Report  of  (^hemical  Committee. 
Ixxix 
of  the  Society’s  Journal  had  been 
settled. 
Chemical  and  Woburn. 
Mr.  Bowen-Jones  (Chairman)  pre- 
sented the  following  Keport  on  the 
Chemical  Department  of  the  Society, 
and  recommended  that  the  revised 
scale  of  fees  for  analyses,  &c.,  to  be 
charged  to  Members,  should  come  into 
force  on  January  1,  1905  : — 
Be  port  of  Chemical  Committee. 
Chemical  Dcpurfment.— The  importance 
of  the  work  of  the  Chemical  section 
seems  to  fully  justify  its  continuation 
without  serious  curtailment. 
In  order  that  the  cost  to  the  Society 
may  be  clearly  defined,  the  following 
arrangement  with  Dr.  Voelcker,  already 
sanctioned  by  the  Council  on  November 
1, 1904,  wiU  need  to  be  endorsed  on  his 
existing  agreement  with  the  Society 
That  in  future  a fixed  salary  be  given 
to  Dr.  Voelcker.  as  Consulting  Chemist 
to  the  Society,  for  reporte  and  further 
information  required  arising  out  of  his 
analytical  work  or  otherwise ; for  re- 
search investigations  conducted  for  the 
Society  ; for  expert  supervision  of  the 
experimental  work  at  the  Woburn  Farm 
and  Pot-culture  Station ; also  for  the 
conduct  of  research  work  under  the 
Hills’  Bequest.  The  salaries  of  all  assist- 
ants, both  at  his  own  Laboratory  and  at 
the  Pot-culture  Station,  to  be  paid  by 
Dr.  Voelcker.  Analyses  for  members  of 
the  Society  to  be  undertaken  at  his  own 
expense  by  Dr.  Voelcker,  who  will  take 
the  fees  on  a scale,  to  be  approved  by 
the  Committee,  not  exceeding  the 
present  charges.  [A  schedule  of  the 
proposed  reduced  fees,  as  revised  by 
Dr.  Voelcker,  was  appended  to  the 
Report,  and  will  be  found  on  page  ill  of 
the  Privileges  of  Membership  at  the  end 
of  this  Volume.] 
The  salary  for  Dr.  Voelcker  £ £ 
to  be  fixed  at  ...  . 7.50 
perannum.from  which  a charge 
of  2001.  will  be  incurred  by  him 
for  the  qualified  assistant,  &c., 
now  at  the  Pot-culture  Station  200 
Thus  making  Dr.  Voelcker’s  — 
personal  remuneration  . . 550 
Which  is  a reduction  of  Dr. 
Voelcker’s  salary,  and  conse- 
quently in  the  cost  of  the  De- 
partment of  1.501.,  the  former 
cost  being  7001. 
The  Hills’  Bequest  will  con- 
tribute towards  the  payment 
made  to  Dr.  Voelcker  of  . . 7.50 
A sum  of 150 
Thus  reducing  the  charge  on  — 
the  Society  to  ....  000 
The  annual  expenditure  on 
behalf  of  the  Hills’  Bequest  on 
the  basis  of  a payment  of  1501. 
per  annum  from  its  revenue  to 
Dr  Voelcker,  as  above,  will  be 
about  per  annum  . . . 238 
While  the  income  derived  £ £ 
from  the  8,1261.  8s.  2d.  2i  per 
cent.  Consols,  in  which  the 
bequest  is  invested  amounts  to  203 
So  that  further  charges  will 
be  incurred  by  the  Society  for 
making  good  the  deficiency  of 
income  over  expenditure  from 
Hills’  Bequest  of  about  351.  per 
annum  after  the  year  190'7,  there 
being  at  the  end  of  1903  an  ac- 
cumulated balance  of  1891.  3s. 
Ifl.  to  the  credit  of  Hills’ 
Bequest 35 
Also  during  the  next  sixteen 
years  for  writing  off  the  capital 
cost  of  the  Pot-culture  Station 
a sum  per  annum  of  . . . 50 
Making  the  total  nett  esti- 
mated annual  expenditure  in 
the  Chemical  section  . . . 685 
As  compared  with  7641.,  plus  501. 
for  Pot-culture  buildings= 
8141.— a reduction  in  the 
future  of  say  1.301.  per  annum. 
This  is  of  course  subject  to  the  Experi- 
mental Farm  and  Pot-culture  Station  at 
Woburn,  and  the  work  of  the  Hilts’ 
Bequest,  being  continued. 
Wohiirn  Farm. — The  allowance  of  5001. 
per  annum  recently  given  by  the  Duke 
of  Bedford  fortheWoburn  Experimental 
Farm  has  proved  insufficient  to  meet 
its  requirements : the  capital  having 
become  reduced  and  being  now  insuffi- 
cient for  working  the  Farm.  The  annual 
cost  of  working  the  Farm  is  from  6001. 
to  7001. 
The  Duke  of  Bedford  has,  by  authority 
of  the  Council,  been  recently  communi- 
cated with,  and  has  generously  made  a 
further  contribution  of  7001.  td  provide 
the  Farm  with  capital,  and  has  promised 
to  increase  his  annual  subsidy  from  5001. 
to  6001.  per  annum. 
Pot-culture  Station. — The  Pot-culture 
Station  belonging  to  the  Society,  in 
which  the  Society’s  and  the  Hills’ 
Research  Experiments  are  conducted, 
cost  the  Society  in  outlay  for  its  estab- 
lishment, 1,2261.  12.V.  4(1.,  of  which  sum 
4261. 12s.  4d.  has  been  written  off,  leaving 
8001.  remaining — which,  at  501.  per 
annum,  will  be  completely  written  off 
in  sixteen  years. 
The  annual  expenditure  of  this  de- 
partment exceeds  the  revenue  obtained 
from  the  Hills’  fund  by  about  851.  a 
year.  Although  there  is  a sufficient 
accrued  credit  balance  in  hand  to  meet 
the  present  scale  of  expenses  until  the 
end  of  1907,  after  that  period  it  would 
be  necessary  to  provide  about  851.  per 
annum  for  this  work,  as  shown  in  the 
estimated  annual  expenditure  by  the 
Society  as  shown  above. 
(Signed)  J.  BOWEN-JONES, 
Chairman. 
13  H.XNOVER  Square,  w. 
November  29, 1904. 
With  reference  to  the  Duke  of 
Bedford’s  generous  donation  of  7001. 
to  the  general  funds  of  the  Woburn 
E.\perimental  Farm,  and  the  increase 
