Annual General Meeting , December 10, 1913. xliii 
for his great services. (Applause.) Until he had the honour of being 
President of the Society, he hardly realised the enormous amount of work 
entailed in the preparation and arrangements for the annual Show, nor did 
he adequately appreciate Sir Gilbert’s power of organisation, his power of 
work, his resourcefulness, and the amount of time and trouble he so willingly 
gave to his duties as Honorary Director. Might he remind them that this was 
the eighth occasion on which their hearty thanks had been due to Sir Gilbert 
for his valuable services in connection with the Show. 
To refer very briefly to the other work of the Council during the past 
year, it would be observed that besides the usual scientific, experimental, 
educational, and advisory work carried out by the Council through its 
Standing Committees, they had undertaken and brought to a conclusion an 
interesting demonstration as to the possibility of rearing healthy stock from 
tuberculous parents. That Report had been presented to the Council that 
morning. It would be printed and circulated, and he believed it would be 
read with great interest by stock-breeders throughout the country. 
The Committee had also appointed a Sub- Committee who had inquired 
into that difficult and perplexing problem — how to deal with swine fever. 
Their report also had been presented to the Council that day, and would 
shortly be printed and circulated. 
The Society had been represented on deputations to the Board of Agricul- 
ture on two important matters — the establishment of a national seed-testing 
station, and the regulations affecting the importation of cattle, sheep and pigs 
from Great Britain to the Colonies and foreign countries, both of which 
questions were receiving the consideration of the Board. 
The Council had also decided to offer through Local Societies rewards for 
skilled agricultural labour and long service, and he was sure the announcement 
would meet with the general approval of Members of the Society. 
With regard to Membership, they had now 10,434 Governors and Members 
on the register, or 127 more than at this time last year. That was so far 
satisfactory. But he thought a National Society like theirs might look to a 
very considerably larger Membership than they now had. He thought they 
should bear in mind that, although something like 700 new Members had been 
elected during the year, the net increase, as he had said, was only 127. The 
losses to the Society every year in Membership from deaths, resignations, and 
other causes were about 500, and that number of new Members was required 
each year to keep up their present figures. He would therefore like to make 
an earnest appeal to Members of the Society to use their individual efforts and 
to endeavour to get their friends and neighbours to join. He believed much 
might be done in this way, and that there were many persons who would be 
willing to become Members of the Society if personally asked to do so. . 
Shrewsbury Show. 
The Show next year would be at Shrewsbury. 
The schedule of prizes for live stock, which would shortly be issued, would 
include a larger number of classes than on any previous occasion, and the 
amount offered in prizes was the largest since the Society held their Show at 
Windsor in 1889. 
The Shrewsbury Local Committee were giving a handsome contribution 
towards the prizes, and they had to thank the Breed Societies for again 
generously assisting them by offering a large number of prizes in various 
classes. 
Under the presidency of Lord Powis, and with their good friend Sir Bowen 
Bowen-Jones as Chairman of the Executive Committee — (hear, hear)— they 
might confidently look forward to a most successful Show at Shrewsbury next 
year. 
Research Medal. 
With regard to paragraph 31 of the report, only two essays had been 
submitted this year for the gold medal offered by the Society for original 
