208 ESSENTIALS OF VETERINARY LAW 
may be specially fitted for his position; but essen- 
tially the members are endowed with, not only 
equal power, but also equal irresponsibility and 
equal lack of authority. In consequence, the work 
of boards shows a lack of vigor, expedition, and 
certainty of action, which are necessary for effi- 
ciency in executive performance. 
Added to these inherent objections to the idea, 
a board is generally composed of citizens who 
devote only a portion of their time to their official 
duties, often without pay, and they are generally 
also without special training or education which 
would fit them for their special service. What is 
worth having is always worth paying for. It is 
puerile to expect a man to neglect his private af- 
fairs to attend to business which others can do 
as well as he, and for which others have quite as 
much legal responsibility. In consequence, though 
the members may be punctual in attending to the 
meetings of the boards, they come unprepared for 
the work before them, and waste much time in 
talking over matters upon which none of the 
board is posted. 
Every one knows that for a well posted man to 
be obliged to consult one less informed before 
action must impede efficient administration; yet 
that is the essence of the American and English 
‘‘board’’ idea. Every member of a board is an 
obstructionist in executive efficiency in proportion 
as he is less competent than the one most compe- 
tent. 
An attempt is made, especially in English 
boards, to obviate this weakness by employing or 
appointing a competent executive, but under this 
