Show of 1905 . 
xxx vi 1 
and if the reforms that were about to 
be brought forward were satisfactory, 
he did not think that they would 
experience any difficulty in holding a 
successful Show in whatever neigh- 
o 
bourhood it took place. 
Sir Walter Gilbey said that 
before the Council came to a decision 
as to holding a Show in 1905, they 
ought to recognise clearly their own 
responsibility in the matter. The 
Council had begun their preparations 
for the Show of 1904, knowing full 
well that they had no reserve to fall 
back upon if a loss should be incurred 
from holding it. Though he had 
warned the Council last spring that 
they stood to lose some 5.,000Z. or 
more by the Show of 1904, and that 
they ought to consider in what way 
the Society’s resources could be in- 
creased, his warnings were unheeded 
at the time. The Council recognised 
after the last Show that they could not 
have another without a large subscrip- 
tion to guarantee the Society against 
the further loss which the holding 
of a Show this year might involve. It 
was easy to talk of the economies, but 
whilst they might estimate how much 
the expenses would be likely to be, 
they could form no forecast of the 
receipts. The calculations that had 
been made last year broke down at 
once, as he pointed out at the time, as 
soon as the implement entries were 
received and were found to show a 
large shrinkage from 1903. He re- 
garded it as of the utmost importance 
that they should have a Show ; but 
the Council ought to take precautions 
in advance against entering upon it 
without sufficient promises of sub- 
scriptions. What he wished to em- 
phasise was that whatever was decided 
the responsibility lay upon the Council 
themselves, and with no one else ; 
certainly not, as had been suggested 
in some quarters, with their officials, 
who only carried out the Council's 
bidding, and could not defend them- 
selves. For any mistakes that had 
been made, whether financially or 
otherwise, it was the Council who 
were to blame, and he for one did 
not wish to exonerate himself from 
his own share of responsibility. 
Mr. Ryland said he was of the 
opinion that, with the reductions fore- 
shadowed by previous speakers, 6,000Z. 
would more than cover a possible loss 
on the Show. With regard to the 
offer made by the Great Western 
Railway Company, he thought this 
raised a most serious point, for he was 
of the opinion that the money had 
been promised in the belief that the 
funds of the Society would remain 
intact. 
Mr. Parker remarked that as it 
had been decided by the Council that 
no Show could be held in 1905 unless 
the sum of 10,000Z. were guaranteed, 
it seemed to him that the only possible 
means of arriving at this result would 
be by accepting the Great Western 
Railway Company’s offer. As the 
matter stood then, he must vote 
against holding a Show on a guaran- 
tee of only 6,000Z. 
Col. Curtis-Hayavard said that 
practically, as far as the Society 
was concerned, they had got nearly 
10,000Z. If they did not hold a Show 
they must spend 3,000Z. If the loss 
on the Show this year were as much 
as 9,000Z. the Society would be in no 
worse position than if they held no 
Show at all. A previous speaker had 
said that the 6,000Z. was given on the 
understanding that the Society’s 
capital was not touched. Supposing 
that that sum was not sufficient, the 
money must come from somewhere. 
After some further discussion, in 
which Mr. MARTIN, Sir JACOB 
Wilson, the Rev. D. B. Montefiore, 
Mr. Dug-dale, Sir Nigel Kingscote, 
the Earl of Northbrook, Mr. Ralph 
Palmer, the Earl of Coventry, Mr. 
Wheeler, and others took part, the 
Hon. Cecil Parker moved, and Mr. 
Crutchley seconded, the following 
amendment to Mr. Christopher 
Middleton’s motion : — 11 That as 
only a sum of 6,000Z. has been guaran- 
teed towards the expenses, it is not 
desirable to hold a Show for 1905, 
without accepting the offer of the 
Great Western Railway Company.” 
On being put to the vote, there 
appeared sixteen votes for the amend- 
ment and twenty against. The 
amendment was therefore declared to 
be lost. 
The resolution moved by Mr. 
Middleton, and seconded by Mr. 
Stratton, was then put as follows:— 
