Petition  for  Supplemental  Charter. 
Ixxi 
The  President  said  he  had 
received  a personal  letter  from  Lord 
Rothschild  promising  a contribution 
to  the  Fund  of  250Z.  for  the  Show  of 
1905,  and  suggesting  that  the  Society 
should  offer,  in  the  classes  of  cattle 
suitable  for  dairying.  Milking  prizes 
by  points  in  addition  to  Inspection 
prizes.  The  breeds  suggested  were 
Shorthorns  (eligible  and  not  eligible 
for  the  Herd  Book),  Lincoln  Red 
Short-horns,  Red  Polled,  South  Devons, 
Ayrshires,  Kerries,  Dexters,  Jerseys, 
and  Guernseys,  with  prizes  of  lOZ., 
6Z.,  and  3Z.  for  each  breed,  or  180Z.  in 
all.  He  (Lord  Middleton)  proposed 
to  send  Lord  Rothschild  a personal 
letter  of  thanks,  with  a promise  that 
the  suggestion  he  had  been  good 
enough  to  make  should  receive  every 
consideration.  It  would,  perhaps,  be 
best  to  refer  the  matter  to  the  Stock 
Prizes  Committee,  for  consideration 
when  drawing  up  the  prize  sheet  for 
next  year.  This  was  agreed  to. 
Special  Charter  Committee. 
Sir  Nigel  Kingscote  reported  as 
to  the  re-arrangement  of  the  system 
of  appointing  the  governing  body  of 
the  Society  with  a view  to  placing 
it  on  a representative  basis,  that  the 
Special  Charter  Committee  had  been 
advised  by  eminent  counsel  that 
this  could  be  best  effected  by  a 
Supplemental  Charter,  and  the  Com- 
mittee had  accordingly  instructed 
the  Society’s  solicitors  to  draw  up 
a petition  for  such  Supplemental 
Charter,  to  include  the  following 
points  : — (1)  That  the  Members  in 
any  district  or  group  of  counties 
should  have  the  absolute  power  of 
electing  their  own  representatives  on 
the  Council ; (2)  that  there  should 
be  a power  of  co-optation  to  the 
Council  to  the  extent  of,  say,  ten 
Members,  so  as  to  ensure  representa- 
tion of  any  particular  branch  or 
industry,  scientific  men  or  specialists  ; 
(3)  that  not  less  than  one  General 
Meeting  of  Members  be  held  in  the 
year — date  and  place  to  be  fixed  by 
the  Council.  The  Committee  would 
report  further  on  this  matter  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  Council. 
Subscriptions  of  Members. 
Mr.  Cornwallis  moved  the 
following  resolution,  of  which  he 
had  given  notice  : — 
That  the  Annual  Governors  and 
Members  be  asked  to  increase  their 
subscriptions,  and  that  Life  Governors 
and  Members  be  asked  to  give  an  annual 
subscription  to  the  general  funds  of  the 
Society. 
He  had  never  understood  why  the 
amount  of  the  subscription  on  the 
blank  form  of  application  for  member- 
ship should  be  limited  to  IZ.  He 
thought  that  this  sum  should  only 
be  regarded  as  the  minimum  sub- 
scription. If  this  was  so,  they  might 
very  soon  see  an  increase  in  the 
finances  of  the  Society.  Many  people 
subscribed  far  more  than  that  to  their 
local  shows.  He  thought  they  should 
not  be  content  with  reducing  their 
expenditure,  but  should  also  endeavour 
to  increase  their  funds,  and  so  secure 
a double  advantage.  Tliey  could  not 
efficiently  maintain  the  Society’s 
work  with  only  an  income  of  from 
6,000Z.  to  7,000Z.,  now  received  from 
9,500  members.  They  were  going  to 
ask  for  the  election  of  Members  by 
Counties.  He  did  not  see  why 
Counties  should  not  be  encouraged  to 
vie  with  one  another  in  the  amount 
of  the  subscriptions  which  they  con- 
tributed to  the  Society. 
Mr.  Sanday  seconded  the  resolu- 
tion, which,  after  a short  discussion, 
was  adopted. 
A motion  standing  in  the  name  of 
Sir  Walter  Gilbey  for  the  abolition 
of  the  privilege  of  paying  life  com- 
positions for  new  elections  as  Members 
after  the  present  year,  was  referred  to 
the  Charter  Committee  for  considera- 
tion when  drawing  up  the  new  Bye- 
laws that  would  be  necessary  under 
the  proposed  Supplemental  Charter. 
The  date  of  the  customary  General 
Meeting  of  Governors  and  Members 
held  in  the  Smithfield  Show  week  was 
fixed  for  Thursday,  December  8,  at 
11  a.m.,  and  it  was  decided  that  the 
meeting  should  be  made  special  for 
the  purpose  of  considering  the  position 
of  the  Society. 
