cxcvi 
Monthly Council, November 5, 1890. 
Apart from any assistance which 
such an uniform system might 
afford to the Board when called on 
to distribute grants, or in any way 
to discriminate between varying 
forms of dairy teaching, they are 
disposed to consider that it would 
be of great use to all those about 
to engage skilled hands, whether 
as practical butter and cheese 
makers for private or other dairies, 
or as persons to fill more respon- 
sible positions, such as managers 
of factories, &c, that some uniform 
test of ability and information 
should be secured, giving a regular 
and trustworthy indication of the 
knowledge possessed by those who 
seek engagements. 
Although the Board have been 
applied to for aid on behalf of 
certain existing examinations, they 
have felt themselves unable to 
make any grant in aid of such 
an object, or even to recognise offi- 
cially the value of any particular 
examination which may be held, in 
the absence of some widely repre- 
sentative and responsible body, 
under whose direction all examina- 
tions in dairy work might be held. 
It would probably be expedient 
that the members of such a body 
should be drawn, not from any one 
society, however good, but from all 
the leading societies in any way 
interested in the matter. 
The expense (other than that 
met by the institutions undergoing 
examination) might be defrayed 
by contributions to a common fund 
on the part of the societies inter- 
ested, towards which also, , at 
the discretion of the Board of 
Agriculture, a grant in aid might 
be available (so long as such 
grants are authorised to be made). 
The examiners would be em- 
powered to grant diplomas and 
also certificates, not only for scien- 
tific, but for purely practical quali- 
fications, and their awards would 
be recognised by the Board, who 
might also require that any dairy 
institution seeking Government 
aid should submit its pupils for 
examination by the members of 
the proposed examining body, if 
called upon to do so. 
It might be needful to require 
that the names of those who would 
be proposed as possible examiners 
by the different societies should 
first be submitted to the Board of 
Agriculture for approval before 
they become members of the 
examining body, while the power 
to add certain nominated members 
might be also reserved to the Board. 
Although the Board are aware 
that the Royal Agricultural Society 
of England is not one of the . 
societies whose work in the promo- 
tion of dairy education is assisted 
by means of Government grants, it 
has occurred to the Board of Agri- 
culture that the Society might not 
be disinclined to lend its co-opera- 
tion in this matter by the selection, 
from amongst its members, of ex- 
aminers qualified by their special 
acquaintance with this branch of 
agriculture, so as to secure for the 
projected examining body the 
highest qualifications it is possible 
to obtain. 
I am desired, therefore, to ask 
you to bring under the notice of 
your Council, the suggestions, now 
offered, and to ask you to be good 
enough to inform me, at an early 
date, of their views in the matter, 
accompanied by such observations 
as they may see fit to offer. 
I am, Sir, 
Your obedient servant, 
(Signed) Richard Dawson, 
Assistant Secretary. 
The Secretary, 
Royal Agricult ural Society of England. 
Sir John Thoeold observed that 
the Dairy Committee had already 
informally discussed this letter, and 
the members then present were 
agreed that some such examining 
body as was suggested was desirable. 
Country Meeting of 1892. 
The Secretary read letters from 
the Corporation of Gloucester.i nvi- 
ting the Society to hold its Country 
Meeting of 1892 in that city, and a 
similar letter from the Corporation 
of Cheltenham. An invitation from 
Warwick had already been laid before 
the Council. 
On the motion of Mr. Darby, 
seconded by Mr. Sanday it was re- 
