18
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31st, 1898.
[Read and adopted at the 19th Annual Meeting held at Stratford, March 25th, 1899.]
Finance.—The accounts for 1898 are, in deference to the opinion of the
Auditors, which has been endorsed by the Treasurer and Council, presented in
a slightly different form as compared with those for 1897.
The debit balance on the General Account, largely reduced in 1897, has
been again diminished by a small amount, although, as will be observed, £25
was allocated to the Essex Museum Maintenance Fund for the half year, in
accordance with the recent agreement with the Corporation of West Ham.
The loss on Field Meetings, though more than doubled, was compensated by
a large reduction in the cost of circulars and stationery. As in 1897 the
year's expenses may be said to be included in the year's accounts.
The Subscriptions in arrear on December 31st, amounted to rather more
than £45, as compared with £25 in 1897.
The debit balance on the Special Memoirs Account has been increased by
the sum of £10, which is represented by stock acquired and now saleable;
that on the Forest Museum Fund (which now includes both Capital and
Maintenance) has been reduced by over £5.
The life Composition Fund, included in the summary of Balances, has
further benefited by the resolution of March 2nd, 1897, and will continue to
do so.
Membership.—During the year 1898, the Club had cause to regret the
loss, by death, of three ordinary members: Mr. J. Albert Copland, Lord
Carlingford, and Dr. Maurice Davies. The losses by resignation amounted to
twenty-seven, and two members were removed by order of the Council.
Fifteen new members were elected. The strength of the Club on December
31st, 1898, was as follows:—Life Members, 28; Ordinary Members, 209;
Ordinary Members (1893), 27 ; Honorary and Exempt Members, 21 ; making
a total of 285.
The Club's Local (County) Museum.—In continuation of the reports
on the position of the Club's Museum given in the last two Annual Reports of
the Council (Essex Naturalist vol. x. pp. 18-21 and pp. 251-252) the
attention of members is drawn to the statement on the subject in a late part
of the Journal (E.N. vol. x. pp. 337-346). Full particulars are there given of
the negotiations and arrangements with the Corporation of West Ham, and
the text of the agreement is set out in full. It is unnecessary to repeat these
details on the present occasion. The agreement was signed by the Hon.
Secretary on behalf of the Club, and signed and sealed by the Mayor and
Town Clerk on behalf of the Corporation, on July 25th last. Under the
terms of the agreement the Treasurer of the Club has to pay to a separate
account to be called the "Museum Maintenance Fund" the sum of £50
annually, and in like manner the Corporation of West Ham have agreed to
pay to the Treasurer of the Club for the purposes of the said Fund the sum