British Kinematography (1948)

77 Another matter which I asked Mr. West to investigate, was the pos! sibility of the two Societies keeping in close touch on the initial and subse' quent stages of any matter which is to be the subject of standardisation. Mr. West in his report to the Council states that this suggestion was wel! corned with enthusiasm, and it has now been agreed that a monthly letter will be exchanged by the Secretaries of both Societies, giving a brief statement j on what is happening on each side in respect to Standardisation. I have perhaps dwelt too long on the subject of B.K.S.-S.M.P.E. cooperation. My excuse is that it is a subject in which I am very interested. Before leaving the matter, I would like to express our best thanks to Mr. West, our representative in these discussions with the S.M.P.E. Conclusion In this rather rapid survey of the activities of your Society, I am quite conscious of the fact that I have given you an incomplete picture of its work and aims. I have not, for instance, given you a clear description of the work being done by many committees. However, I believe I have said enough to allow you to visualise the progress of the B.K.S., which has developed very strongly from the days when it had a membership of some two hundred and fifty persons. With its present membership of over a thousand and its vastly increased ramifications, the Society will continue to grow with the industry it serves so willingly. I would like to pay a personal tribute to our Vice-President, Mr. W. M. Harcourt, our Honorary Treasurer, Mr. P. H. Bastie, our Honorary Secretary, Mr. E. Oram, and to all members of our Council and Divisional Committees. These members have given and are continuing to give unselfishly of their time to forwarding the interests of the Society. I can assure you that the operation of a Society such as ours is not a simple matter in these difficult times. It has always seemed to me a strange thing, that not more than thirty or so members out of a total membership of over a thousand give freely of their services ; I do not believe that this is due to a lack of interest on the part of our members. It is true that the Society exists for the members, but is equally fair to say that in the final analysis one has to put something into the Society if one wants to get something more out of it. You will naturally want to know how you, as a member, can serve your Society. Probably the best way is to remember that the B.K.S. is a forum, where views on all technical matters can be freely expressed, and where you can meet your fellow technicians to discuss problems of common interest. If you have constructive suggestions to make regarding the operation of the Society, by all means see that our Secretary is informed. Remember too, that our membership should stand at two thousand, and although we shall undoubtedly reach that figure in due course, the desired result will be ac:elerated if each member proposes one new member each year. Remember, ibove all, that it is your Society. In addition, let me draw to your attention our staff, who, under the direction it our Secretary, Mr. R. H. Cricks, are working so energetically to cope with :he ever increasing work of the Society. Unsung and rarely heard, they :ontribute much to the success of the B.K.S. Finally, let me record our appreciation of the splendid services of our nember, Mr. J. S. Abbott, whose ready help has at all times been freely ivailable to the Society. May I express the conviction that the Society will continue to find a lseful place in the British Motion Picture Industry, and that its usefulness :o the Industry will be adequately acknowledged.