XXXY1 
Monthly Council , January 11 , 1905 . 
opinion that 10,000Z. was an unneces- 
sarily large amount, and that 5.000Z. 
would be sufficient. Whilst he did 
not think the Society would be in any 
way prejudiced in having the Great 
Western Eailway Company as a share- 
holder in Park Eoyal, as he believed 
that they would greatly assist in the 
development of the property in the 
best possible way, it would not be 
wise on the part of the Council — 
especially in its present transition 
state — to accept that offer without 
having an opportunity of fully con- 
sidering the matter. If necessity 
arose at the last moment, they would 
still have their assets in Park Eoyal 
with which they could go to the Great 
Western Eailway. However, he did 
not believe that they would be put in 
any difficulty, as undoubtedly there 
would be a considerable saving in 
connection with this year’s Show. 
In his opinion to abandon the Show 
would be to abandon everything, and 
he felt that if they appealed to the 
majority of the Members of the 
Society there would be an enormous 
vote in favour of continuing the Show. 
Mr. Greaves asked if it were 
thought probable that the Show 
would result in a loss of 9,000Z. It 
seemed that if they did not hold a 
Show they would not have the 6,000Z. 
promised, but the Society would have 
to spend some 3,0001., and therefore 
their capital would have to be 
depleted to that extent. 
Mr. Crutchley said that, as 
Chairman of the Showyard Works 
Committee, he might perhaps be 
thought the proper person to answer 
this question ; but he confessed that 
it was impossible to forecast what any 
loss on the Show might be, as they 
could not control the weather, and he 
could not say how much space might 
be taken in the yard, or how many 
people would attend the Show. Mr. 
Harrison was perfectly justified in 
saying that there might be consider- 
able reductions in the cost of pre- 
paring for the Show. It was hardly 
correct to call all the items of 
reduction economies, because the 
possibility of reduction of the cost of 
erecting the Showyard arose from the 
fact that the Society had for its own 
protection during the last two years 
been writing down the value of its 
timber very heavily — about one-third 
each year — and it now stood in the 
books of the Society at 2,6521. It 
would be plain to every one that at the 
end of the 1905 Show, if the timber 
were written down in the same way 
as before, it would stand at nothing, 
or almost nothing, on the books of the 
Society. There would, however, still 
remain timber worth a large sum, 
and therefore, in the opinion of the 
Showyard Works Committee, it would 
not be necessary to write down the 
value next year to anything like 
the extent that it had been in the past. 
That accounted for a large reduction 
in the expenditure in connection with 
the erection of the Showyard. A 
saving would also be effected in con- 
nection with the wages for workmen 
for the erection of the Showyard, as 
this year nearly the whole of the 
shedding erected in 1901 had been 
left standing. Other reductions had 
been referred to. Altogether it might 
be estimated that the Show of 1905 
would not cost more than 19,000Z. as 
against 21,500Z. last year, and that 
was taking into consideration the fact 
that for 1905 it had been recommended 
that a larger sum should be charged 
against the Show for head office 
expenses than had been done in the 
past. 
Sir CUTHBERT QUILTER, M.P., 
said there was one aspect of the case 
which he would like to mention. He 
looked upon the future success of the 
Society as very much bound up with 
the alterations, which were to be 
discussed that day — i.e., the alteration 
of their Charter. It was hardly fair 
to the future government of the 
Society that they should have their 
hands tied so shortly before important 
matters were to be discussed by a 
certain amount of the property of the 
Society being alienated either to the 
Great Western Eailway or anybody 
else. He thought they ought to 
hesitate very much before doing this. 
Let them combine the wisdom of the 
new Council with the experience of 
the old, and leave to them the decision 
as to whether any property of the 
Society should be alienated for this 
purpose. The general feeling seemed 
to be in favour of holding the Show, 
