Presidential address: A successful twenty-five years: What now?

[First paragraph(s)...]
As this is the year of our twenty-fifth anniversary, it seems appropriate that I should comment on the Society itself rather than on some aspects of the science it promotes. What I have to say is in four sections. The first is a brief reminder of the Society's objectives, the second traces how these objectives were pursued in the early and mid 1950s and in the mid 1970s, the third section examines a few current problems of policy and administration, and the fourth suggests how some of these problems might be alleviated. The historical section is heavily weighted towards periods when, as a member of the Council, I was closely associated with the Society's affairs; it does not purport to be a comprehensive review of what the Society has achieved in its first 25 years. To those who attended the Annual General Meeting and feel they have heard enough of the Society's domestic affairs, I am glad to say that following my address, there is another by Dr K. R. Allen, the Society's first president, and he covers some of the broader aspects of Ecology appropriate for an anniversary occasion