218 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
The Annual General Meeting (958th Meeting)
SATURDAY, 28 MARCH, 1953
This meeting was held at the West Ham College of Technology at 3 p.m.
The chair was taken by the President, Mr. Laurence 8. Harley, and 44
persons were present.
The following were elected to membership of the Club : —
Mr. Hervey Benham, of 24, High Street, Colchester.
Mr. David Willets (Junior Member), of 4, Cumberland Road, E.13.
Mr. Bernard Ward showed, by courtesy of the South Essex Natural
History Society and Mr. S. T. Jermyn, an excellent specimen of the Earth
Star (Geastrum fornicatum), photographs of which he had shown at the
previous meeting.
He also exhibited a specimen of timber from Queen Elizabeth's Lodge,
Chingford, badly damaged by the Death Watch beetle and the Furniture
beetle (Anobium punctatum). Specimens of the species responsible for the
damage were also shown.
Mr. Waller showed a number of finely-mounted microscopic slides of
Foramimferae from the chalky boulder clay of various parts of Essex. He
said that he had not been able to trace any reference to these organisms
from this source, and asked that members should send him samples of Essex
Boulder Clay when opportunity offered.
He also showed a microscope lamp made by him from a war surplus
signalling lamp. It was fitted with a 12-volt bulb, and, although very
inexpensive, was suitable for high-power work.
The business of the Annual General Meeting was then taken. The
minutes of the last Annual General Meeting were read and, having been
approved by the Meeting, were signed by the President.
The report of the Council for 1952, shortly to be published in the Essex
Naturalist, was taken as read.
The Hon. Treasurer then gave his report, and in presenting the accounts,
pointed out that, after allowing for accrued expenses, the income and
expenditure account would show an adverse balance of about £11, which
was a marked improvement over the previous year. He reported that it
had become necessary to remove a number of names from the list of
members after repeated request for payment of overdue subscriptions had
met with no response. Consequently, the membership at December 31st,
1952, totalled 202 individual members, 8 associated societies and 9 public
bodies. As it was desired to avoid an increase in the very reasonable sub-
scription rate he appealed to members to pay promptly and mentioned that
donations from those who felt able to make them would be gladly accepted.
The President then announced that the Council recommended that Elle
10 to be altered by the addition of the following words: "Every member
whose subscription is twelve months in arrear shall ipso facto cease to be
a member of the Club but the Council shall have power at its discretion
to re-instate such member on payment of all arrears".
This proposal, having been duly circulated to all members in the meeting
notice, was now put to the meeting and was accepted unanimously.
The President then read the list of new members of Council and of
Officers as nominated at the February meeting and all were elected
unanimously.
The name of Professor C. T. Ingold as President for the ensuing year
was put to the meeting and he was elected with acclamation. Mr. Harley
then vacated the Chair, and it was taken by Professor Ingold. He thanked
the Club for the honour done to him, saying that he knew the Club, not
only by repute, but was no stranger to a number of members, as he had
attended the annual Fungus Foray for a number of years. He would do his