Wed7ies:dai/,  June  22,  1904. 
li 
The  President  then  put  the  resolu- 
tion, and  it  was  carried  unanimously. 
Suggestions  of  Governors  and  Members. 
In  response  to  the  usual  inquiry 
from  the  Chair  as  to  whether  any 
Governor  or  Member  had  any  remark 
to  make  or  suggestions  to  offer  for  the 
consideration  of  the  Council, 
Mr.  Samuel  Kidner  expressed  his 
pleasure  at  the  hopeful  view  which  the 
President  took  of  the  future  of  the 
Society.  He  was  sure  that  all  the 
Members  had  the  same  feeling  and 
were  willing,  so  far  as  they  could,  to 
make  this  enterprise  successful.  They 
all  felt  that  they  must  have  a Eoyal 
Show,  and  with  the  influence  around 
them,  they  felt  certain  as  Englishmen 
that  they  would  make  it  a success. 
As  a small  struggling  tenant-farmer, 
he  hoped  that  certain  small  economies 
would  not  be  persisted  in.  He  felt  it 
a privilege  to  be  able  to  show  in  the 
same  class  with  the  King  and  the 
nobility  of  this  country,  but  he  felt 
that  the  course  pursued  by  the  Council 
would  have  the  effect  of  driving  them 
out  for  the  sake  of  a few  pounds. 
There  was  a pound  entrance  fee, 
for  instance,  and  exhibitors  were 
obliged  to  send  a man  for  every  two 
exhibits,  which  was  often  unnecessary. 
If  the  classes  were  not  represented, 
they  would  lose  the  custom  of  the 
foreigners  in  the  showyard.  If  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Show  was  to 
remain  as  such,  every  class  of  stock 
in  this  country  should  be  found  there, 
and  it  should  be  the  duty  of  the 
Council  to  help  struggling  tenant- 
farmers,  rather  than  to  put  a damper 
upon  them  by  sending  them  back  with 
their  exhibits. 
Mr.  Andrew  Peterson,  a Member 
of  the  Society,  aged  ninety,  said  that 
as  an  old  lawyer  he  preferred  to  be  in 
the  position  of  the  mortgagee  rather 
than  in  that  of  mortgagor.  He 
noticed  that  the  Society  had  a mort- 
gage upon  the  showyard,  and  whilst 
this  was  so  he  felt  that  the  Society 
could  not  give  proper  effect  to  its  real 
objects.  He  suggested  that  every 
Member  should  contribute  to  a special 
fund  for  the  purpose  of  paying  off 
this  mortgage,  and  said  that  if  every 
Member  would  do  so  a considerable 
proportion  of  the  mortgage  would  be 
wiped  off.  He  was  not  able  to  give 
a gi'eat  sum  himself,  but  would  give 
107.  annually  whilst  he  lived.  He 
referred  to  the  earthworm  researches 
of  his  old  school-fellow.  Charles 
Darwin,  and  to  the  importance  of  the 
Society  being  in  a position  to  devote 
attention  to  experiments  bearing  upon 
the  food  of  the  people. 
President  for  1904-1905. 
Mr.  A.  Buck,  in  moving  that  Lord 
Middleton  do  take  the  Chair  as  Pre- 
sident after  the  conclusion  of  the 
present  Show,  said  he  had  been  a 
Member  for  fifty-two  years,  and  he 
hoped  to  live  long  enough  to  see  the 
Society  firmly  established,  and  to 
continue  to  do  the  good  in  the  future 
that  it  had  done  in  the  past. 
Mr.  George  Gibbons  seconded 
the  resolution,  recalling  the  fact  that 
the  first  Show  he  attended  was  in 
1842.  There  had  been  a considerable 
advance  in  the  Society  since  that 
time,  and  the  fact  that  English  cattle, 
English  implements,  and  English 
products  were  so  pre-eminent  through- 
out the  world  had  been  largely  due  to 
the  Royal  Agricultural  Society.  He 
was  at  the  Show  of  1888,  when  held 
in  Lord  Middleton’s  park  at  Wollaton, 
and  he  hoped  that  his  year  of  office 
would  be  as  successful  as  was  the 
Show  on  that  occasion. 
The  motion  having  been  carried. 
Lord  Middleton,  in  acknow- 
ledging it,  said  he  took  up  the  reins 
of  office  with  some  anxiety,  looking 
as  he  did  at  the  long  list  of  dis- 
tinguished Presidents  before  him — 
distinguishetl  not  only  in  agriculture, 
but  in  many  lines  of  life.  They  were 
all  agreed  that  there  was  a great 
improvement  in  the  showyard  since 
last  year.  Their  thanks  were  due  to 
the  Council  and  to  those  of  the 
officials  who  had  been  instrumental 
in  effecting  this.  One  thing  more 
was  wanted,  and  that  was  the  atten- 
dance of  the  public  during  the  rest 
of  the  Show.  It  might  not  be  out 
of  place  for  him,  as  the  in-coming 
President,  to  ask  the  citizens  of 
London  to  give  their  attendance  and 
support  during  this  week,  and  thus 
to  acknowledge  the  great  link  between 
town  and  country,  and  their  mutual 
dependence  upon  one  another. 
The  proceedings  then  terminated. 
