810 
ANNUAL MEETING. 
Mr. Care : I should like to ask Mr. Young whether he approves our way of voting 
hv ballot. It is conducted somewhat differently to what I have seen before. I here 
are a great number of scrutineers, and I think if our Secretary were made chairman 
and several scrutineers w r ere appointed, it would be better; and I should like to 
whether Mr. Young can suggest, a different mode. - 
Mr Carteighe : I am satisfied that it would be very grateful to the t. n- 
scrutineers if we could make that resolution a little longer ; it is rather too curt, 
think they would like us to say, that we are thoroughly satisfied that they were per¬ 
fectly honest and bond fide in what they did. . I would suggest that something b 
added to the resolution of that character before it is put. r 
The Chairman : I will read the resolution as it has been amended by our soli¬ 
citor :— 
“ That the best thanks of the Society be given to the Scrutineers, with the sole 
exception of Mr. William Dickinson, and that this meeting do record its complete 
satisfaction with the manner in which the gentlemen thanked discharged their 
duties!” 
Before putting the resolution to the meeting, I must express my own sense of satis¬ 
faction and thankfulness to the scrutineers for the way in winch they have met the 
difficulty, and the great pains and care which they have taken m bringing out a true 
and correct report. 
The resolution was carried unanimously. T j i 
Mr. Andrews : I should like to say a few words in acknowledgment. _ 1 clo thank 
you, gentlemen, most sincerely for the kind w r ay in which you have received our ser- 
vices. For twenty-five years that I have been in connection with this Society, all my 
associations with it have been pleasurable until this one unfortunately occurred. 1 
cannot find words to express how sorry I am that such a thing lias happened. It has 
certainly shown me a w'eak point in our mode of conducting business, and 1 shall be 
prepared, at the proper time, if the Council wish me to do so, to suggest a way in which 
they can avoid such an accident in future. But that any gentleman should do an 
enormous wrong to show up another wrong, is something so absurd that I can hardly 
credit it. There must have been some other reason for it. On my own behalt, and 
on behalf of the other scrutineers, I beg leave to thank you for the kind manner in 
which you have acknowledged our services. . , 
Mr. Young : My opinion with reference to the mode of voting is, that, it honestly 
carried out, the system is a very perfect and a very complete one. But, of course, it 
there is any attempt at misrepresenting the facts as to the votes, it can be done. 
There is no doubt about that; and what I would suggest would be simply this, that 
instead of what has been the practice heretofore, viz. one calling out from the voting- 
papers, and three taking down, there should be two calling it out, and three taking 
down. Yesterday we adopted that system. One of my clerks was m each section 
calling out, or checking the calling-out, and one was taking down, and the three lists 
of votes came out, without exception ; in each section the tellers had taken down the 
whole numbers correctly, and against each name there came out the same number ot 
votes. Therefore, if the one is calling out from the paper correctly, and those who 
take it down tally, I do not think there can be any more complete system of taking 
the votes. I would suggest, however, that in sending out the voting-papeis, it would 
be a o-reat advantage if the names were printed in more distinct character, and a 
little space left between them. If might be advisable that one of the gentlemen 
calling out the names, should put his initial to each name that he does call out, be- 
cause it w r ould be very easy to strike out a name, or two names, if one were inclined 
to do that afterwards, and the papers might be challenged as having been given out 
incorrectly. Another thing that I would suggest would be, that each of the papers 
should be numbered as the names are given out, and not only that, but that the 
papers should be examined, to see that not more than fourteen votes are left upon the 
papers ; because in two or three of the sections yesterday we found informal papers, 
in consequence of fifteen names having been left, and that rendered the votes entiieiy in¬ 
formal and nugatory, and they had to be deducted from the list of votes. Beyond 
