TWENTY-'EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY 
(398 
provincial members of the Society. He was convinced that there was an enor¬ 
mous amount of ignorance, especially on the part of the lower grades of che¬ 
mists, as to the action and objects of the Society, which would be, to a great 
extent, removed by the publication of the proceedings. 
Mr. Pedler asked if it was intended that a reporter should be present at the 
Council meetings. 
Mr. Reynolds said his resolution committed the Council to as little as pos¬ 
sible ; indeed it did not commit the next Council to anything, though no doubt 
they would carry out the wishes of the meeting. 
Mr. Vizer desired to support the resolution. The proceedings of the Medical 
Council, an analogous body, were always reported. He had mentioned this 
matter himself on more than one occasion, though this was the first time it had 
been brought before them formally by way of resolution. It seemed to him of 
great importance that they should come to a decision upon it now, and he did 
not doubt that the new Council would be bound by that decision. There were 
several reasons why the resolution should be adopted. In the first place, the 
Society now held a very different position from any it had held before. They 
were now become a public body, instead of a simple voluntary association, over 
which the Council had but a limited power ; and every man in the business was 
now more or less under the rule of the Society. Under these circumstances, 
therefore, they had clearly a right to know what were the proceedings of the 
Council. Again, without such knowledge the election of members was but a 
farce, as had been truly said, and might just as well be done by drawing lots. 
The candidates were unknown except by name to the members at large, and he 
had been surprised sometimes at the ignorance even of well-known names 
amongst provincial members. It was also due to the members of the Council 
that their proceedings should be known ; and he was convinced that when this 
was the case, which he knew it would be, they would be encouraged by finding 
the members at large take more interest in the affairs of the Society, and attend 
its meetings in larger numbers than had been the case hitherto. Allusion was 
made in the report to certain provisions in an Act of Parliament relative to the 
storing of petroleum, which had escaped the attention of the Council ; this 
oversight was excusable under the circumstances, but it would be much better 
to appoint a sub-committee to watch all such matters, and take action upon 
them immediately, than leave it until a new Bill was necessary to remedy the 
defects of the first. 
Mr. Pedler said it was absolutely necessary that some change should take 
place, but he thought it should go much further than the resolution proposed, 
and that a report of all that passed at the Council meetings should be pub¬ 
lished. As had been said, the Council was a representative body, and he did 
not think the constituency would be satisfied with less than a full report of the 
proceedings. If this course were adopted, he was convinced that the Council 
would stand higher than ever in the public esteem ; and those members who 
worked day by day and week by week for the good of the Society would receive 
the credit which legitimately belonged to them. He should be very sorry to 
say a word that might wound the feelings of the most susceptible member of 
the Council, especially when they were met to exchange congratulations, but 
he thought means should be afforded to the members of judging who were the 
best men to elect to such a responsible office. 
Mr. Collins thought there could be but one opinion as to the propriety of 
the resolution proposed by Mr. Reynolds. He very much doubted the propriety 
of having a reporter present at the Council meetings, but thought the minutes 
taken by the Secretary, when confirmed at the following meeting, might be re¬ 
ported in the Journal. 
Mr. Manby (Southampton), as a very old member, desired to endorse every 
word that had fallen from Mr. Vizer. The present system of voting was a 
