REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. vii 
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1916-17. 
I. At their meetive in March the Council, after discussion of con- 
ditions arising out of the war as bearing upon the question of holding the 
Annual Meeting of the Association, passed the following resolution for 
transmission to the Executive Committee at Bournemouth :— 
‘That the Council of the British Association recognise the 
possibility that the continuous series of Meetings of the 
Association may have to be broken this year, and, though 
they would regret that contingency, they regard the question 
as an open one, and wish their prospective hosts to feel entirely 
free as to the question of renewing their invitation or not ; but 
would welcome a reply at as early a date as possible.’ 
The meeting of the Council was adjourned pending a reply, but before 
the date proposed for its resumption the General Officers were informed 
of the possibilities (a) that buildings which the Association would have 
occupied at Bournemouth might be required for purposes connected with 
the war, (b) that official objection might be taken to the holding of the 
Meeting. The first possibility did not take definite shape, but as regards 
the second the General Officers learned, on consulting members of 
H.M. Government, that a Meeting would be deprecated, especially on the 
ground of the desirability of restricting railway travelling. Having 
regard to this and other considerations, it was felt that there was no 
option but to cancel the Annual Meeting. 
The Council desire to place on record their grateful appreciation of 
the cordial co-operation of the authorities at Bournemouth in the discus- 
sions which have taken place ; they are glad to believe that the decision 
to cancel the Meeting, while regretted, is approved in Bournemouth, and 
: is hoped that the Meeting there may be only deferred, and to no distant 
ate. 
II. In consideration of the cancellation of the Meeting, the Council 
recommend that Sir ARTHUR Evans’ term of office as PRrEesIDENT be 
extended over the year 1917-18, and that the Hon. Sir C. A. Parsons’ 
tenure of that office be deferred to the year 1918-19 (Cardiff Meeting), 
both these gentlemen having consented to this course. 
III. Resolutions received by the General Committee at Newcastle- 
upon-Tyne, and referred to the Council for consideration and, if desirable, 
for action, were dealt with as follows :— 
From Sections D and E. 
That it be recommended to the Council that a grant of £100 
from the ‘Caird Fund’ be made to Dr. W. 8S. Bruce for the 
upkeep of the Scottish Oceanographical Laboratory. 
It was resolved that a grant of £100, for one year only (1916-17), be 
made to Dr. W. 8. Bruce for the upkeep of the Scottish Oceanographical 
Laboratory. 
