A Director (terrified): Police!
At this word the fury of the meeting became terrific. Cries of "That's the way shareholders are bullied!" "No crushers here!" and other indignant expressions broke forth; and for three-quarters of an hour, though various speakers tried to be heard, nothing resulted but gesticulation. At last the meeting, being hoarse, permitted a few words from
The Chairman, who explained that this question had been already discussed forty-two times, and each time with similar excitement. In the meantime another company was pushing on the same scheme, and would, by reason of the delay, take the wind out of their sails. (Cries of "All your fault!" "Swindling the shareholders!" "Directors ought to be kicked!" &c.) He would once more move, that the report be adopted, as nobody would state any objections. (Vociferous cries and yells—"No, no!" "Down with them!" "Twenty-five per cent. or nothing!" "No democrats!" "No exclusives!" "Bravo Rouse!" and so on.)
The Chairman then called for a show of hands, when everybody clenched his fist and shook it furiously at him. The Chairman, with a smile of triumph, declared the motion unanimously carried, and then, with the Secretary and the books, made a bolt through a side-door, before the meeting could rush in upon them, and prevent the success of this ruse. The meeting broke the windows, chairs, and lamps, and were then dispersed by the police.
Yet, with such centres of organisation, fault is found with the working of the Railway system. There's something wrong.
PUNCH'S PRIZE JOKE SHOW.
By way of counteracting the attraction of the Prize Cattle Show, which we think fosters a rather questionable taste for looking upon "fatty deposits," we propose to institute a Prize Joke Show, and we hope that the produce of the pen of wit will be more satisfactory than the contents of all the pens in the Bazaar of Baker Street. We candidly invite competition; and though anything in the shape of "animal matter" will be rejected from a contest in which all the matter should be as spirituel as possible, we can only say that Punch will be happy to see any of the farfamed Suffolk Punches if, in this "keen encounter of our wits," they have the courage to show themselves.
As a specimen of the style of Joke that will be admissible into the contemplated Prize Show, we have the pleasure to "flick off" the following:—