ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. 18 April, 1905. Sir GUILFORD L. MOLESWORTH, K.C.I.E., President, in the Chair. The Notice convening the Meeting was taken as read, as well as the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the 26th April, 1904, which the President was authorized to sign. The Report of the Council upon the Proceedings of the Institution during the Session 1904-1905 was read, the Statement of Accounts being taken as read. After consideration, it was resolved,-That the Report of the Council be received and approved, and that it be printed in the Minutes of Proceedings. The Scrutineers reported the election of the Council for 19051906 as follows 1 : The Council commence their year of office on the first Tuesday in November, 1905. Resolved,―That the thanks of the Meeting be given to the Scrutineers, and that the Ballot-Papers be destroyed. Mr. Basil Mott responded on behalf of the Scrutineers. Resolved, That the thanks of the Institution be given to Messrs. P. D. Griffiths and J. M. Dobson, for their care in auditing the Accounts for the past financial year; especially to Mr. J. M. Dobson for his gratuitous service in the matter: and that Messrs. Griffiths and Dobson be re-appointed Auditors for the current financial year. Mr. Dobson acknowledged the Resolution. Resolved, That the thanks of this Meeting be accorded to Sir Guilford Lindsey Molesworth, President, for his conduct of the business as Chairman of the Meeting. The President acknowledged the Resolution. [REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1904-1905. IN fulfilment of their duties, the Council present the following Report on the state of The Institution: : In addition to the routine work of the Session, several important inquiries have been considerably advanced during the past year. First may be mentioned the preliminary Report, adopted by the Council, of the Committee appointed to deal with the question of establishing a standard of efficiency for internal-combustion engines. This Committee, presided over by Professor Unwin, has produced a Report which will go far to settle the bases upon which such engine-efficiency should be estimated and expressed. The best thanks of the Institution are due to the Committee for their labours, and to all those who have afforded them facilities for their investigations. Not less in importance, and fraught with even wider interest, is the work of the Committee appointed to consider and report on the education and training of engineers. This Committee, upon which all the principal engineering societies are represented, has, under the Chairmanship of Sir William White, pursued steadily during the past year its inquiries into the question of secondary education, with regard to which its recommendations are in an advanced stage. It has further settled the general lines to be adopted in considering the question of scientific and practical training. In such an undertaking, a multitude of opinions must be digested, and views carefully scrutinized at every stage. Progress cannot be rapid, but that now made points towards a satisfactory solution, so far as is possible, of the vexed and complex problem with which the Committee was confronted at the beginning of its labours. It may be appropriate, in referring to the educational question, to mention the Examinations and their results. Notwithstanding the considerable number of exempting degrees and other qualifications recognized by the Council, a total of 400 Candidates have attended the Institution's own Examinations during the past Session. The standard of these Examinations and their suitability to the conditions they have to meet, are admitted widely. It is a gratifying recognition of this department of the Institution work, that the Government of India have decided, after full enquiry and conference with representatives of the Council, that, in the immediate future, the degrees which will qualify for certain appointments in the Department of Public Works, are to be those which are accepted by the Council for candidates for the Associate-Membership. The Institution will be represented by Sir Guilford Molesworth on the Committee of Selection which will deal with the assignment of these appointments. The Council have had before them a representation as to the difficulty which engineers sometimes encounter in the recovery of fees for professional services rendered to Urban Authorities. After conference with representatives of the members who first moved in the matter, the Committee which was deputed by the Council to consider the question have deemed it of sufficient importance to cause a general inquiry to be made as to the extent of the grievance. The result of this inquiry will guide the Council in its further action. Having given, by means of a Special Committee presided over by Sir Douglas Fox, considerable attention to proposals put forward by the London County Council for the amendment of the existing building-regulations for London, the Council felt obliged in the interests of all Engineers to petition against the London Building Acts Amendment Bill, 1905, and to take steps to support the contentions advanced in the petition. The Bill has been fortunately withdrawn by its promoters, except as regards a small portion which is not considered to affect adversely engineering interests. An important departure has been decided upon in respect to the Engineering Standards Committee, which was formed by the Council in 1901. This Committee, whose operations have extended considerably beyond the range which was contemplated at first, has found it to be desirable that the property and funds for which it has become responsible should vest in some corporate body. The several Institutions which have supported the Committee have agreed that The Institution of Civil Engineers should undertake this charge; and subject to certain conditions as to the finances and operations of the Committee, and a reservation as to its continuance, the Council have consented to be responsible for the present and future property and funds of the Committee. The visit which was paid officially by The Institution to the American and the Canadian Societies of Civil Engineers last autumn, has been the means of ratifying and promoting the friendly relationship that has long existed between The Institution and the two important bodies referred to. The volume of ordinary business dealt with by the Council during the Session has been considerable. In respect of the scrutiny of the qualifications of candidates for Election, Transfer and Admission, 880 Proposal Forms have been dealt with during the Session. Although a considerable number of Candidates for Election are still unprepared to comply with the Institution test of scientific attainments, this difficulty has become much smaller than it was in former years, whilst the applicants yearly increase in number. The total roll of The Institution at the date of this Report is 7,954. That the accommodation afforded by the premises is very fully made use of, is testified by the fact that 166 meetings of various kinds have been held in the rooms during the Session. In order to reduce the necessity for using the principal public rooms for occasional meetings, and to cope better with the requirements, a portion of the Upper Library has been furnished as an extra Committee room. THE ROLL. The changes which took place in the Roll during the financial year ended the 31st March, 1905, are shown in the accompanying Table. The elections comprise 1 Honorary Member (Baron 1 April, 1903, to 31 March, 1904. 1 April, 1904, to 31 March, 1905. Associates. |