ACCOUNTANCY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 542, 24 June 1909, Page 8

ACCOUNTANCY.

STUDENTS AT DINNER. THE STATUS OF THE PROFESSION, i -rA large,proportion,of the members of tiho iWellington . Accountant Students' ■ Society, together with a nnmber of their friends) sat ■>: down to tho annual dinner at Godber's, Cuba Stroot, last evening.-,- Mr. J. 8. Barton (vioopresident) .presided, and his.i.Bupporters in.eluded,; Mr. •A. .L.. Herdroan, • M.P.; Colonel CoUins,.Mr.-H.E. Von Haast, Mr. P. Hoyos, Mr. W. < G. Duthio (president of the Wollmgton Chamber of Commerce), Mr. E.-F- llad- : field, .Mr. A. S. Biss,- Mr, ,0. P. Powkvs, and : others. Apologies for absence wore received ■ from-Mr. ,'D.' T.; Stuart (president),; Mr. H. C. /Tewsley, and Mr. ' James Brown , (presl- , dent - and vice-president respectively of the : Instltlito of-Accountants), the Prime Minisr tor,Mm ; Hon.i Dr.: -tho Auditor-: General (Mr. J. K. Warburton), and others. "Parliament." Mr.' A. L. Hordman, M.P., . responding to the, toast of "Parliament," which had Been proposed by the chairman, said thorewas.no , institution to which tho British< Empire was •■ more indebted than .the -House 1 .of-. Commons:' The Empire had grown to bo .a greater .thing . tMn anyone .had dreamed of, not by an aimless. prooeas,ilrat.bccaUßo it had been .as-' siStod by tho collective wisdom of tho British nation, .embodied in'tho House of ComI mons. That House had generally consisted , of straight men who said straight things for the j purpose of keeping the nation ou a straight path. The'greatest .political writer whoever lived in England had aiid, "Yop can never Have good government without , honour »aad'without justice." That was tho spirit which was required in our local Parliament, and so long as t|iey had it they ' need not fear Germany or any other-nation. < (ApplaQßO.) / Tho New Legislation. , Colonel Collins, Secretary to tho Treasury, proposed "The Incorporated Institute 'of . Accountants.!' Speaking as a member of tho Registration Boardji-'boi congratalated ' the • institute upon i its'high reputation,' andhoped ■■ ■■, it would continue•to - - . Tho chairman/ in responding, acknowledged tho indebtedness , the Dominion to Barr, H. 0. Teivsley,' Shaw, Wilbdrfoss',[ and P. Heyos, to : whoso united-efforts tbo passing of the New Zealand Society of {Accountants Act, 1908) was largely duo.? 0no i effect of that■ Act would bo that tho Incorporated- Institute would cease to exist, bat they, proud of its past, and believed it still had sotpo work -to do.. : (Applause.) , 11 , Mr. E. JF. Hadfield proposed 'The' Now Joaland Society of: Accountants," tho society: lor which a status was provided by the A tit if last year, but which has not jet begun' to oxerciso its functions. The Accountants' Students' * Society had been, fathered r by : tho •jjpstituie, to tho place of which the new So'JTcty of Accountants would succeed. Thus We Accountant Students' - Sooiety , . would lave tho proud privilege of watching the birth of its future parent. (Laughter and applause.) ,

" A' Registration of Accountants. Mr. P. Heyefi,&>mmißsioperof.'taiM,ra responding, said tho -New' Zealand Society l >f Accountants bad actually been formed, lecaoso twenty members ;had been, registered is required by tho Act. Great labour, and .lironbfc was involved in ascertaining" whether Applicants wore .qualified -for + registration, fire board vw&s deeplyimpressed; with tho •'importance of seeing ihat.only, fully-qualified ' i mon- were registered. -Most of tho applicants seem'.to 'have-tho'quite mistaken idea , that it was "infra dig.". ; to prove their qualifications. • There 1 had been 2311 applications, nearly five timee tho membership of tho two • principal previously-existing societies. The ■ bulk: of the applicants sent in certificates pretty much ;in ,this form: l "Mr; So-and-So' . • -has iMen. our.-.accountant .for so ■ manyryears,-. 1 : and .1 has* given i;us;ovory Any-: i"! one ':'who f nad*'- received •as ? •"md'rfy'' 1 bal- ' ancc-shoets . as' -ho (tho speaker) had, ; could . attach -very little . itnportanco to sach a certificate : ad that. Similar certifi- : ... cates . in' regard .to 1 auditors had been I i ■ sent in. ; Tho board had (Bet up as a test; tho.> oompotenoy of the applicant to carry out :■<■■■ bookkeeping 'by double entry and tho balancing of ;books by that system. : There had been ■*.-same complaints as to the length 'of timo ■ taken by «k> board in preparing tho first list : ; of. registered members; but those xho knew i:.■* j the difficulties involved- would not complain. The board had not boon doing tho "Govern- ■ Kent stroke," but its members woro convinced that tno'society, wouid be a failure un-

less caro was. taken that only qualified men ■ . v were registered. Tho list would probablybo. :< completed and published wrthin. the'next two nr three weeks., Now Zealand was the second : - State m tho Empire to lniprovo.tho status of - accountants by these means, the Transvaal . ', boing'; the first... Avmoveimonttin ..the samedirection was now on foot in England, and a ■r? Bill which had been drawn up embodied somo ■.■■■■■ of the features of the New-Zealand Act.'i It - ; .had been sent to himwitharequost for BUggostions. Several societies in, New 'Zealand would .be .embraced by. tho new ■ society, but • ko thought tbej;;should not oonsidor 'that . : 3;.; their./6pportiinities:ifor; ■ £heir separate existence were.quite finished as' yet: (Applauso.) \ Other Toasts. Mr. A. do B. Brandon proposed "Tho Ac- • eotintant Students'' Society."; ■ ■ •■:, ■ :Mr. C. P. Powles, responding,"said tho soBety had been m esistonco seven years, and now had 120 members. -..It-was .the' only so- . eiety of its kind now. actively working in Now • < Zealand.'Accountants valued the recent, legis- . lation as a,moans of protection to themselves, -but-also .os-a'benefit--■toHhe-pnblic. ~r I %Q 'members of the institute had always bad that object in view: ' (Hoar, hear.)' '.'The Loetdrors".itas proposed by Mr. E-. i 4 W.-. Hmrtj. who declared* that it'was mainly .to /its-' distinguished, lecturers ■:that the 1 Bociety owed its success. Ml*. H.'F.-.Von Haast responded in a witty' cpeech. - "The Seoretary," ."Gdmmeroe'.' (Mr. W, G. Dnthio'responding), "Kindred Societies,'?, and •VThe Chairman" were also'toasted. "Musical items- were .rendered during the evening' by Messrs. Goudie,'Bryant, Morri. gon, Raiikm, Naißnnth, aiid Oakey.- ' .