Financial  Position  and  Show  of  1905. 
Ixiii 
could  not  go  on  looking  to  other 
people  to  help  them ; but  those  in- 
terested in  the  Show  must  be  willing 
to  support  it  for  their  own  sake,  as 
they  would  any  other  business  concern. 
Mr.  Greaves  expressed  the  opinion 
that  the  Society  would  be  running  a 
very  grave  risk  of  losing  a large 
number  of  their  Members  if  they  did 
not  hold  a Show  next  year. 
Mr.  Harrison  said  he  was  sorry 
to  see  the  pessimistic  feeling  that 
seemed  to  prevail  amongst  the  Council. 
He  quite  recognised  the  gravity  of  their 
present  financial  position,  but  he  did 
not  think  that  doing  away  with  the 
Show  next  year  would  be  the  right 
means  of  placing  themselves  on  a 
sounder  basis.  There  was  no  doubt 
that  the  feeling  at  the  Conference 
with  the  implement  makers  on  the 
previous  day  was  that  a Show  should 
be  held  next  year,  and  that  no  greater 
disaster  could  occur  than  its  discon- 
tinuance. There  was  a great  diversity 
of  opinion  regarding  Park  Roj^al  and 
migi'atory  Shows,  but  there  was  no 
doubt  in  his  mind  that  if  a Show  was 
to  be  held  in  1905  it  must  take  place 
at  Park  Royal.  If  the  Society  was 
to  be  placed  on  a sound  financial 
basis  it  was  to  their  Members  that 
they  must  look  for  aid. 
Mr.  Christopher  Middleton 
said  it  would  be  most  disastrous  if 
they  dul  not  hold  a Show  next  year, 
for  they  would  be  certain  to  lose 
at  least  2,000  Members.  When  the 
Members  were  communicated  with 
it  should  be  made  clear  that  they  were 
only  pledged  to  hold  the  Show  of 
1905  at  Park  Royal,  and  that  it  would 
be  left  to  the  Council  elected  on  the 
proposed  representative  basis  to  decide 
as  to  the  future  of  the  Shows.  In 
the  north  of  England  there  was  a 
strong  feeling  that  the  Show  which 
appealed  to  London  was  not  the 
Show  which  appealed  to  the  Members 
of  the  Society,  and  that  a Show  which 
would  cater  for  a London  public  was 
one  that  was  derogatory  to  a Society 
like  theirs.  He  was  quite  certain  that 
Members  would  support  next  year's 
Show  as  far  as  they  were  able.  He 
hoped  that  some  economies  would  be 
effected,  as  they  were  now  spending 
3,000Z.  more  than  their  income.  On 
this  understanding  Members  would 
rally  round,  and,  so  far  as  they  were 
able,  would  guarantee  the  Show  of 
1905. 
Mr.  Crutchley  pointed  out  that 
even  if  no  Show  were  held  in  1905  it 
would  not  relieve  the  Society  of  some 
very  heavy  and  inevitable  expenses. 
They  had  a permanent  staff  connected 
with  their  Surveyor’s  Department 
who  had  to  tleal  with  the  erection  of 
the  Show.  They  had  money  invested 
in  the  Showyard,  the  recoupment  of 
which  was  spread  over  a number  of 
years,  and  they  had  to  pay  interest 
on  their  capital  outlay  whether  they 
had  a Show  or  not.  Therefore,  if  no 
Show  were  held  in  1905,  there  would 
still  be  a very  considerable  expense 
to  be  met.  Further,  the  truth  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Ransome  had  hardly 
been  realised  with  regard  to  the  Show 
at  Park  Royal,  viz.,  that  other  people 
not  practically  interested  in  agricul- 
ture had  provideil  them  with  an 
Agricultural  Show  in  the  past ; but 
that  now  the  agriculturists  of 
England  had  to  paj’^  for  their  own 
Show.  The  time  of  going  to  Park 
Royal  seemed  to  have  coincided  with 
this  change.  Some  heavy  expenses 
which  were  formerly  borne  by  local 
committees  had  now  to  be  defrayed 
by  the  Society  itself.  When  they 
began  the  arrangements  for  the  Park 
Royal  Show  of  1904  the  hope  was 
held  out  that  there  would  be  very 
considerable  economies  in  the  admin- 
istration, and,  as  a matter  of  fact, 
the  expenses  of  the  present  year’s 
Show  were  almost  the  lowest  on 
record.  The  actual  cost  of  the  erec- 
tion of  the  Showyard  was  greatly 
reduced,  and  if  they  held  a Show  in 
1905  at  Park  Royal  the  reduction 
would  again  be  considerable.  A 
further  heavy  expenditure  hRtI  been 
incurred  in  the  hope  of  attracting  the 
public  in  connection  with  the  adver- 
tising. His  own  belief  was  that,  if 
the  Show  was  held  at  Park  Royal 
another  year,  they  might,  by  the 
light  of  the  experience  of  the  two 
previous  years,  considerably  curtail 
this  expense.  Apart  from  advertising, 
the^e  economies  were  strictly  con- 
nected with  the  holding  of  the  Show 
at  Park  Royal,  and  were  not  economies 
that  could  be  promised  for  a migratory 
Show.  The  present  buildings  could 
