January 28, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
79 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. 
Annual General Meeting. 
The sixty-sixth annual general meeting of the above institu¬ 
tion was 'hehi at the Corent Garden Hotel, Southampton. Street, 
Strand, London, on the 19th inst. The chair was taken at 3 p.m. 
bv Mr. Harry J. Veitch, who called, upon the secretary, Mr. 
(j. J, Ingram, to read the report of the committee and the ac¬ 
counts of the Institution as audited for 1904. The other busi¬ 
ness was to elect officers and eighteen pensioners to the benefit 
of the funds of the institution. During the past year Sarah 
Thomas, widow of a pensioner, was placed on the funds without 
election in accordance with Rule-III., 13. 
Report of thf. Committee for 1904. 
It is with much pleasure the committee present their annual 
statement, with accounts (as audited) for the year 1904. They 
desire to express their gratification and thankfulness at being 
able to report the continued success of the work which has for its 
object the permanent and also the temporary assistance of a 
class who, before being overtaken by misfortune, declining 
vears, or other causes, do so much for the necessities and plea¬ 
sures of others. 
At the commencement of the year, 207 pensioners—being 
three more than at the beginning of the previous year ; 121 men 
and 86 widows—were each receiving, for life, £20 and £16 a 
year respectively, involving an annual liability of £3,796. 
During the year 17 of that number have died — 11 men and 6 
widows—whilst one man lias relinquished the pension in con¬ 
sequence of a change in his circumstances, and one widow has 
been removed to an asylum, owing to her mental condition, thus 
creating 19 vacancies. Of this number two were filled in by the 
committee in accordance with Rule III., 13, being widows whose 
distressing circumstances rendered them eligible for the allow¬ 
ance of £16 a year. The number of pensioners, therefore, at 
the end of the year was 190, ahcl the committee recommend the 
increase to-day of that number by the election of 18 from a list 
of 56 approved applicants, as set forth in the voting papers, 
making a total of 208 pensioners, the largest number of bene¬ 
ficiaries on the funds in receipt of annuities for life at any 
period in the history of the institution. 
The committee are keenly sensible of the pressing needs of 
the many applicants appealing for aid, and heartily wish they 
were justified in extending the benefits of the institution to a 
much larger number. 
The anniversary festival dinner, held in June last, was a 
very great success, a large sum being raised on behalf of the 
funds. This result was mainly due to the well deserved popu¬ 
larity of the treasurer (Harry J. Veitch. Esq.), who occupied the 
chair on the occasion, and whose convincing and able advocacy 
of the claims of the institution, his untiring zeal and devotion 
to its cause, met with so ready and gratifying a response from 
all parts of the United Kingdom ; in consequence of which a 
much needed further sum of £1,000 has been added to the “ Vic¬ 
torian Era Fund.” The committee tender to Mr. Veitch their 
most grateful thanks for his services and liberality on this, as 
on all other occasions in connection with the cause. They 
further desire to place on record their deep sense of indebted¬ 
ness to Air. Veitch for his kindness and generosity in compiling; 
and issuing, at his own expense, a " History of the Institution,” 
which has already proved of much benefit in creating and sus¬ 
taining interest in the work. 
The committee have also to express their sincere thanks to 
those gentlemen who acted as stewards and collectors in con¬ 
nection with the festival ; to the donors of fruit and flowers ; to 
Air. James Hudson for superintending the decoration of the 
tables ; to the Horticultural Press for its valued gratuitous ser¬ 
vices ; and to other helpers in all parts of the country, whose 
kind and practical aid is sincerely appreciated. 
The committee have to report the receipt, with grateful 
thanks, of a legacy of £100 from the late Mr. Herbst, of Rich¬ 
mond, who for many years was a warm supporter of the institu¬ 
tion. 
I he several auxiliaries have again proved of much value as 
adjuncts to the work, and the committee most gratefully thank 
the honorary treasurers and secretaries whose names are hereby 
mentioned, to whose exertions the success attained is mainly 
due: — 
_ Presidents. TJon. Treasurers. Hon. Secretaries. 
Bristol ash Bath. 
J. H. Lockley, Esq. W. A. Garaway, Esq. Mr. Geo. Harris. 
Worcester. 
Pvt. Hon. Earl J. Hill White, Esq. Mr. Percy G. White.’ 
Beauchamp, K.C.AI.G. 
Devon and Exeter. 
C. It. Collins, Esq. Mr. W. Mackay. Mr. IV. Mackay. 
Wolverhampton. 
C. T. Mander, Esq., J.P. Mr. Bradley. Mr. R. Lowe. 
Berkshire, Reading and District. 
Robert Grey, Esq. Arthur W. Sutton, Mr. H. G. Cox. 
Esq., J.P., V.M.H. 
Liverpool Auxiliary. 
Cdl. The Rt. Hon. A. J. Crippin, Esq. Mr. R. G. Waterman. 
the Earl of Derby, 
K.G., G.C.B. 
Acknowledgment is also made, and sincere thanks tendered, 
to the “ Hurst and Son ” Musical Society (Edward Sherwood, 
Esq., President) for their kindness in allocating the proceeds of 
a dramatic performance given on behalf of the funds to Air. 
A. J. Brown, of Chertsey ; and to the Gardeners’ Alutual Im¬ 
provement Society at Altrincham, for organising successful con 
certs in. the same cause. 
Tiie committee would also refer to the kindness of Arthur W. 
Sutton, Esq., in contributing the sum of £20 to pay a year’s 
pension to W. Smith, the highest unsuccessful candidate at the 
last election, whose case was of a most necessitous character. 
This candidate has recently died, but the help afforded l;y Mr. 
Sutton’s timely generosity was a source of much comfort to him. 
Efficient aid in making the claims of the institution more 
widely known was rendered by Leonard Sutton, Esq., who gave 
a handsome donation expressly for that purpose with very grati¬ 
fying results. The committee offer these gentlemen their most 
ccidial thanks. 
The “ Victorian Era Fund ” and the “ Good Samaritan Fund ” 
still continue to be the means of providing much needed benefits. 
The- committee have been able during the past year to distribute 
from the first-named fund the sum of £159 2s. to the unsuccessful 
candidates at the last election who had formerly been sub¬ 
scribers, in amounts proportionate to the length of time they 
had subscribed, and £90 has been given from the latter fund 
to numerous applicants, whether subscribers or not, who were 
found to be in urgent want of temporary assistance. 
The committee cannot emphasise too strongly the value and 
usefulness of these two funds ; from the one they are enabled to 
help the “ waiting ” candidate, who, but for its aid, would receive 
no assistance until elected on the permanent funds, and from 
the other they are able to bestow gratuities in cases of 
emergency and need. It is a matter for thankfulness, as already 
mentioned, that the committee have been able to add £1,000 to 
the capital of the “Victorian Era Fund,” thus increasing its 
annual income and providing a larger sum for yearly distribu¬ 
tion. 
The committee, with very great pleasttre, draw attention to the 
munificent gift of £500 from N. A. Sherwood, Esq. (trustee), for 
the .purpose of founding a pension to be called the “ Alay Sher¬ 
wood Campbell ” Widow’s Pension. The committee most grate¬ 
fully thank Air. Sherwood for his benefaction and for this fur¬ 
ther proof of his continued practical sympathy in the work by 
specially providing for a widow’s declining years. 
As in previous reports, the committee have again to deplore 
the loss, through death, of many staunch friends and supporters 
in th^ past year. 
Foremost among them may be mentioned the A ery Rev. the 
Dean of Rochester, and Air. S. Osborn. 
Dean Hole had been associated with the institution for many 
years. He presided at the anniversary festival in 1872, and had 
often been present at subsequent festivals, making eloquent and 
touching appeals on its behalf. In season and out of season he 
was ever ready to evince his sympathies with the work. His 
loss will be keenly felt, and bis kind and valued services will 
ever be gratefully remembered. * 
Mr. Osborn had been a member of the committee of manage¬ 
ment since' 1886. and was a regular attendant at its meetings ; a 
practical gardener himself, and one who'had for so long taken 
an active "part in the affairs of the institution, his experience 
and opinions were much valued by bis colleagues, by whom he 
will be greatly missed. 
The committee are glad to be able to announce that the Duke 
of Westminster has kindly consented to preside at the sixti - 
seventh anniversary festival dinner, to take place on June 16th 
next, at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Aletropole. I hey tins , 
his Grace will receive a large measure of support on the occa¬ 
sion, ancl that the festival will prove as successful on beliali 
of the- institution as those hitherto held. 
Tn conclusion, the committee earnestly solicit increased sup¬ 
port to their work. At the close of to-day s election there will 
