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THE
CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES' COMMITTEE
OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.
Cambridge, 1904.
REPORT OF THE CLUB'S DELEGATE,
F. W. RUDLER, I.S.O., F.G.S., President E.F.C, Secretary of the Conference
of Delegates.
[Read November 26th, 1904.]
UNDER the presidency of the distinguished physicist,
Principal E. H. Griffiths, F.R.S., of the University
College of South Wales, the delegates held two meetings at
Cambridge on the 18th and 23rd of August. A discussion
of rather animated character, initiated by the Chairman's
address, shewed that many of the delegates entertained the
opinion that a much closer union should be established between
the Association and the affiliated societies. The Chairman
proposed that a "Journal of Corresponding Societies" should
be started, and that this should be supported by levying a
contribution from the affiliated societies at the rate of 5s. per
annum for every 50 members. This works out at scarcely
more than a penny a year for each member. If the Essex
Field Club has on its roll 300 subscribing members, an annual
contribution of 30s. would be payable. The Journal would be,
at any rate at first, a very unambitious publication—a mere
record of meetings, with titles only of papers, and with official
notices from any society which might desire to call attention to
work requiring co-operation, or to any points on which infor-
mation was desired. By means of this organ all the societies
could unite in common action for any purpose considered to be
of national or scientific importance. The committal of the
British Association to the publication of such a periodical is a
grave step, which will need serious consideration by the
Corresponding Societies' Committee and by the Council of the
Association. Several delegates have pointed out that the societies
which they represent could ill afford, in their financial struggle,
to subscribe to such a journal in the way suggested.
At present no society can be affiliated to the British
Association unless it publish papers recording some kind of
original observation. Principal Griffiths suggested that this
condition might well be relaxed in favour of certain smaller
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