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Reciprocity is provided for under a section of the institute by-laws, so that any applicant who has passed the prescribed tests of efficiency of another body of incorporated accountants shall be exempt from examination. The applicant in each case is to furnish evidence of these tests and a certificate of his standing from the secretary of such incorporated body. Under this section of the by-laws it will be seen that a properly qualified member of any of the state associations in the United States may obtain the rights of membership and the right to use the title "Chartered Accountant," provided he is a person of good character and has not been guilty of any dereliction of duty or other offense in respect to the profession.

I may say that the membership of our association at the present time is one hundred and nine. We have twenty-one fellows and eighty-eight associates. To-day I heard it stated that the total membership of your American Association was some six hundred and seventy-four, so that we have about one-sixth of your total number in the Ontario Institute.

Until five years ago it was possible for any person who desired to do so to take our examinations, and with nothing more than a theoretical knowledge of the subjects covered by the examinations, if competent to answer the questions, to pass them.

Teachers in commercial departments of collegiate institutes and business colleges and high schools, appreciating the advantages which the title "C. A." gave to them in their profession, made application, and in a few instances were successful in passing the examinations. These men were of estimable character and respectable citizens in every way, but they were absolutely unfitted by business training or experience to undertake the serious responsibility of actual practical work; and with a view of preventing a further influx into the institute of members of this character, the institute some five years ago amended its by-laws so that a training in the office of a public accountant was necessary, and now none but actually practical persons are permitted to membership.

Each year the examination committee is becoming more strict in the marking of the papers of candidates, thus elevating the standard of accountancy. As a result, and in illustration of this, I may say that in the examinations of 1905, out of twenty-two candidates for the final thirteen were passed. In 1906, out of twenty candidates for the final, only eight succeeded in passing. Of the intermediate candidates in 1905, out of sixty-eight writing forty-five passed, and in 1906, out of thirty-eight candidates, only five were successful in passing. Until two years ago the institute did not require the passing of a primary examination. For some time prior there had been strongly borne in upon the institute the feeling that many of the candidates, while possibly possessing a fair practical knowledge of accountancy, were inadequately equipped in the way of a good general education. Many of them were found to be deficient in grammar, composition, spelling and punctuation and the other subjects which I have mentioned in the curriculum, and to provide against this for the future, we established the primary examinations. The first of these examinations was held in May last, with twenty-five writing and only four passing. The above figures will satisfactorily confirm the wisdom of the stand taken by the institute in providing a test of the character mentioned.

What I have been telling you is sufficient, I think, to suggest to you that the Ontario Institute is accomplishing a good work, and in respect of duration of time of preparation and thoroughness, is perhaps considerably in advance of even your state associations, certainly far in advance of any of the other associations of like character in Canada.

In connection with the institute I may say there is also an association called the Chartered Accountants Students' Association, which holds lectures every winter, probably a dozen, half of them arranged for by the Students' Association and half of them by the institute, and these lectures

are prepared and delivered by members of the institute, with great benefit to the association, which last year numbered some ninety members. We hope this year to begin the publication of a journal of proceedings, and the papers and lectures presented, which are thought to be of sufficient merit will be included in the journal, so that information of this character will reach not only the niembers resident in Toronto, where the lectures are delivered, but throughout the Dominion of Canada or whatever other part of the world they may be in.

I may say that all of our members are not resident in the Dominion of Canada, but they are scattered as well over the United States and over other parts of the world.

I think, gentlemen, I have perhaps said sufficient to show to you, in a brief way, what we are doing in the Dominion of Canada, and particularly in the Province of Ontario, toward elevating the standard of accountancy. I thank you very much for the patience with which you have listened (Loud applause.)

to me.

Reply of Hon. William Harman Black, to the Toast, “Our Guests."

Mr. Toastmaster and Gentlemen: I want to say this, the American Association of Certified Public Accountants I regard as a perfect body in every respect except two. I may be wrong on one of them, but I am sure I am right on the other. It should have some individual, interested by fees or otherwise and fees is one of the most popular ways of interesting an attorney (laughter)—in seeing that the laws of the states are not only uniform, but in attending to every other detail of it. I am going to give you an illustration of it. In one state it is a society; in another it is an association; in another an accountant society, and a certified public accountants society, or a public accountants society, or something of that kind. It seems to me that every one of those societies should have a particular name, and should have the same name. They should be the Certified Accountant Society of New York, or the Certified Public Accountant Society of New York, or they should be the Certified Accountant Society of New Jersey, or the Certified Public Accountant Society of New Jersey; and my reason in saying so is this: It has come about that there were two American candidates in San Francisco, and two different societies asking for membership. You will find, if you do not take some action in reference to a uniform name, there will be everlasting jealousy. All over the country they will start societies and they will grab the name before you can get to it, and you will have a repetition of that sort of experience if you do not do this very thing. I mention that merely as one of the little details that should be attended to, if you wish uniform operation in that branch of your business.

The other is that the American Association of Public Accountants should have a publicity and promotion bureau. I don't know whether you have a committee corresponding to that or not, but it has seemed to me that it is an oversight. The American Association of Public Accountants should command more recognition from the press. I myself made one of the most magnificent speeches that I have ever heard fall from the lips of man, on yesterday, in response to the address of welcome, and when I picked up the papers I found that the response to the address of welcome was delivered by Mr. Goodloc. (Loud laughter.) It is very discouraging, gentlemen, to make that address and then not get any credit for it. Now both the Cincinnati papers and the Chicago papers have said absolutely nothing about the American Association of Public Accountants, and even the local papers have had very little to say. Why, gentlemen, this election this afternoon would have been good for a twocolumn story in any New York paper; and there would have been extra size headlines, six or eight inches high.

There is this difference between an accountant and a lawyer. The accountant goes to a certain point and seeks to discover the truth, and he finds it, and he may stop there. The lawyer goes farther; what he discovers may be going the wrong way, but he will keep on going. It doesn't phase him; it encourages him. (Applause.)

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The following toasts also were responded to: 'The President of the United States," by Hon. Wade H. Ellis; "The Legal Profession,” by Mr. Daniel J. Ryan; "The Universities," by Dr. E. S. Meade. Mr. Duncan MacInnes read and commented on a letter from Hon. Herman A. Metz, Comptroller of the City of New York. Telegrams were read from the board of governors of the Jamestown (Va.) Exposition and from Mr. J. G. Ross, president of one of the Canadian Societies.

List of Officers, Trustees, Committees and Members. on October 23, 1906.

OFFICERS.

President

Secretary Treasurer

Vice-Presidents:

California Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Colorado Society of Public Accountants...
Georgia State Association of Public Accountants.
Illinois Society of Public Accountants...
Massachusetts, Incorporated Public Accountants of.
Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants.
Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants.
Minnesota Society of Public Accountants.....
Missouri Society of Public Accountants.

New Jersey, Society of Certified Public Accountants of
State of

New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Ohio State Society of Public Accountants..

Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Tennessee Society of Public Accountants...

Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants.

John R. Loomis

Harvey S. Chase

Charles O. Hall

Franklin Allen

Lester Herrick
R. H. Montgomery
Elmer B. Yale
Frank Broaker
J. A. Cooper

TRUSTEES.

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AUDITORS.

.. Pennsylvania H. O. Keller

.Ohio

COMMITTEES.

Peter Ballingall

EXECUTIVE:

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INSURANCE:

R. H. Montgomery
A. L. Dickinson

Francis How

L. H. Conant

L. O. Fisher

THE JOURNAL OF ACCOUNTANCY

SPECIAL COMMITTEES.

Pennsylvania .Illinois .New York

.New York

.New York

STANDARD SCHEDULES FOR UNIFORM REPORTS ON
MUNICIPAL INDUSTRIES AND PUBLIC SERVICE

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INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION:

J. R. Loomis

A. L. Dickinson

J. S. M. Goodloe

REVIEW OF APPROPRIATIONS-BUDGET:

Franklin Allen

F. G. DuBois

T. Cullen Roberts PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: John A. Cooper Edward L. Suffern W. M. Lybrand

PRESS AND PUBLICITY: Edward E. Gore W. Sanders Davies G. O. May

CONCILIATION:

J. S. M. Goodloe
A. R. Smart
E. Reckitt

EDUCATION:

MEMBERS,

J. R. Loomis
H. R. M. Cook

W. Sanders Davies

Those marked with asterisk are Certified Public Accountants.

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FELLOWS.

FELLOWS at LARGE, (Original.)

.New York, N. Y. .New York, N. Y. .Providence, R. I. .New York, N. Y.

Syracuse, N. Y. Philadelphia, Pa. .New York, N. Y. San Francisco, Cal. .New York, N. Y. ..New York, N. Y. .New York, N. Y. .New York, N. Y. ...Philadelphia, Pa.

.New York, N. Y.
.New York, N. Y.

.New York, N. Y.
.New York, N. Y.
.Passaic, N. J.
.New York, N. Y.
.New York, N. Y.

Peabody, Mass. .New York, N. Y. .New York, N. Y. .New York, N. Y. .Albany, N. Y. City of Mexico, Mexico. .St. Louis, Mo. .Newark, N. J. .Los Angeles, Cal.

94

* Faller, L. V.

* Fero, Deroy Smith Gibbs, Wm. E. Gies, Fred Theo. Grant, James Greet, R. Douglas * Gunnell, Wm. J.

Harcourt, Vivian Hawkins, Norval A. *Herrick, Lester Highley, Chas. A. Hutchinson, Thos. G.

Jenckes, Chas. S.

* Kerr, J. C. *Koehler, Theo.

*Lafrentz, F. W. Lamb, Fayette_C. Lawton, Geo. R. * Leidersdorf, S. D. * Leith, John *Little, Albert E. *Little, G. E. Lobb, H. W. *Loomis, J. R. *Ludlam, Chas. S. * Mac Innes, Duncan *Mac Rae, Farquhar J. * McCulloh, Chas. S.

.New York

...Illinois Ohio

.New York New Jersey .New York

.Illinois .New York Pennsylvania

.Illinois New York .Missouri

.Ohio .Illinois .Illinois

New York .New York

.New York

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