MIDLAND INSTITUTE OF MINING, CIVIL, AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS.

GENERAL STATEMENT, 1890-91.

LIABILITIES.

1891.

June 30.-To the Federated Institution of Engineers :

Balance of Call for 1890-91

1

The PRESIDENT said there was no valuation of their library. There were many books which they ought to get bound by some means or other. He thought an application to the various colliery owners for subscriptions would be advisable. He then moved the adoption of the accounts.

Mr. J. LONGBOTHAM seconded the motion.

The motion was carried.

Mr. J. LONGBOTHAM-Following up the President's suggestion about the binding of those books, if there were no other means of obtaining money he suggested that the Secretary be instructed to draft a circular letter to the coal owners on the subject, after ascertaining the cost of binding.

Mr. NASH-Certainly an effort should be made to have them bound.

Mr. J. LONGBOTHAM moved a resolution to that effect.

Mr. NASH seconded the motion, which was carried.

REPRESENTATIVES ON THE COUNCIL OF THE FEDERATED INSTITUTION OF MINING ENGINEERS.

The PRESIDENT-The result of the ballot for representatives on the Council of the Federated Institution, for the year 1891-92, was as follows (Mr. Nash and the President were scrutineers) :—

The minutes of the last meeting of the Council of the Federated Institution, held on May 28th, were read.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

The Scrutineers reported the result of the election of officers for the year 1891-92 as follows:

PRESIDENT.-Jos. Mitchell, Esq., M. Inst. C.E., F.G.S. VICE-PRESIDENTS.-W. E. Garforth, Esq., J. Gerrard, Esq., J. Nevin, Esq.

SECRETARY AND TREASURER.-T. W. H. Mitchell, Esq.

Mr. J. LONGBOTHAM moved that the thanks of the Institute be given to the President for his services during the past year. He was sorry that a larger number of papers had not been read. He believed to a certain extent that the Federated Institution was to blame for fewer papers being read here, and he would strongly urge upon anyone who had a paper to read, that he should offer it to this Institute before offering it to the Federated Institution. Mr. Walker for instance, read a long paper upon the Australian Coal-fields before the Federated Institution which was of great interest, but perhaps it would have been better if he had given it first as an instalment to the Midland Institute. This Institute appeared only to have contributed three papers to the combined Transactions of the Federated Institute during the year.

The PRESIDENT-Last year we were first, we had one more than the others.

Mr. J. LONGBOTHAM-The Institute was greatly indebted to the President for the manner in which the business of the Institute had been conducted during the past year, and he hoped that the President during the coming twelve months would show as great energy as he had in the past.

Mr. EMBLETON seconded the resolution and said with respect to papers being read at the Federated Institution instead of at a local institute, that more honour appeared to accrue to the author of a paper if he read it to the larger assembly, rather than at the separate institutes.

The motion was carried unanimously.

The PRESIDENT said it had been a great pleasure to have the honour of presiding over the Midland Institute. He regretted, with the Council, that there had not been more work done. He thought if they had more joint meetings, as that with the Chesterfield Institution, it would perhaps cause writers of papers to feel that there was a little more prestige attached to their work. He should like to see the papers of the Federated Institution more adequately discussed by their local Institutes. Up to now, he believed their Secretary had never been called upon to put any particular paper upon the agenda. If some member would be good enough to give him notice to enter upon the agenda some paper read at any of the other Institutes, or at the Federated Institution, they would get some good discussions. It was evident that unless there was something very interesting members would not turn up in such large numbers as when something interesting and new was under discussion. In concluding, he thanked the members for their complimentary vote.

Mr. EMBLETON suggested that a selection of papers to be discussed might be made and given to the Secretary, which would perhaps be the easiest way of getting over that difficulty.

Mr. J. LONGBOTHAM agreed with the suggestion.

The PRESIDENT said they should not part to-day without according thanks to the officers, Vice-Presidents, and Council, who had done their work in the past year. He was sure that a few of them had stuck to their work very well, though there had been a lack of attendance even at Council meetings. He did not think

that it had been intentional, but because there had been other work preventing them being present. He had great pleasure in moving that their best thanks be given to the Vice-Presidents and Council of the past year.

Mr. THIRKELL had great pleasure in seconding the vote of thanks. He had done little indeed himself for the Institute, and attended few meetings. He hoped during the coming year that there would be more papers than they had had in the past, and that the Institute would take the place it held before as the premier institute, as far as papers were concerned.

The motion was carried and the meeting ended.

The Annual Dinner was afterwards held at the King's Head Hotel Barnsley.