Rotation of Distrricts Joi' Country Meetings. xlv 
It appeared to be thought that it was 
hardly a good arrangement that they 
should have an agricultural county 
like Chester to compete with the 
great manufacturing districts of 
Lancashire. This was probably the 
reason' in the mind of Sir Jacob 
Wilson and others for making this 
proposal. Of course the diflBculty he 
had indicated might apply to other 
parts of the country. 
Lord Egeeton of Tatton said it 
was unfortunate that the two counties 
should have been put into antagonism, 
and he confessed he w^as very sorry 
the other day that it was so. He 
suggested whether North Wales 
should not be made a district by 
itself. 
Mr. Chandos-Pole-Gell said that 
Sir Jacob had intended to bring for- 
ward this motion before the discus- 
sion arose in regard to Chester and 
Manchester, because Sir Jacob had 
spoken to him upon the subject. 
The motion was then put and 
carried unanimously, and on the 
farther motion of the Duke of Rich- 
mond, seconded by the Earl of 
Lathom, the Committee was con- 
stituted as follows : — The President 
(ex-officio), Earl Cathcart, Viscount 
Bridport, and Mr. Dent (representing 
the Committee of 1867), Sir Nigel 
Kingscote, Sir Jacob Wilson, and Mr. 
Frankish (representing the Committee 
of 1876), the Hon. C. T. Parker, Sir 
John Thorold, Mr. Bowen-Jones, Mr. 
Clay, and Mr. Foster. 
Railway Rates. 
A letter from the Mansion House 
United Association on Railway Rates, 
stating that it was now established 
as a permanent organisation, and 
asking the Society to make an annual 
subscription to its funds, having been 
read by the Seceetaby, 
Mr. Feankish said that agricultur- 
ists and traders generally, and a great 
many members of the Society who 
were in business, were much indebted 
to the Association for the work they 
had done last year in connection with 
the settlement of the railway rates. 
He thought it would be a very cheap 
means of getting information for 
their members if they supported the 
Association in the way proposed, by 
subscribing, say, 107. annually. 
Mr. Clay seconded the proposition 
of Mr. Frankish, on the ground that 
the matter was of sufficient import- 
ance to warrant the Society giving a 
moral support to the Association by 
an annual subscription of 107. 
The Duke of Richmond and 
Goedon objected to the motion. In 
the first place the matter was entirely 
beyond the scope of the Society. 
They were now asked to subscribe to 
the Mansion House United Associa- 
tion, which dealt with all the rail- 
w^ays throughout the country. He 
could find nothing in the Charter 
which could warrant their doing that. 
They were asked to subscribe to an 
association not dealing exclusively 
with agriculture, but dealing with 
traders of every description in all 
parts : manufacturers, coalowners, 
ironmasters, in fact with all persons 
who used the railways. 
Sir Massey Lopes thought that 
the proposed subscription would 
create a very bad precedent. 
The Peesident could not agree 
with this view, and was in favour of 
the grant. 
The Earl of Ravenswoeth thought 
that the subscription should not be 
given. 
On a division Mr. Frankish’s motion 
was lost by twenty-one votes to 
twelve. 
Date of next Meeting. 
Authority having been given to 
affix the Society’s seal to the agree- 
ment with the Corporation of Chester 
for the holding of the Country Meet- 
ing of 1893, the Council adjourned 
until Wednesday, April 6, at noon. 
