19 



THE GOVERNOR: Mr. Pearson is unanimously elected 

 chairman, and Messrs. Besley and Detwiler are unanimously 

 elected secretaries. I would suggest, gentlemen, for the com- 

 plete organization for the transaction of your business, that 

 some one be selected or designated to report the proceedings of 

 this convention. 



MR. I. C. WILLIAMS : I suggest the name of Mr. Victor G. 

 Marquissee, who is here prepared to report the proceedings of 

 this convention. 



THE GOVERNOR: Without objection, the gentleman named 

 in the motion will report the proceedings of this Convention. 

 I now take very great pleasure in presenting to you, and calling 

 to the Chair, the Chairman whom you have elected, Mr. Pear- 

 son, of New York . (Applause). 



Mr. Pearson took the chair. 



THE CHAIRMAN: Governor Tener, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

 I appreciate that it is a great honor to be asked to preside over 

 your deliberations. I accept the honor, and thank you for it, 

 with appreciation also that it carries with it great responsibili- 

 ties, for this is an important Conference. It is important be- 

 cause of the great commercial interests involved, and it is also im- 

 portant because of the intricate scientific questions that are 

 involved. That its importance is well recognized could not be 

 better shown than by the fact that the Governor of this great 

 Commonwealth has called this Conference together, that it 

 meets in these splendid quarters, and that this State has taken 

 the lead in providing for practical, efficient work to* be done in 

 checking the ravages of the chestnut blight, through the efforts 

 of a special Commission, the competency of the members of which 

 is recognized not only in your State, but in many other States 

 as well, where the work which they have begun has come to be 

 known. 



Four months ago we held in the Capital city of New York, 

 a Conference of much smaller proportions than this, but called 

 together to consider the same questions; and at that time we 

 were told that it was the purpose of Governor Tener to call this 

 larger Conference, and we have been looking forward to this time 

 as an epoch-making event. 



