH-EAST AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 203 



mittee to prepare a memorandum on the Bill for submission to the Govern- 

 ment, and appointed a deputation for this purpose to wait upon Mr. Balfour 

 in London. The deputation was headed by the Most Noble the Marquis of 

 Londonderry, K.G., President of the Association. 



Owing to the financial clauses of the Bill not being considered satisfac- 

 tory, the Bill was eventually withdrawn. Nevertheless, the necessity for 

 the establishment of a Board of Agriculture seemed to the Council to be as 

 urgent as ever, and the pledges which the Government had given upon the 

 subject in two Queen's Speeches remained as guarantees that this important 

 legislation was not finally abandoned. The Council, therefore, six months 

 later, on receiving an invitation from the Belfast Chamber of Commerce to 

 co-operate with that body and with the Dublin Chamber for the re-intro- 

 duction of the Bill with some necessary amendments, appeared by deputa- 

 tion before the Chief Secretary at Dublin Castle, in company with many 

 associations representative of agriculture and commerce throughout the 

 country. This deputation, the largest and most representative ever received 

 at Dublin Castle, met with a cordial reception from Mr. Balfour, who 

 renewed the pledges on behalf of the Irish Government to take up their 

 agricultural programme so soon as the exigencies of Parliamentary time 

 should admit. 



In 1892 a Parliamentary Commission met, with power to incorporate 

 under the Educational Endowments (Ireland) Act, 1885, such educational 

 and other societies as it might deem qualified. The effect of such incorpo- 

 ration is to relieve the committee and members of those societies of liability 

 beyond the funds available by the societies which they represent. 



Steps were taken to obtain for the Committee a similar exemption, and an 

 application was made to the Educational Endowment Commissioners to 

 draft a scheme for the incorporation of the Association. The draft was 

 accordingly prepared, and was finally approved of by an Order in Council, 

 dated 21st May, 1894. Under this Act the Association was to be after- 

 wards designated the " North-East Agricultural Association," and the Com- 

 mittee the " Council." 



In 1899, Mr. Balfour introduced a Bill for Establishing a Department of 

 Agriculture and other Industries and Technical Instruction in Ireland, and 

 for other purposes connected therewith. This Bill having passed through 

 Parliament, the Council, in conjunction with the Belfast Chamber of Com- 

 merce, decided to invite Mr. Balfour to come to Belfast in January, 1900, 

 and explain at length the object and provisions of the Act, concerning 

 which, naturally, a good deal of uncertainty prevailed. Mr. Balfour kindly 

 accepted the invitation, and his address was followed with close attention. 



In order that the aims of the Association might be more fully accom- 

 phshed, the Council decided in 1897 to hold two shows during each year — 

 one in spring for draught horses, cattle, swine, poultry, dairy produce, im- 

 plements, and machinery ; the other in summer for light horses and sheep, 

 and it is gratifying to state that this departure has been attended by most 

 encouraging results. 



