Financial  Position  and  S/ioir  of  1905. 
Ixv 
which  had  been  proposed,  as  he  much 
re.sretted  that  he  was  unable  to  agree 
with  what  had  been  said  by  the 
supporters  of  that  motion.  He  there- 
fore moved  : — “ That  no  recommenda- 
tion as  to  the  holding  of  the  1905 
Show  be  made  until  steps  have  been 
taken  to  place  the  funds  of  the  Society 
on  a sound  financial  basis.”  His 
reason  for  moving  that  amendment 
was  that  he  felt  that  they  could  not 
go  and  meet  their  Members  and  say 
merely  that  a Show  was  to  be  held 
under  a guarantee,  as  this  would  be 
facing  the  Members  under  false  pre- 
tences. They  could  not  make  any 
recommendation  in  these  peculiar 
circumstances,  without  laying  before 
their  Members  more  fully  the  financial 
position  into  which  the  Society  had 
drifted.  He  believed  it  possible  to 
get  the  Society  re-organised,  but  it 
was  for  the  general  body  of  the 
Members  to  decide,  after  having  heard 
the  facts,  whether  they  would  hold  a 
Show  at  Park  Royal  next  year  or  not. 
Lord  Wenlock,  in  seconding  this 
amendment,  said  he  felt  that  they 
were  leaving  out  of  sight  the  load  of 
debt  for  which  they  were  paying  4 per 
cent,  interest  a year. 
Sir  Jacob  Wilson  failed  to  see 
how  they  were  going  to  the  Members 
under  false  pretences.  The  proposal 
made  only  referred  to  the  Show  of  1905. 
Mr.  Stratton  said  that  if  the 
amendment  was  carried,  it  was  (luitc 
clear  that  there  would  be  no  Show 
next  year.  He  believed  that  they 
were  all  absolutely  agreed  that  the 
finances  of  the  Society  mu.st  be  put 
on  a proper  footing.  There  was, 
however,  one  point  to  be  settled,  viz., 
the  amount  of  the  guarantee  fund  to 
be  asked  for. 
Lord  Jersey  asked  if  it  would  not 
be  better  to  get  a guarantee  from  the 
Members  to  pay  off  what  the  Society 
already  owed,  instead  of  utilising  it 
for  the  holding  of  a Show  next  year. 
Lord  Derby  said  he  quite  under- 
stood the  feelings  by  which  his  noble 
friend,  Lord  Granby,  was  influenced. 
He  desired,  however,  to  point  out 
that  the  actual  proposition  before  the 
meeting  was,  though  expressed  posi- 
tively, really  a negative  one,  viz.,  that 
they  should  not  go  forward  with  the 
question  of  holding  a Show  without  a 
sufficient  guarantee.  Were  they  not 
mixing  up  three  things ; (1)  the 
present  embarrassment  of  the  Society, 
and  the  steps  that  had  been  taken  so 
far  to  remetly  it,  (2)  the  proposition 
about  the  Show  of  next  year,  and  (3) 
the  future  position  of  the  Society  ? 
He  agreed  entirely  with  what  had 
been  .said  with  regard  to  these  points. 
First  of  all,  it  appeared  desirable  to 
clear  off  the  liabilities  of  the  Society 
as  soon  as  they  could  make  arrange- 
ments to  do  so.  A Committee,  of 
which  he  was  a member,  had  been 
formed,  and  their  recommendations 
had  been  referred  to  the  different 
Standing  Committees  that  had  to 
deal  with  the  departments  concerned. 
These  Committees  were  to  make  their 
Reports  to  the  Council,  as  they  would 
in  the  case  of  any  other  business. 
With  regard  to  the  future,  he  thought 
they  were  all  agreed  as  to  the  necessity 
for  having  a new  Charter.  That, 
however,  was  a matter  which  could 
not  be  hurried  over.  He  believed 
that  the  matter  would  have  to  go 
to  various  Government  Departments 
which  were  not  exactl}'  expeditious  in 
their  proceeding.s.  Their  plan  for  the 
future  should  be  to  wipe  out  the  past 
before  they  started  upon  a new  course, 
but  if  the  Show  was  to  be  held  next 
year  it  must  be  held  before  the  new 
condition  of  affairs  could  be  evolved, 
for  he  thought  they  were  all  agreed  it 
would  be  a disaster  if  it  were  not. 
This  being  so,  let  them  take  the 
necessary  steps  to  deal  with  the 
question.  If  it  were  possible  to  hold 
another  Show  next  year  (and  it  rather 
passed  by  assent  that  it  was  desirable), 
and  it  being  admitte<l  that  Park 
Royal  was  the  place  where  the  Show 
should  be  held  (partly  on  account 
of  time  and  partly  on  account  of 
facilities),  then  it  left  the  question  of 
the  future  of  the  Society  open  for 
further  discussion. 
Mr.  Crutchley  explained,  in  reply 
to  a question,  that  the  estimate  of 
20,OOOZ.  covered  the  whole  expense  of 
the  Show,  without  taking  into  account 
the  receipts. 
Mr.  C.  W.  Wilson  asked  if  they 
only  obtained,  say,  I2,000f,  why  was 
there  any  necessity  to  hold  a 20,0007. 
Show  ? The  reduction  could  be  effected 
bj'  omitting  some  of  the  classes. 
