REVISION OF RULES

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28534, 13 March 1958, Page 14

REVISION OF RULES

Canterbury A. And P. Association

Progress towards the revision of the association’s rules was reported on by a sub-committee of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association at the annual meeting of the association last evening. The chairman of the subcommittee, Mr G. N. Francis, and one of the members, Mr B. Paton, mentioned problems of signing cheques, rule changes, quorums, elections and discipline. Mr Paton said that the committee would welcome suggestions from members in setting out new rules. The third member of the committee is the secretary of the association (Mr H. M. Studholme). The president (Mr C. H. Bethell), said that in essence the rules had not changed since the association was founded. Some rules were not now appropriate to a more complex age but the association’s founders had set out principles which were as valid today as they were when the association served a small, closely-knit community. The rules in many respects were out of date, said Mr Francis. The sub-committee advised extensive additions to bring the rules into line with modern practices. Since the objects were set out there had been much litigation on similar sets of objects and it was necessary to set the objects out in detail. In general, the present rules gave the finance and general committee very wide powers. This should continue. The rules should be recast to state principles and then to set out detailed regulations to carry out the principles. The regulations could be changed by the general committee and much time could be saved. It was hoped that by the next annual meeting sets of both the old rules and the new rules proposed by the sub-committee could be issued. Members would then be prepared to discuss them fullv and come to some decisions, said Mr Francis.