Charter and Bye-Laws Committee. 
xlvii 
nation — Parliament. Had Parliament 
any difficulty as to continuity ? Were 
not the same men returned again and 
again ? The Council would see in the 
bye-laws a provision for an Executive 
Committee to which all questions of 
policy should be submitted. That 
would be the best way in which 
to preserve continuity of policy. 
Mr. Stratton was of opinion that 
for simplicity and general advantage 
the system recommended by the Com- 
mittee was in every way the best. 
Sir Jacob Wilson had made a great 
point about the continuity of policy. 
That must be broken, and broken at 
the outset, when, as it was agreed, the 
present Council went out of office. Sir 
Jacob’s proposition was that every 
year one-third should go out. He 
would suggest that there was no 
necessity for any such complicated 
arrangement. Pie thought it would 
be extremely inconvenient at this time, 
after an announcement had been made 
from the Chair at the General Meeting 
which led the Members to expect that 
the triennial system would be adopted, 
to go back to the system proposed by 
Sir Jacob Wilson. He felt strongly 
that the Members generally would 
prefer the clean sweep at the end of 
three years. 
After some further discussion, the 
President put Sir Jacob Wilson’s 
amendment, and it was carried by 
eighteen votes to four. 
As to the division of the country 
into districts for the purpose of the 
annual election of a third of the Mem- 
bers of Council, a scheme submitted 
by Sir Jacob Wilson was, after some 
amendment, agreed upon, and was 
ordered to be incorporated with the 
new bye-laws. These were then for- 
mally adopted, and were ordered to 
be circulated to the Members before 
the date of the Anniversary General 
Meeting on May 22 next. It was de- 
decided that the bye-laws should be 
submitted for adoption at an Extra- 
ordinary General Meeting to be held 
immediately after the Anniversary 
Meeting on May 22. 
On the motion of Mr. Ralph 
Palmer, seconded by Mr. Harrison, 
and in accordance with a recom- 
mendation of the Charter Committee, 
the following new bye-law was enacted 
as No. 31a of the bye-laws now in 
force : — 
31A. The Council may from time to 
time appoint an Executive Committee 
to exercise such powers and functions 
as may be delegated to it by the 
Council or the bye-laws, and may at 
any time modify, dissolve, or recon- 
stitute the Executive Committee, and 
may make such regulations in regard 
thereto as the Council may think 
expedient. 
Committee of Selection. 
Sir John Thorold (Chairman) 
reported that a letter had been read 
from the Italian Ambassador relative 
to the proposal of H.M. the King of 
Italy for the establishment of an 
International Chamber of Agriculture. 
The Committee recommended that the 
adhesion of the Royal Agricultural 
Society be given to the proposal for 
the convening of an International Con- 
gress to discuss this matter, and they 
hoped that some kjember of the Council 
might be willing to represent the 
Society at such Congress, which, it 
was understood, would be held in 
Rome next May. 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 1905. 
THE EARL OF DERBY, K.G. (TRUSTEE), IN THE CHAIR. 
Supplemental Charter. 
The Secretary laid upon the table 
the Letters Patent under the Great 
Seal, dated April 1, 1905, granting 
a Supplemental Charter to the Society. 
Special Report of Finance Committee. 
The Council then resolved itself into 
Committee for the further considera- 
tion of a Special Report from the 
Finance Committee, and of a resolution 
which was proposed at the last meeting 
by the Hon. Cecil Parker, with refer- 
ence to the adjustment of the Society’s 
outstanding obligations for the year 
1994. After considerable discussion 
it was, on the motion of Mr. Ash- 
worth (acting on behalf of Mr. 
Parker, who was absent through 
illness), seconded by Earl Eherton 
