578 REPORT — 1900. 



by publishing in its Report the titles of papers read before and published 

 by the Societies. 



Mr. H. Wager, after briefly reviewing the discussion, remarked that 

 though the i-esolutions had secured a considerable amount of general 

 acceptance, he did not think it desirable to put them formally to the 



meeting. 



The Chairman agreed to this course, which he considered to be the 

 best under the circumstances. He thought that the discussion would prove 

 to be very useful. 



Mr. W. Gray proposed, and Staff-Commander Phillips seconded, a vote 

 of thanks to the Corresponding Societies Committee for providing the 

 room in which they were assembled for informal intercourse between the 

 Delegates. It was carried unanimously. The motion proposed by Mr. 

 Bayley Marshall, and seconded by Mr. Hembry, ' That the meetings of 

 the Conference be held as heretofore on Thursday and Tuesday,' was also 

 carried. 



Copyright. 



M)'. Walton Brown brought forward the question of copyright. Lord 

 Monksweil had introduced into Parliament a Bill dealing with the 

 subject, and, so far as scientific Societies were concerned, the Bill ignored 

 some important points. In the first place there was no provision that 

 a Society should have any copyright in the publication of its own Trans- 

 actions, though he believed Societies might obtain copyright if they paid 

 their contributors. He had offered to give evidence before the Com- 

 mittee considering this Bill, but the Committee replied that they accepted 

 his evidence, and did not think it necessary to examine him. Then the 

 Bill proposed to make the insertion of abstracts of foreign scientific 

 papers a breach of copyright ; an innovation that would weigh heavily on 

 several scientific Societies which made a special point of publishing 

 abstracts. 



Mr. Sowerbutts thought that this was one of the most important 

 matters that had ever been discussed at a Conference. Copyright ques- 

 tions were extremely involved, and difficult to understand ; but there 

 could be no doubt of the injustice of the present state of things, and that 

 it would be confirmed by the Bill then before Parliament. The expense 

 of printing papers was by no means a slight one. 



Professor Henry Louis pointed out that the British Association dis- 

 claimed copyright for itself. It was, however, a matter of vital import- 

 ance to each Society represented at that Conference. 



After some remarks from the Rev. J. O. Bevan and the Chairman, 

 the following resolution, moved by Mr. M. Walton Brown and seconded 

 by Mr. Sowerbutts, was carried unanimously : — 



' That the matter of the proposed Copyright Bill be referred, through 

 the Committee of Recommendations, to the General Committee, so far as 

 it affects (1) the copyright of scientific Societies in their Transactions ; 

 and (2) the publication of abstracts of scientific papers ; and that they 

 be requested to take such action as will protect scientific Societies.' ' 



The Conference then adjourned. 



' The resolution was by an accident not sent to the Committee of Recommendations, 

 but it has been arranged that it shall be brought before the Council for consideration. 



