NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY 



OF 



NORTHUMBERLAND, DURHAM, AND NEWCASTLE- 

 UPON-TYNE 



REPORT OF THE COUNCIL 



FOR 1911-1912 



The Council are glad to report that the Society has had a 

 successful year of work, chiefly, but not entirely, upon 

 established lines ; though as regards membership and general 

 support there is less cause for satisfaction. The twelve 

 months under review have seen a succession of strikes of 

 railwaymen, colliers and dockers, crippling the industries of 

 the district, and undoubtedly causing a withdrawal of support 

 from societies depending upon voluntary subscriptions. By 

 resignation the Natural History Society has lost 14 members, 

 and by death 10, while 14 new members have joined, leaving a 

 net loss of 10; the membership now standing at 406. It is 

 hoped that each member will make the effort to introduce new 

 subscribers to replace those unfortunately lost to the Society. 



The Treasurer's accounts show a reduction of the deficit 

 with which the year opened from £101 5s. iod. to ^66 4s. iod., 

 but in the present state of the Society's affairs a large debit 

 balance is difficult to reduce materially. 



One feature of the year's statistics, however, is more 

 encouraging. The attendance of visitors to the Museum 

 recorded in the last report was exceptionally low. In three 

 years it had fallen by three thousand, and last year only 

 15,854 visitors passed the turnstile. This year there has 

 been a marked recovery; and though the actual figure, 

 19,727, is swollen by the regular visits of school classes, yet 

 even deducting the 2,305 due to this cause, the remainder 

 shows something approaching a return to the normal atten- 



