34 THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
commenced by hiring a house, No. 44, Duke Street, Chelmsford, as
a store for the apparatus, and they appointed a caretaker, who,
being a man of mechanical ability, could make himself of value by
repairing, packing, and generally taking charge of the property of
the Committee. They also engaged the services of Mr. Houston as
a Staff Instructor in Biology. Considerable progress was made, so
that by March, 1892, your then President, Mr. Fitch, was able to
report to your Annual Meeting that classes and lectures had been
held at forty-seven centres, and apparatus of the value of £400 had
been purchased. About this time a change was made by abolishing
the Organising Joint Committee, and adding six members of the
Club to the Technical Instruction Committee, viz., Sir Henry
Roscoe, Professor Meldola, and Messrs. F. Chancellor, J. C.
Shenstone, J. Spiller, and G. J. Symons. This Committee
appointed a Scientific Sub-Committee, consisting of the six members
of the Club and six other members of the Technical Instruction
Committee. And it may be said that this Sub-Committee has
materially assisted the main Committee by threshing out the details
of matters submitted to them, and by getting into shape the various
schemes which from time to time required to be carried out in
order to push on the important subject of Technical Education
on the proper lines.
It was not very long before it was found that the premises in
Duke Street were not only too small for storage purposes, but that
it was quite impossible to form classes of any reasonable size at the
Central Station for want of the necessary accommodation. At this
time the premises formerly occupied by King Edward's Grammar
School were in the market, and the Scientific Subcommittee
strongly urged the purchase of these premises, and the Technical
Instruction Committee supporting the scheme, the County Council
eventually gave consent to the purchase. About this time the
necessity of appointing a Staff Instructor of Chemistry was urged
by the Sub-Committee, and was eventually agreed to, and Mr.
Dymond was appointed. As soon as possession was obtained of
the school buildings the County Surveyor was instructed to put
them into good repair, and to make such structural alterations as
were suggested by the Committee. The two Lecture Rooms,
Preparation Room, and Stores were then fitted up under the
direction of the Sub-Committee, with all necessary lecture-tables,
working-benches, cases, and other matters, and on February 20th,