2l8 TlMEHRI. 
Mr. Watt objected to the Exchange Room as a Lecture 
Hall, as being too small and inconvenient, and asked 
why the Lecture could not be delivered in the Reading 
Room ? 
The President replied that the acoustic properties 
oi the Reading Room were not considered suitable. 
After some slight discussion in which Messrs. Daly 
and Bellairs took part, the President intimated that the 
Directors would re-consider the matter. 
Mr. D. Skekel's New Sugar Mill, the discussion on 
which had been postponed from the previous meeting, 
was now introduced, and the inventor intimated that he 
was prepared to answer any objections that might be 
made. 
The President said that the two principal features in 
the New Mill, were, increased extraction of cane juice, 
and a greater strength of the rollers from the strain being 
thrown on the gland bolts instead of the head-stock. 
A number of questions and objections were then made 
by Messrs. Jones, Abell, Steele and Bellairs, in which 
some of the objectionable points of various other mills 
were mentioned ; and Mr. Skekel's trash turner in common 
with others as being in the way, was condemned, Mr. 
Jones being very severe against the abominable system 
of the trash turner. 
The President then summed up the matter. He 
remarked that it must have been interesting to those 
connected with the sugar industry to find the engineers 
engaged in such a discussion. There had been a vigorous 
attack, with as vigorous a defence. No doubt each 
engineer had settled in his mind whether Mr. Skekel's 
Mill was a good one or not. He (Mr. Nind) had seen 
