The Central Council Methods Committee has met twice since its meeting in Windsor (85/359), at Brighton during the Council weekend and in Cambridge on 22 September 1985.
The Doubles Collection Part 2 was passed to the Publications Committee in mid-July and is awaiting a cover design. The Collection of Plain Methods is now in draft. This will initially cover Triples to 22-in though might be extended to Minor and Doubles in the future. It was agreed to offer the Publications Committee a complete collection of Plain Minor methods in a similar format to that used for Treble Dodging Minor Methods. The possibility of a Collection of Principles was also considered. The Committee now has available a compilation of all past reports on extension (1950 to 1954 and 1971). It was agreed to gain Council’s approval of any changes considered desirable and then propose a new Decision (G) to replace all previous reports. The Committee will recommend that subsequent editions of the Handbook include the new Decision, but recognises the need for a separate publication including explanations and examples.
Correspondence in The Ringing World (84/824, 85/640, 680, 740) concerning the Council’s recent decision on the 500 method peal was discussed. The Committee confirmed its opinion that the Ely Diocesan Association peal was rung within the Rules and Decisions of the Council. However, it was agreed to propose an amendment to Decision (E) D.5 at the 1986 Council meeting in Reigate, giving the Council the power to leave a method un-named if it considers it necessary.
The appearance of Alliance Major by Henry Dains in the Collections of Rung Surprise, Delight, Treble Bob and Alliance Methods as Alliance Alliance was discussed. Due to the implication that Little Bob should, by the same token, be Little Little Bob and the indexing problems presented by a method with a class but no name, it was agreed to approach the Records Committee with the suggestion that the name of the author be appended as a mark of respect.
A recent letter in The Ringing World (85/721) commenting on the omission from the Doubles Collection Part 1 of Double Grandsire and the “New” twin-hunt methods was discussed. Double Grandsire had been omitted because no suitable composition was available at the time and the “New” methods are, in fact, variations. For example, the plain course of New Grandsire is identical to the plain course of Grandsire and the Council decided at Eastbourne in 1950 that starting a method at a different row did not entitle it to a different name (the Steadfast/ Shipway controversy).
Following a request at the Council meeting in Brighton, we intend to include, as a regular feature of our meeting reports, corrections and amendments to our publications and points arising from the names of recently rung methods.
The Chairman of the Central Council Methods Committee. Mr. Anthony P. Smith is always pleased to offer advice on methods or method names to any member of the Exercise. His address is: 72 Buriton Road, Winchester, Hants. SO22 6JE. (Tel: Home-0962 881202; Work-01-588 2355, X 28355).
The Ringing World, October 18, 1985, page 887