30 The Journal of the Royal 
that it had not been doing^ what Boards appointed with 
the same obje6l had been doing in other countries, par- 
ticularly with regard to facilitating the combination of 
agriculturists, promoting their interests, and making 
suggestions for their improvement. In America the 
Department of Agriculture was a very important one. 
Recently it was concerned with the question of the 
decadence of the rice industry, and a special commission 
was appointed to visit Japan to make enquiries and 
report on the matter. In Germany and other countries 
the Departments of Agriculture were also very a6live. 
If such departments were required in communities where 
there were many private Agricultural Societies, it seemed 
much more important that they should have one in a 
young colony like British Guiana, where there was no 
combination among agriculturists to promote their own 
interests. They found that on the President's initiative 
the Government had been considering the matter, and 
the proposed composition of the Board had been 
published. He did not suppose that the Government 
would obje6l to its being discussed, as it was possible 
they might get some further hints that might be useful. 
Everything would depend on the composition of the 
Board. The Secretary of State made certain suggestions 
which seemed to show that he did not look upon it as such 
an important body as the agriculturists would like to see. 
He believed that in Trinidad the Governor was chairman 
of the Board of Agriculture, and he thought here they 
should have a strong head and an energetic and compe- 
tent secretary. In England the President got ;£2,ooo 
