S.P.C.A. Meeting Urges Changes In Rules

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30802, 14 July 1965, Page 16

S.P.C.A. Meeting Urges Changes In Rules

A general meeting of the Canterbury Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals last evening recommended its council to consider amendments to the society’s rules. One involves membership, on which the society has had many heated debates. The chairman of the society’s constitution committee (Mr J. G. Gribben) said it was recommended that there be only one type of ordinary member, at a subscription of £l.

At present, he said, nonvoting members paid 5s and members with full voting rights paid ■£l 15s. Another recommendation was that the annual meeting of members should have the right to confer on any person the status of honorary member or life member, provided that life membership be limited to not more than ten such members at any one time. Life members were previously appointed by the council. “Some of us thought a little bit more membership participation in the organisation would be good,” said Mr Gribben. The . chairman of the council (Mr E. L. May) said it was hoped to have these proposed* new rules in operation for the annual meeting. The idea was to give all members the opportunity of working under a set of rules they could reasonably understand. Society’s Leadership

More; than 10 members and councilors took part in a long and at times heated debate on the leadership of the society. Mr May' said there was a danger of a president taking on himself duties, responsibilities, and authority which had never been conferred. This had happened in the past. The chairman of the council, on the other hand, had not more authority than any other council member.

The president (Mr A. Bull!vant): Everyone seems to be having a shot at the president and what he does.

The council, as it existed, Mr Bullivant said, could be dominated by a particular group and could in effect

elect its chairman to control the society’s affairs and deny the public the right to have their own head.

Mr May said it was possible to have domination by a group that was good. “The majority of the council is now, we consider, to be a ‘good group,’ in that new members outnumber the old." he said.

Mr J. Quickenden said that the society did not want friction.

“It seems to me that by having two heads, friction is coming in,” he said. “The president is only a figurehead. It seems we get friction between the president and the chairman of the council as to who has the greater authority.” Several members said they did not care whether the society was run by a chairman or a president. The name was not important, and if an elected head proved unsatisfactory, he could easily be voted out at the next election.