the Committee on Arrangements, in regard to the result of the postal card vote in relation to holding a banquet, and that a majority of the members were against the proposition, and that, therefore, no action had been taken by that Committee. After full discussion, it was moved by Mr. A. E. Forstall that it is the sense of the Governing Board that a banquet be arranged for. To this motion an amendment was offered by Mr. K. M. Mitchell that the Institute dispense with the banquet this year in accordance with the expression ascertained by the postal card vote, and upon the matter being put to a vote the amendment was carried.

On the suggestion of the President, Mr. Dunbar read the report of the Committee appointed to obtain and submit plans and sketches for a badge for the Institute, and on motion of Mr. Mitchell, duly seconded and passed, it was voted that the badge recommended by the report of the Committee on Merger be adopted, and the committee continued.

Mr. Paul Doty appeared before the Board and read a report of the Committee on proposed sections for the American Gas Institute, and after discussion, on motion of Mr. K. M. Mitchell, duly seconded and passed, it was voted that the report on the report of the Committee on dividing the Institute into different classes of work be accepted and recommended to the association. The report of the Committee will be presented to you by Mr. Doty.

A communication was received by your Board from Mr. E. C. Brown, editor of Progressive Age, New York. in reference to the policy to be pursued by the board towards the gas light journals. On motion, duly seconded and passed, Mr. Brown's communication was received and ordered placed on file. On motion of Mr. A E. Foretall, seconded and passed, it was then voted that the report of the proceedings of this meeting, and until further action the reports of all meetings of the Institute be given to the gas journals, they to pay the extra expense of typewriting the extra copies, and with the understanding that they are either to publish such proceedings in full, as handed over to them by the Secretary, or, if they wish to

abridge, that they are not to publish the abridgement until it has been approved by the Secretary and author.

On motion of Mr. Forstall, duly seconded and passed, it was also voted that the publications of the American Gas Institute contain no advertising matter.

Mr. F. H. Shelton appeared before the Board and presented a statement showing the approximate liabilities and assets of the three associations joining in the merger to form the Institute as follows:

$ 496.00

100.00 200.00

American Gas Light Association

Western Gas Association (approximately)

Ohio Gas Light Association (approximately)

Total..

$ 796.00

In addition to the above the Institute will inherit some material from the three associations which has a more or less sale value in this respect: there are a lot of the proceedings of the American Gas Light Association covering many years. Some of them will undoubtedly be of value. In the Ohio Association there are 450 sets, and of the Western Gas Association 250 sets. The American Gas Light Association has a certain stock of the Uniform System of Accounting which was adopted by that Association, and also of the Electrolysis report.

The American Gas Light Association has about a dozen badges on hand, the Ohio about ten, and the Western about forty.

There is also The American Gas Light Association library, the George Treadway Thompson Memorial library, which is of value, and a certain amount of apparatus and models which is not of very great value.

The above is based on a discharge of sundry bills by all the

merger associations, deducting the necessary amount of cash to pay those bills, and each entering the merger free from debt. This excludes the Gas Educational Fund, which is entirely independent, and does not enter into the merger although conducted under The American Gas Light Association.

On motion of Mr. Mitchell it was voted that the report submitted by Mr. Shelton be received, and spread upon the records.

The report of Mr. James W. Dunbar as Treasurer of the American Gas Institute was submitted to the Board, and on motion, duly seconded and passed, was ordered referred to the Committee on Finance.

The question of what disposition should be made of the reports of the Secretaries of the three associations comprising the merger arose, and on motion of Mr. A. E. Forstall duly seconded and passed, it was voted, that in order to make the records of those associations complete the reports of the Secretaries be filed with the secretary of The American Gas Institute, and published with the proceedings of the first meeting of the Institute.

On motion of Mr. Ramsdell, duly seconded and passed, it was also voted that the proceedings of this meeting be published by the Secretary as soon after the close of the meeting as possible.

With reference to the papers collected to be read before the Association on motion, seconded and passed, it was voted that such papers as were reported by the Secretary as published and ready to be read, be approved.

On motion of Mr. A. E. Forstall, duly seconded and passed, it was voted the Board recommend to the Institute that the Institute complete the subscription to the Educational Fund previously made by The American Gas Light Association, and the Western Gas Light Association, respectively.

On motion of Mr. Dunbar it was recommended that members in good standing of the three Associations merged into the American Gas Institute, who have not petitioned for charter membership, be given thirty days to qualify as such.

On motion of Mr. K. M. Mitchell the Board voted that the

matter of selecting permanent headquarters be left to the Institute.

The Chair appointed Messrs. Geo. G. Ramsdell, T. C. Jones and James W. Dunbar as a membership committee.

The recommendation of the Committee on Merger that your Board recommend to the Institute that no honorary members be chosen for two years, and at no time until after the name of the candidate for honorary membership shall have been before the Board for at least one year, was adopted.

It was moved and seconded that the Board adjourn subject to the call of the Chairman. Carried.

JAMES W. DUNBAR,

Secretary.

MR. DUNBAR: With reference to the report of the Committee which was appointed on the classification of names I would say that the report from this committee embraces 88г names which have been published in this pamphlet, and the report of the Committee in reference to the members in the Ohio, Western, and American Gas Light Associations is as follows: "We, the Presidents and Secretaries of the American, Ohio, and Western Gas Associations, do certify to the correctness of the classifications of the applications received, and submitted herewith as respecting the respective associations, of which we are the officers."

CHARLES F. PRICHARD,

President, American Gas Association. GEORGE G. RAMSDELI,

Secretary, American Gas Association.

B. W. PERKINS,

President, Ohio Gas Association.

T. C. JONES,

Secretary, Ohio Gas Association.

K. M. MITCHELL,

President, Western Gas Association.

JAMES W. DUNBAR,

Secretary, Western Gas Association.

MR. DUNBAR: This report includes favorable action on the 881 names which have been sent in by the members of the Ohio,

Western and American Associations to become charter members of the American Gas Institute. Some have been received since this supplemental list was reported. The report of the Committee includes those names also. And I will state that as the report indicates, thirty days will be given for any who may have failed to file their applications, or any who may have failed to be reported, to send in their applications to become charter members of the American Gas Institute.

THE PRESIDENT: Gentlemen, this report is before you. What is your pleasure?

MR. ALTON S. MILLER: I move that it be received, and that the recommendations be taken up in detail.

Motion seconded.

THE PRESIDENT:

It is moved and seconded that this report be taken up, the recommendations taken up in detail. Are there any remarks? All in favor of the motion as stated will say “aye.” Contrary minds "no." It is passed.

SECRETARY DUNBAR: The first paragraph is in reference to the banquet. The Governing Board recommends that in accordance with the postal card vote received that this year we have no banquet. Do you wish me to read the entire paragraph or merely give the substance?

THE PRESIDENT: No. The substance is enough.

MR. SHELTON: Mr. President, may I say a few words on that subject? I have received a good many comments, opinions and criticisms in connection with the banquet, or its absence, which has come to be as we all know, and has been for years one of the characteristic features of many of these meetings. The Institute in starting out through the Committee appointed to make arrangements for the meeting resolved that it would not be the beneficiary of our trade friends; that it would not come to this City of Chicago again and ask our good friends here to pay considerable sums to entertain us, and that if we had a banquet we would pay our individual proportion. It was certainly, to my mind, the right ground to take. And, so, on behalf of the Committee of the Institute it was decided to take a vote of the membership as