means, they were rated up to the hilt. As was stated on page 12 of the Report, in consequence of a Bill passed through Parlia ment in Scotland movable machinery was exempt from assessment. He wished to propose, "That the Council make efforts to press upon the Government the necessity of bringing the law of rating in England into harmony with the law in operation in Scotland."

Mr. THOMAS seconded, and the motion was carried.

Election of Officers.

On the motion of Mr. THOMAS, seconded by Mr. T. M. JEPSON, the following officers were unanimously re-elected:- Sir John Evans, K.C.B., F.R.S., President; Mr. Edward Partington, J.P., Vice-President; Mr. George Chater, Hon. Treasurer.

Mr. THOMAS, on behalf of the meeting, congratulated Mr. Partington on his restoration to health, after his recent illness.

Mr. PARTINGTON, in returning thanks, said he was very interested in the Association; he thought it was an Association that ought to be kept together for the benefit of the trade generally. He hoped to have the opportunity in the future of being able to give more time to the meetings of the Association than he had in the past.

Mr. CHATER drew attention to the rule of the Association whereby the subscription was based on the rateable value of individual members, remarking that some members had paid the amount they had paid previously, probably without consulting their consciences as to whether that was in accordance with the rate at which they were valued at.

The General Council were then elected as follows, on the motion of Mr. CHATER, seconded by Mr. LEWIS EVANS, viz. :— Northern: Messrs. J. E. Croft, Joseph Dixon, W. Duckworth, H. W. T. Garnett, T. Y. Nuttall, Robert P. Skelton. Southern : Messrs. W. A. J. Foster, W. N. Joynson, Arthur Monckton, A. L. Poulter, Albert E. Reed, John Thomas.

A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to both Committees for their work during the past year, on the motion of Mr. A. REED, seconded by Mr. J. E. JEPSON.

The auditors, Messrs. Camm, Corbridge and Metcalfe, were re-elected for the ensuing year subject to their acceptance of a fee of three guineas, on the proposition of Mr. J. E. JEPSON, seconded by Mr. A. L. POULTER, Mr. NUTTALL suggesting that if they declined, the Treasurer be empowered to appoint someone else.

The meeting next considered "Whether any action shall be taken with reference to the Report of H.M. Consul-General, Sir W. Ward, C.V.O., Hamburg, on the German Paper Industry and Export Trade."

Mr NUTTALL said that in the interests of his friend, Mr. Garnett, who was suffering from a grave domestic affliction, in the loss of his eldest son, he suggested that the Association should show their sympathy with him by adopting some motion on this question of the character he intended. It would be a compliment to him and could not do

any harm. He therefore begged to move what he thought he would liked to have done, that the Association take action in reference to the Report of H.M. ConsulGeneral, Sir W. Ward, and ask him to find out from the Government on behalf of the Association whether it was officially a fact that such a sales office for dumping German paper in this country does exist in Hamburg. No one could prevent the Germans forming a "Cartell" if they wished. They could form one themselves in this country if they chose. The CHAIRMAN seconded.

The SECRETARY explained that the "Cartell" was formed with the idea and intention of controlling both the imports and exports of paper as far as Germany was concerned.

Mr. NUTTALL: Is that official?

The SECRETARY said that was an official explanation. He believed they had an agent or representative in London, but up to the present time he had not done very much.

Mr. CHATER confirmed the Secretary's statement with regard to a German agent being in London, adding that he had an office in Queen Victoria-street. He represented a German firm, and was trading here and intended to trade directly with newspapers or wholesale stationers, and anybody who would buy from him. But he had not yet come to be felt.

Mr. Nuttall's motion was then put to the meeting and carried.

Another item down on the printed agenda, "The question of raising prices of certain grades of paper," was thought to be too delicate a subject to discuss at a public meeting, and was not entered into, the meeting then terminating.

The toast of" The King" was proposed by the CHAIRMAN and was loyally received with the singing of the National Anthem.

The Paper Trade and the Association.

Mr. HARRY B. WOOD, in submitting the toast of "The Paper Trade, the Papermakers' Association of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Scottish Papermakers' Association," spoke of the wonderful and important changes that had taken place in the manufacture of paper since he first became acquainted with it, he was afraid now more than thirty years ago. He often wondered what some of the pioneers of the paper trade the Wrigleys, the Annandales, John Carlisle, his old friend Edward Lloyd, and McMurray-would think if they had the privilege of inspecting and going through an up-to-date paper mill. With regard to the trade generally, there was no doubt at all that, notwithstanding foreign competition, their friends the papermakers were prospering. Judging from the smiling faces round that hospitable board their lot was not an unhappy one. None were down-hearted, and he only hoped it would be their privilege to be invited there in years to come as the honoured guests of this Association. Translating and adopting the sentiment of their good friends across the Channel, he said, The paper trade is dead; long live the paper trade." (Applause.)

Mr. T. Y. NUTTALL, in responding, first expressed the sympathy and regret they all felt at the domestic affliction that had befallen their friend Mr. Garnett, of Otley, but for which he would have been with them. With regard to this very long toast, he thought it should be the Papermakers' Association rather than the paper trade. What in the world they had got to do with supporting the toast of the Scottish Papermakers' Association-who were so much more able to look after themselves than they were he could not tell. He felt the deepest interest in the Papermakers' Association, which, if it was not at present performing the functions of giving them all the advantages it might do, was at any rate doing some good work. In helping to solve some of the wide general problems that affected them all, the Papermakers' Association had already done a great work, and was capable of doing a still greater. Before proceeding any further with the subject of the toast, he wanted to appeal, through the medium of their friends the Press, to those papermakers in Great Britain-he was going to say and Ireland, but they were extremely loyal to the Association in Ireland-who criticised so fiercely as some of them did the proceedings of this Association, that instead of doing so they should come into it and give them the benefit of their support, their skill and their knowledge, and thus help them to make this a successful organisation. The Papermakers' Association was after all only a modernised development of the old trades guilds. It was an Association of men who had a common interest in a common trade, formed for the mutual protection and support that came from organisation. He had

been thinking of the beautiful sentiment expressed by one of our ablest_poets in the days when the trades guilds flourished at their best, and which contained the principle he was contending for on behalf of those papermakers outside the ranks of their Association :-"Since good, the more it is communicated more abundant grows, the giver not impoverished." He thought it would be a good response to this toast if on this occasion they sent forth a sincere, hearty invitation to every one in the trades represented by the Association to come in and join them. He had great pleasure in responding to, and considered it a great honour to have his name associated with this toast. There was a desire that it should also be responded to by an Irish papermaker, and he called upon Mr. Squire Hill. (Applause.)

Mr. SQUIRE HILL said he did not know why Mr. Nuttall should have called upon him to respond, for he certainly had said all that in his opinion was necessary. So far as the sentiment of doing all that they could for the Association was concerned, it had almost been a surprise to him to hear that some of his dearest friends in the trade did not subscribe to the Association because they did not think they could get anything out of it. He did not think they could have thought of the matter very deeply. It possessed many advantages, such as assisting them in making inquiries, enabling them to find out something they wanted to know, or helping them in something they wanted to do. Then in the matter of arbitration, there was their good friend Mr. D'Oyley Mears who was always ready to be made use of. He considered it an honour to belong to the Association, and thought they should all make a point of doing all they could to support it. (Applause.)

"The Allied Trades and Visitors."

The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the toast of "The Allied Trades and Visitors," said he did so with great pleasure for many reasons. He welcomed the opportunity the Association had of meeting members of the allied trades with other visitors every year at these festive gatherings, contributing as they did so largely to their success. It brought about the difficult fusion of the people wishing to sell to them as paper manufacturers on the one side, and the people they had to sell to on the other. There was a great advantage in having the opportunity of meeting people on both sides of their business; it brought them into closer contact than would be otherwise possible, and made the carrying on of their business easier. He wished health and success to these associations, and coupled with the toast the name of Major Gratwick. (Applause.)

The Newspaper Proprietor and the Papermaker.

Major GRATWICK, in responding to the toast, said: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen,Seeing how many distinguished members of the allied trades are present to-night, I should have been glad if the honour of re