103 



should not be left to impoverish their funds by their 

 publications. 



The discussion was opened by Sir Alexander Pedler, 

 a member of the Committee who had the matter in hand, 

 and in the course of his remarks he mentioned that in the 

 case of one of the larger societies the cost of distribution of 

 their publications was practically five hundred pounds per 

 annum. 



Dr. Scott, of the Chemical Society, followed, and dwelt 

 upon the heavy strain that their publications, which could 

 not be discontinued without permanent injury to the cause 

 of science, were upon their finances. 



The representative of the Royal Astronomical Society 

 doubted whether a large grant might not militate against the 

 work of the amateur, who, he contended, had done and was 

 doing so much good and useful work. The representative of 

 the Zoological Society feared that such a grant might lead to 

 the undue multiplication of publications. The Rev. T. R. R. 

 Stebbing, a member of the Committee, thought the Congress 

 should have further details as to how the grant, if obtained, 

 would be applied; and the representative of the Institute of 

 Mining Engineers illustrated the difficulties attending the 

 administration of Government grants. 



Mr. W. Whitaker, F.R.S., a member of the Committee, 

 desired to make it plain that the grant was not wanted to 

 help insolvent local societies, but solely to assist in the 

 publication of very important and expensive original papers. 



The discussion was continued by representatives of the 

 Manchester Geological and Mining Institute, the Manchester 

 Geographical Society, the Ipswich Field Club, the Catford 

 and District Natural History Society, the Manchester 

 Microscopical Society, the Norfolk and Norwich Natural 

 Histor}- Society, and others, man}- giving pertinent details 

 of the difficulty experienced in publishing and distributing 

 their papers and periodicals. 



Dr. Longstaff, Entomological Society of London, desired 

 to get the feeling of the meeting, and with this object pro- 

 posed a resolution to the effect that it was hoped that the 

 British Science Guild would continue their efforts to induce 

 the Postmaster-General to treat the publications of scientific 

 societies on the same terms as newspapers. The Rev. T. R. R. 

 Stebbing seconded, and the resolution was carried by a 

 small majority. 



After some further discussion the Rev. Canon Bevan, 

 member of Committee, moved a resolution to the effect that 



