Thursday,  December  8,  1904. 
Ixxxv 
new  system  of  working  oul  different 
districts,  whatever  tliose  districts 
might  be,  by  giving  representation  to 
all  parts  of  the  country,  wliether 
they  had  Members  in  greater  or  less 
numbers,  would  have  to  be  settled 
under  Bye-laws,  for  which  tlie  alter- 
ation of  the  Charter  was  necessary 
to  start  operations.  The  draft  of  this 
new  Charter  would  be  brought  before 
them  that  day.  If  elective  power 
was  given  more  directly,  and  Members 
were  able  to  vote  by  proxy  or  in  any 
other  way,  he  ho])ed  ami  trusted — 
and  he  was  sure  that  all  concerned 
in  the  real  welfare  of  that  Society 
would  agree  in  trusting — that  the 
political  element  would  not  in  any 
way  come  in.  He  sincerely  trusted 
that  the}'  would  consider  agriculture, 
and  agriculture  alone,  in  the  choice 
of  their  Council,  and  that  Members, 
whoever  they  might  be — good  men 
and  true— who  were  ready  to  work  in 
the  interests  of  agriculture,  should  be 
their  candidates,  and  no  others. 
They  had  now  arrived  at  the  turn- 
ing point  in  the  Society’s  history. 
Were  they  going  to  stop,  or  were 
they  going  forward  \ He  had  not 
the  slightest  doubt  what  their  answer 
would  be.  He  was  sure  they  would 
be  for  the  forward  policy,  for  the 
extension  of  interest  in  the  various 
districts,  and  for  a closer  connection 
with  the  local  Societies,  so  that  agri- 
culture might  still  be  looked  up  to 
as  one  of  the  greatest  industries  of 
the  country,  not  as  a mere  pastime, 
not  as  a trade  carried  on  merely  be- 
cause it  could  not  be  left,  but  as  a 
business  to  be  brought  up  to  date,  to 
be  carried  forward  by  the  aid  of 
science  and  the  diffusion  of  knowledge, 
which  was  one  of  the  great  objects  of 
the  Society.  Agriculture  might  then 
still  be  one  of  those  pursuits  and 
means  of  occupation  of  which  they 
might  be  justly  proud,  and  the  Society, 
though  changed  in  some  respects, 
might  still  be  looked  lyi  to  with 
affection  by  those  who  had  been  its 
former  Members.  (Hear,  hear.) 
Mr.  H.  M.  Simmons  said  it  was 
impossible  to  continue  to  carry  on  the 
“ Royal”  as  at  the  present  time.  Let 
them  make  a clean  sweep  ; do  away 
with  all  the  experiments  ; do  away 
with  the  premises  at  Hanover  Square  ; 
take  offices  in  the  neighbourhood  at  a 
reasonable  rent  ; hire  that  room  for 
their  Annual  Meeting,  and  appoint  a 
working  Secretary  at  about  400L  a 
year.  This  would  save  the  Society 
about  7,OOOL  or  8,0007.  a year.  They 
could  then  proceed  to  pay  the  Society’s 
overdraft  at  the  bank.  Let  the  Society 
also  .sell  the  Harewood  House  Deben- 
tures if  they  could  find  a purchaser. 
The  new  Council  would  then  be  able 
to  start  with  a clean  slate. 
Sir  Oswald  Mosley  said  that  the 
very  able  speech  which  their  good 
supporter,  the  Earl  of  Derby,  had  just 
made,  was  on  the  lines  on  which  he 
was  sure  most  of  the  Members  desired 
information.  It  had  not,  however, 
been  made  sufficiently  clear  to  them 
that  a re-organisation  was  going  to  be 
made.  It  would  be  a very  serious 
thing,  indeed,  should  this  great  Society 
close  its  Show  in  1905.  Their  President 
had  taken  office  at  a serious  stage  in 
the  Society’s  affairs,  and  he  felt  that 
it  would  be  a disgrace  to  a public 
benefactor  like  Lord  Middleton  if  they 
were  to  close  the  Show  during  his 
Presidency.  They  were  fully  aware 
of  the  good  work  done  by  the  Members 
of  the  Council,  and  that  some  of  them 
had  tried  to  carry  the  Society’s  affairs 
on  their  backs.  It  was  evident  that 
these  noblemen  and  gentlemen  coukl 
not  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Society 
unless  they  appealed  successfully  to 
its  well  wishers,  including  the  farmers, 
who  were  the  backbone  of  the  Show. 
Do  not  let  the  Society  do  anything  in 
a rash  hurry.  There  was  Park  Royal, 
which  was  purchased  by  the  Society, 
the  vendor  having  the  right  of  pre- 
emption up  to  191 1.  The  vendor  was 
now  willing,  he  believed,  to  buy  it 
back  at  the  increased  price  originally 
agreed  upon  and  he  did  not  wonder 
at  this.  The  Railway  Companies 
had  spent  very  much  money  in 
connection  with  the  ground,  which 
had  improved  its  value,  and  the 
Society  had  made  Park  Royal  fit  for  a 
Show  ; and  it  would  be  fit  for  a Show. 
The  Stewards  and  working  Members 
of  the  Council  had  done  a great  deal 
of  hard  work  in  connection  with  the 
showyard.  They  had  got  a good 
groutul,  and  let  them  stick  to  it.  Let 
them  all  try  and  pull  together,  and  let 
them  understand  from  the  Council 
