XVI REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1921-22. 



resolution from the Organising Committee of Section M (Agriculture) 

 in opposition to this proposal. 



V. Conference of Delegates and Corresponding Societies 

 Committee. — The Council approved the following report and 

 memorandum : — 



Corresponding Societies Committee. 



The Secretary of the Committee reported : — 



I brought your letter of March 9 before a meeting of the Corresponding 

 Societies Committer (at which there were present Mr. Sheppard (in the chair), 

 Mr. Ashton, Dr. Bather, Sir George Fordham, Dr. Garson, Mr. Whitalver, the 

 General Secretaries of the Association, and the Secretary of. the Committee), 

 and I have to report as follows : — 



(1) That Mr. Ashton and I asked leave to withdraw our names as nominees 

 for the Secretaryship and Presidency respectively of the Conference of Delegates 

 at Hull, which was granted. 



(2) That it was decided {a) that the suggestion with regard to payment by 

 Corresponding Societies should be circulated in general terms among them all, 

 so that it might be discussed, at Hull, and (b) that the Council should be 

 informed of this action. (Proposed by Professor Myres and seconded by 

 Dr. Garson.) 



(3) That all matters as to the Conference of Delegates at Hull should be 

 left to the Council, and that the Committee would endeavour to carry out any 

 suggestions that the Council might be pleased to make. (Proposed from the 

 Chair and carried unanimously.) 



(4) That Mr. Sheppard announced that an Exhibition on the lines suggested 

 at the Conference of Delegates at Edinburgh would be arranged at Hull, and 

 it was left to the Council to determine whether this should come under the 

 heading of the Conference or otherwise. 



{Signed) Wilfred Mark Webb. 



Memorandum by the General Officers. 



The matters referred to the Corresponding Societies Committee by Council 

 were considered by the Committee at a meeting on March 17 (as reported above). 



After correspondence with the Chairman of the Committee, and with his 

 entire concurrence, the General Officers submit the following suggestions : — 



1. That the Conference at Hull should consider, in the first place, what steps 

 should be taken, in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee in 

 1883, to induce local societies to group themselves round local [i.e. district) 

 sub-centres for the interchange of information and for the more economical 

 publication of the results of research. Such groups have been formed already 

 in some districts (e.g. the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, the Lincolnshire Union, 

 and the South Eastern Union; and it is understood that a similar union is 

 projected for the Scottish societies). 



2. That at Hull the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union should be invited to 

 explain its own procedure ; and that in subsequent years it should be an 

 instruction to the Conference to elicit similar co-operation within the district 

 where the meeting is held. In this way all principal regions of the country 

 will be dealt with in time. 



3. That, in future, to ensure such action by the Conference, there should be 

 a local chairman and a local committee to assist in preoaring the programme ; 

 and that the Corresponding Societies Committee should consist of a compara- 

 tively small standing nucleus of members appointed by the Council and em- 

 powered to co-opt the local chairman and committee for the time being. 



4. That at Hull the President of the Conference should be a well-known 

 naturalist (not necessarily local) especially interested in efficient co-operation 

 between local societies. The names of Sii' Sidney Harmer and Mr. W. Whitaker, 

 the outgoing Chairman of the Corresponding Societies Committee, have been 

 suggested. It would not seem to be necessary on this occasion to expect from 

 the President a foimal address. 



5. That the routine work of the Committee should be conducted in future 

 by the Office under the direction of the General Officers ; and the local secretarial 



