Members of the Central Council Methods committee foregathered at the home of chairman Tony Smith at Winchester on 18th October. Apologies were received from the more far-flung members who would have had a hard journey after the recent hurricane, but those who attended were well rewarded with Tony and Tessa's hospitality throughout the day.
A full agenda produced a full day's discussion, the main items covering correspondence, method extension and work on the collections of methods currently in hand. The Plain methods collection is now fully drafted and should be in the hands of the Publications committee very shortly. The Principles collection too is substantially complete, although awaiting a few compositions.
Correspondence to the committee, among other matters, raised two issues on interest to Doubles ringers. Some concern is felt that the Central Council Decisions relating to Doubles methods and variations are apparently being misapplied in some recently published peal reports. They have also been peal reports lacking the full, required information concerning variations claimed to have been rung. The view has been expressed that the splicing of Doubles variations is a practice of questionable value; the committee is therefore committed to a review of the Decisions relating to Doubles variations, in particular the splicing of Doubles variations, and would welcome any opinions that practitioners in this field would care to express.
A letter to the committee from New Zealand has described a new approach to generating certain groups of unrung Doubles methods. It was felt that this might be suitable matter for a R.W. article and the authors should be encouraged to approach the Editor.
The debate and research into method extension continues, and on this occasion occupied a substantial part of the day. One clear result is that the committee intends to propose at the next meeting of Council an amendment to the Decisions to formalise current practice in the extension of Single-hunt Plain methods to Twin-hunt Plain methods.
The next meeting of the committee will be in March, 1988.
M.C.W.S.
The Ringing World, December 4, 1987, page 1055