The Reserve Company, S.V.C., held their monthly competition at the Rifle Buyers, Dixon, Spooner, Murphine, and Nesbitt.
The Secretary, Corporal Browett, read the notice convening the meeting, and the minutes of the previous general meeting, as published in the "North-China Herald" of the 7th May, 1903, wore taken as read, and duly confirmed.
Captain Wingrove said that he had been asked to preside in the unavoidable absence of Captain Adamson. Ashe had only short notice, he was not prepared to address those present at any length. He congratulated the Company upon the successful state of their affairs. He said they were evidently in a flourishing state, although some members might not have passed their drills and shooting. He thought that the existence of the Company depended upon its shooting and hoped that it might long continue. He thought that ina great measure the success of the Company was due to the exertions of their worthy secretary, Corporal Browett. He would now call upon Corporal Browett to put before them the re-Port and accounts.
Corporal Browett then read the report. and accounts. He said that the balance in hand showed a slight increase over that of the preceding year, and would have been still larger, but the accounts of ten members had not been collected. Of those ten members, four—Messrs. Campbell, Flood, Smedley, and Limby—he was sorry to say had died, and the others had either resigned or left China. They had at present eighty-three members on the roll. On the whole the shoot had been successful. Only one meeting had been missed—the April meeting—and that was on account of the excessive rain, He wished to thank Private Peace for auditing the accounts and said the thanks of the Company were due to the donors of prizes. He wished the members to understepd, however, that it was not necessary for them upon winning a prize to present another. Of course they were always grateful for the donations of prizes, but he did not wish members to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.