ASHBURTON GALA

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 125, 8 March 1935, Page 3

ASHBURTON GALA

REORGANISATION SCHEMES. MAINTENANCE OF RESERVES. Set up some months ago to consider the reorganisation of the Ashburton Gala, a committee of. the Advance Ashburton Association, submitted a report to the Association's meeting in February but consideration was held oyer until the meeting last evening. The president (Mr &. Mitchell) presided oyer a fair attendance.

The report, as previously published in the "Guardian," was again read, and a number of decisions were arrived at.

Mr Mitchell said there would be no difficulty in enrolling fifty honorary members at an annual fee of £1 a head to assist the finances of the Association prior to the Gala on Labour Day. He could guarantee at least 12 at the present time. It would not be difficult either, to organise a concert party under the control of. the Association. Mr H. W. Smallbone advocated the admission of women members at 10s a year. By these honorary members, the Gala could never be very seriously affected by wet weather as there would be an assured income. Honorary members could be issued with complimentary tickets for the Galas. Mr F. K. Cooper said past presidents of the Association, who had had experience of Galas, should be asked to confer with the .committee which had considered the .reorganisation of the Gala.

It was decided to circularise 500 residents of the County inviting them to become honorary members of the Association at a fee of £1 for men and 10s' for women.

The president and Messrs Smallbone and Welsh were appointed a subcommittee to organise entertainments during the winter months. In connection with the committee's recommendation that the Borough Council should be asked to take over the maintenance of the various plots and reserves at present controlled by the Association, the chairman (as a member of the committee) said he had since thought it would be a mistake to do this. He would prefer to ask the Council for a grant towards the cost of maintenance.

Mr Burgess said with the extension of the Association's activities a time would come when it could not carry out all the maintenance and the thought the present an opportune time to hand over the control of the work. Mr Smallbone suggested a committee should meet the Council and either ask it to subsidise the wages of the maintenance officer or to tako oyer part of the work. On the motion of Messrs Burgess and Smallbone, it was decided that the president and Mr R. M. Dunlop (chairman of the beautifying committee) should put the Association's yiews on this matter before the Council. Consideration of the question of holding a. queen carnival in connection with the Gala was held over until next meeting, the entertainment committee being asked to solicit support in the meantime.