As will have been observed in the report of the 40th Philatelic Congress on page 30 our President was able to take the chair at our meeting there, and I am sure all members will be pleased to learn that he has recovered from his long illness and wish him good health for many years to come. In general, I was of the opinion that the papers which always form a part of the proceedings were somewhat disappointing. An extract, however, from Mr. Douglas Armstrong's contribution entitled - "Is the One-Man Band Played Out ?" will be of particular interest. It reads : 'Associations of philatelic students concerned with the stamps of individual countries or groups are springing up in ever increasing numbers and play an important role in the scheme of modern philatelic progress . . .' There is no doubt that the success of our Circle in the 4½ years of its existence emphatically bears out this contention. Reverting to the theme of the Paper the 'One-Man Band' will necessarily always find a place in Society programmes. To be a success, nowadays, it should endeavour to cover the whole story from pre-adhesives (if they exist) down to the modern issues and include any unusual items not forgetting postal stationery. If this line is followed there is every likelihood of someone being interested even though the display is confined to one country. Unhappily a number of members have failed to renew their subscriptions, and few have shown the common courtesy of giving notice of their intention to resign. They are, indeed, 'dead wood' and their names have been deleted from the register. Once again, I find that my reserve of material for the bulletin is running low, and I shall be most grateful if members will let me have a contribution to 'Notes and Queries' be it short or long, advanced or elementary, as soon as possible.
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BULLETINS: Copies of back issues are available as follows: Nos. 8-11 (1/9d each) and 12-15 (l/6d each) post free. Orders should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary accompanied by the appropriate remittance.
OPINIONS SERVICE: Facilities are available for opinions to be given on most stamps of the B.W.I. group. A fee of l/- per stamp is charged. Members wishing to avail themselves of this service should send the stamp(s) to the Hon. Secretary, enclosing the requisite fee and a stamped addressed plain (or registered) envelope. Every endeavour will be made to return the stamp(s) within fourteen days.
Dear Member,
Two of our members are in the news. Firstly Mr. R. Newns-Smith, of Sydney, Australia, was awarded the J. M. Burrows Trophy for his entry of BAHAMAS in the City of Parramatta Philatelic Society's annual competition. Secondly Mr. Fred Myers - our newly appointed committee member - has been presented with the Mary Greevz-Fisher Cup for his services to the Leeds Philatelic Society and for his work as Organising Secretary at the Harrogate Congress in 1957. To both these members we offer our hearty congratulations. Since the last issue of the Bulletin the following have enrolled to whom we extend a very warm welcome: G. C. Cowan, J. M. Letham, Marcus Samuel, Dr. R. Rubner, E.A.Shaw, E. W. Stokes and J. D Todd.
Geographical distribution of membership.
LONDON (34)
PROVINCIAL (115 )
| Bedfordshire 2 | Gloucestershire 4 | Nottinghamshire 1 |
| Buckinghamshire 1 | Hampshire 3 | Shropshire 2 |
| Cheshire 2 | Hertfordshire 4 | Somerset 1 |
| Cornwall 1 | Kent 5 | Staffordshire 1 |
| Derbyshire 5 | Lancashire 6 | Surrey 16 |
| Devon 7 | Middlesex 4 | Sussex 5 |
| Dorset 1 | Norfolk 2 | Warwickshire 3 |
| Durham 1 | Northants 1 | Wiltshire 3 |
| Essex 5 | Northumberland 2 | Yorkshire 16 |
| N. Ireland 1 | Scotland 8 | Wales 2 |
OVERSEAS (42)
| Australia 4 | B.W.I. 3 | Canada 7 |
| Lebanon 1 | New Guinea 1 | South Africa 2 |
| Tasmania 1 | U.S.A. 23 |
It is with much pleasure I am able to announce that arrangements have been made whereby there will now be no need to send packets by registered post. This will, of course, necessitate an increase in the insurance premium and in future a deduction of 2d. in the £ on the total value of material sent in by members will be made. A number of packets in circulation are now half way round, and it is hoped to effect settlement in six to eight weeks. I take this opportunity to inform members that I have very little material in hand and, unless a substantial amount is forthcoming in the near future, it will be quite a time before any further packets can be made up for dispatch. Whilst I appreciate that the holiday season is now upon us, I do urgently enjoin members to send in some sheets as soon as possible. Incidentally I need hardly add that it is most important that members advise me immediately if they are going to be away from home during the next month or so.