THE GARDENING WORLD. 
101 
January 30, 1904. 
VICTORIAN ERA FUND, 1903. 
Balance, December 31st, 1902 .. 
Donation, 1903 . 
£5 
5 
0 
139 
4 
10 
Dividends, 1903 . 
.. 123 
17 
6 
Return of Income Tax, 1903 
8 
1 
9 
137 
276 
9 
1 
Gratuities, 1903 . 
.. 135 
10 
0 
Balance, December 31st, 1903 
.. 140 
19 
] 
9 
1 
276 
9 
1 
GOOD SAMARITAN 
FUND, 1903. 
Balance, December 31st, 1902 .. 
Annual subscriptions, 1903 
1 
1 
0 
218 
13 
7 
Donations, 1903 . 
65 
4 
0 
Dividends, 1903 . 
55 
1 
0 
Return of Income Tax. 
3 
19 
9 
15 
9 
334 
9 
4 
Gratuities, 1903 . 
81 
0 
0 
Balance in hand, December 31&t, 190... 
253 
9 
4 
334 
9 
334 
9 
4 
(Signed) THOMAS MANNING. 
T. SWIFT. 
J. WILLARD. 
After the reading of the report a speech was made by the chair¬ 
man, who discussed the salient points of the report, after which 
he proposed its adoption. This was seconded by A. W. Sutton, 
Esq., who suggested that- the amount sent in by the various 
auxiliaries should be mentioned. The report was adopted unani¬ 
mously. The approximate amounts sent in by the various 
auxiliaries as the result of their endeavours were : Reading, 
£110; Worcester, £75; Bristol and Bath, £105; Devon and 
Exeter, £60; Wolverhampton, £21; and Liverpool, £103 9s. 
Most of the officials were re-elected, including Mr. Harry J. 
Veitch (chairman and treasurer), Mr. George J. Ingram (secre¬ 
tary) ; Messrs. W. Crump, M. Gleeson, James Hudson, A. 
Mackellar, Alderman R. Piper, S. M. Segar, and J. H. Yallance, 
retiring members of the committee. In place of Messrs. P. C. M. 
Veitch and W. Y. Baker, who were also retiring by rotation and 
not seeking re-election, Messrs. Mclndoe and H. W. Nuttin were 
elected to serve on the committee. The auditors and the 
honorary solicitor were re-elected. 
A. W. Sutton, Esq., announced that he would pay this year’s 
pension to the unsuccessful candidate which the chairman 
thought the most deserving. No less than fifty-three candidates, 
who had been approved by the committee, presented themselves 
for election to the benefits of the institution. Notwithstanding 
this extraordinary need for help, the committee announced their 
intention of only electing twelve pensioners. During the course 
of his speech the chairman said that the committee had gone as 
near the wind as they dare venture, and they did not wish to 
trench upon their reserve fund. They had a very large number of 
pensioners, and there had been relatively few deaths during the 
year, so that they could scarcely venture to elect more than they 
felt capable of supporting. At the same time, he made an 
earnest appeal to gardeners everywhere and to all those concerned 
to contribute something towards the great needs of the institu¬ 
tion. Many thanks were expressed to Lord Ilchester for the 
opening of his gardens for the benefit of the institution. Much 
satisfaction was also expressed for the assistance rendered by the 
auxiliaries. He mentioned a very sad case of a man who was 
seventy-four years old 1 , totally blind, and had been trying to get 
on the pension list for the last seven years. 
On the declaration of the poll it was found that the most 
successful candidate was Henry Cross with 3,923 votes. Next 
came Wm. Chambers, 3,545 ; Abram Stansfield, 3,444 ; Frederick 
Smith, 3,300 ; Eliza E. Doherty, 3,297 ; Richard Nisbet, 3,224 ; 
Jane Edwards, 3,186; Henry Rabbitts, 3,091; Wm. Turner, 
2,966; James Worthington, 2,955; Richard Skinner, 2,902 ; and 
Edward Foster, 2,842. The committee being empowered by one 
of their rules to add two more to the list if they thought fit, the 
next highest on the list being Andrew Armstrong, with 2,838 
votes, and George Dale, with 2,796, were placed on the pension 
list. The chairman then put on the gardener whom he con¬ 
sidered the most needy, namely, Thomas Cridland, who had been 
blind for seven years, and was again unsuccessful. The 
fifteenth highest on the list was Wm. Smith, with 2,784 votes, 
who is to be supported for the first year by A. W. Suton, Esq., 
and whom the-chairman hoped would be elected next year. 
Annual Friendly Supper. 
After the election the members and supporters of the institu¬ 
tion sat down to the Annual Friendly Supper at the Covent 
arden Hotel. Leonard Sutton, Esq., Reading, presided, and was 
supported by Messrs. IT. J. Veitch, Ed. Sherwood, W. A. Bilney, 
and others. We also noted amongst those present Messrs. G. 
Bunyard George Raul, H. B. May, S. T. Wright, P. C. M. 
Veitch, G. Monro, J. Assbee, Edwin Munro, Peter Kay T. N 
Cox, J. Sweet, J. H. Vallance, W. Roupell, and others After 
supper tile chairman proposed the usual loyal toasts. 
In due course he rose to propose “Continued Success to the 
Institution The results of the election, he said, would be 
e egiaphed to all parts of the country, and those who had been 
successful would certainly regard their position as satisfactory, 
but out of all the number who presented themselves as candi¬ 
dates there would be much disappointment. The institution, he 
said, was making an endeavour to wake up the gardeners 
^ i !°5 10ut ^ 16 countl T- He also said they should endeavour to 
get the numerous amateurs, or their gardeners, up and down the 
country to join. With this object in view, he said that circulars 
might be sent to Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society, of 
whom there were something like 10,000. It would also add to 
their income if they could get at amateurs and gardeners through 
the local associations of gardeners. The committees of these 
associations would be more effective in their particular neigh¬ 
bourhood, because the people there would see that there were 
earnest workers endeavouring to assist the cause, without ex¬ 
pecting any reward or benefit for themselves. There had been an 
increase of £30 this year, and they had expended something like 
£400 in pensions as a result of it, so that the money was not being 
put into reserve, but doing excellent work in support of disabled 
gardeners. Before concluding he hoped that a special effort 
should be made to make the amateurs wake up and come to the 
assistance of the institution. His speech was the shortest of any 
chairman for some years past, and he was afterwards compli¬ 
mented by other speakers for his brevity. 
Mr. H. J. Veitch replied to the toast, and hoped that the 
report of the committee would prove satisfactory to the sub¬ 
scribers up and down the country. They had only put on a small 
number of pensioners, but they were as many as the committee 
thought they could manage to support. The committee had a 
right to put one or two pensioners, and they had done so. He 
hoped that they had made permanent provision for sixteen 
instead of twelve as at first resolved. They had had a very large 
list of candidates, but the vacancies were very few. Indeed, it 
was the largest number of applicants they ever had had. The 
Victorian Era Fund and the Samaritan Fund would also come to 
the assistance of the unsuccessful ones as far as their means 
would allow them. They wanted more annual subscribers. He 
then made allusion to the fact that they had asked him to pre¬ 
side at the anniversary festival at the Hotel Metropole on the 
28th of June next, and he hoped that all would come up and sup¬ 
port him liberally on that occasion, and he would do his very 
utmost for the benefit of the institution. 
George Monro, Esq., V.M.H., proposed “Our Country 
Friends and Supporters,” stating that the auxiliary branches had 
been of great assistance in respect to the various sums which 
they had sent. He thought, however, that the value of the 
interest they created locally would be greater than was actually 
represented by the money sent. Some of these sums, however, 
were very substantial, and they of the central institution were 
getting into very healthy competition. In the country, how¬ 
ever, they were breaking up fresh ground altogether, and the 
local secretaries were making it a labour of love, so that it cost 
the parent association practically nothing. 
J. H. Vallance, Esq., of Bristol, replied to this toast, and 
said that they were able to assist the parent society, but these 
local bodies had also- the benefit of bringing many needy cases 
to the attention of the parent society. In the case of the Bristol 
and Bath auxiliary he hoped to- get an annual average of £100. 
“Tire Chairman” was proposed by Arnold Moss, Esq., which 
he did very humorously and with great deference to- the chair¬ 
man. To this the chairman replied, and then proposed a vote of 
thanks to the Horticultural 1 Press for the great help and 
assistance which it gave at all their meetings. 
George Paul, Esq., V.M.H., proposed “The Committee and 
Honorary Officers,” and said that he knew no committee which 
does better work. No society was managed more economically. 
The labour of the members was a labour- of love, and they did it 
honestly and well. The hcairman, secretary, and Mr. Monro did 
laborious work. He was wondering whether the institution 
could not extend the auxiliaries to every country. There was not 
one in Hertford, and the county seemed neglected. There was 
sufficient desire in thei county to do good, and he thought it 
would be effective if the matter were brought before them. 
The toast was responded to by Mr. W. Denning, of Hampton, 
who said it was their greatest dissatisfaction that they could not 
