136 



SECREfARYS REPORT. 



fied to award the various premiums judiciously, but 

 reference should be had to the published results, and 

 men selected to act as chairmen, who are known to 

 possess the ability, leisure and inclination to prepare 

 and present promptly, good and appropriate reports, 

 and they should be made to understand that this is one 

 important object of their appointment. If men of this 

 stamp can be occasionally found who have never before 

 served in that capacity, all the more variety and inter- 

 est may be attached to their productions. These com- 

 mittees, thus selected, should be made to understand 

 that it is their duty, either to serve as appointed, or 

 to notify the officers timely of their inability to do so, 

 that the vacancy may be filled before the time of meet- 

 ing; and the time and place of meeting should be 

 distinctly stated in the notice of appointment. In 

 order to have this done understandingly, all the 

 arrangements for the different parts of the exhibition 

 should be carefully planned in good season, and the 

 various officers should act in concert, with a full under- 

 standing of each others movements. The several Com- 

 mittees on articles exhibited in the Hall have usually 

 been notified to meet there at precisely the time speci- 

 fied for closing the reception of articles. With the best 

 possible arrangements, some time must elapse before 

 these articles can be assorted and prepared for the 

 action of the Committees. Would it not be well, there- 

 fore, to avoid confusion and haste, that these Commit- 

 tees should be notified to meet half an hour, or an hour 

 later than the time specified ? Then by meeting 

 punctually and acting promptly, their duties could be 

 performed more satisfactorily and quite as early, and 

 thus their presence during the first half hour, or hour 



