58 
once. lam profoundly ignorant of the subject; there- 
fore I have accepted the conclusions of the President 
implicitly. 
Now, if you are going through that programme which 
has been set down to be discharged in a week, you will 
have to do several more sensible things than any other 
body of men that I know of has ever accomplished. 
You must not adopt parliamentary methods. You must 
consider that all the general observations that are neces- 
sary for each of you have been uttered for all of you in 
this Presidential address; and then you need not 
individually assure us that you are not competent for 
the tasks which you undertake. 
Personally I am delighted that the marvellous and 
hitherto obscure resources of the tropical soil are 
beginning to be enlightened by science; and one of the 
grandest things about this task and these subjects is 
that they equally promote the welfare of all the races 
and all the countries on the face of the globe. Agri- 
culture seems to me to have always been the Cinderella 
ot human enterprise and investigation. What a great 
thing it is that men of science, and intellect, and 
research, are beginning to exploit these magnificent 
resources of creation. Then, when I listened to the 
references of the President to rubber, I could not help 
hoping that some day a similar Congress will assemble 
in order to endeavour to establish, on behalf of the 
producer and the public, a more equitable distribution 
of the profits. When the price of rubber went up with 
marvellous leaps and bounds, I saw the upward progress 
faithfully reflected in the accounts which I received 
for motor tyres. I understand the price of rubber has 
come down tremendously of late years, but I see no 
downward tendency in my bills for motor tyres. I do 
not suppose you have time to deal with that subject just 
now. : 
I again say that this is a grand Congress, with grand 
objects in view, and I wish it every success. 
Sir HuGcu Ciirrorp, K.C.M.G. (Governor of the 
Gold Coast): Mr. President, my Lords, and Gentlemen 
—To me has been confided the task of seconding the 
motion which has been put to you with so much elo- 
quence by Sir George Reid. He speaks for the Great 
