REGISTERED ACCOUNTANTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 631, 7 October 1909, Page 8

REGISTERED ACCOUNTANTS.

. STATUS, FEES, AND STANDABD OF '' ' KNOWLEDGE. . ' , ■A meeting ibf'registered, accountants, of the Wellington' 1 district; convened bv Mossrs/. W. 'Greig, ;11. H. Oxley,'John U. xurnbul!, and W. R.:H. .MUenzie, was held.in tho Chimber, of Commerce Hall' last evening, : and was attended by about fifty-accountants. ' .. Mr. J. , H; HelliweU, chairman, fems'rked, that, about-a .week; ag;p ,a. meeting .had been held, -to which ,the; commercial . accountants of the "Wellington 'district liad been ' invited; Hot was' assured' that the meeting was .called without any-suspicion of. making any division of classes.-"-It was felt by ■ the : promoters of the present- meeting, that',they were all -registered niccounta'nts, no niatter what their status in. business niight; be. .- .The 'meeting was. in tho .interests of ' all- members of the society, : whose membership, ;in the vWellingtori dictrict was upwards of 400. ■ Their. aims and ;objects must of necessity.,,be representative of some /kind: of -common need . They were a s iciety, by legislativo enactment, and were siinply registered imembers;of the New.Zealand- Society of Ic,countants. -Beyond-this, they'were ■ really, ~a body-'withoiit any.;kind of orgoiic''union; ,ilie». , wore;-"^- 'hembgen'enus.collection- of.'unattached, poiticles.". One. of, the 'chief- objects :'of . ffc»; .- meeting'.,was.' to. ..bring: the' particles .'into some i,.kind-o".union.'.' ••..•Mr.' JohniPV'Turnbull moned: That; i-sonable notice-being given and;upon the'payment;of such-increase (if.ariy).;in fees between those'for ncminaUy.registered accountants iaftd those in pnblic. practice, as may'.;be'-provided ' by' the' regulations, the: change .from ■; one" state to ' the , other "isho'uld he- automatic, »hdr:no.t •in- any yrespect. dependent, upon- the .'.pleasure .'ofj'the council. -r;-, ■- ■ ■ ..... Mr. P.- Heye's said that ■ under the ''Act ilie council '.'ivas 'the '(jpveriiihg" body, arid' the so.,cit;ty . had -,to ifall 'in,-with the regulations. "He ; had-.'.'obtained ,a'n opinion from the, Solicitorgeneral on • the-, matter,' and, that ofiiciar had :said that'the-Act provided that certain conditions of- classification -should'ho included in the 'regulations, but'as those regulations-had'to -be made-by'the; members, ; there ;was full-, check upon anything;'unjust or unfair -in; the' provisions.vfor the~'registration ■ of public countants. He,: considered tho resolution ultra vires and a- mistake, because -the-'council must carry out tho-conditions 'provided- for -in "the regulations,'and.the regulations were made at a. meeting 'of 1 the. whole of the registered members. • i.'V-.-vi; ■; . .. .

■ Mr. Morpath, submitted an amendment,-whioh substituted for; the words "nominally registered accountants"-, tba words "registered.,accountants not .in publiQ'prafcticff."',.'..." , -./■ . A ; member'suggested 1 that: a lesson might be taken'.from: the medical and legal . profession, in- whfcb,, as !soon/as a man qualified, h'e was entitled to practise on the same footing as the other.professional, men, no matter'how-young Ji9^.was.'y'■■:'■■■ ■V , ;■: . .ThV'atae'ndnient'was carried; unanimously. ' The payment. of foes was subject of a mctibniiKp'p'osed .by,.Mr^-C: 'S; Faulkner: "(1) lhat tho annual, subscription for'non-practising members .be recommended to be one . guinea, and'thatjforiprnctising members -three-guineas.-An amendment was carried recommending L j fee i.yof .'the , practising' - accountant should;, be : two' gmneas-instead of three. - }>' -Mr. R; fH.'<.'Mr'Kenzie moved .the recom. r mehdatidn:' That the admission •of new, members, ei'ccpt '.those -adirtitted. ad .eimlem, should 'depend/entirely ;on examiners and should jljloi beyond', the discrimination- <jf -the '-.council, subject,.however,'to-evidence-of good character bo!n».furnished, . Members decided that; under Section.. 23.'-of ,tho ':New. Zealand Society- of

Accountants''Act,'.'l9oß, the resolution was not' desirable, and it was lost on ■ the- voices, : : ' . A, resolution .dealing- with • the, standard of knowledge to.,be.vrequired of candidate for examination was submitted by llr. Day: That, nfler. the last- examination conducted by the society in .1912; but ;not-.prior thereto, the mritrifculatioir .examination. of-.the .New Zeaou.'eqnal" examination, approvbd ;by ,the: council, should-- bs adopted,. u 's the'.staridard of, general knowledge of all candidates for examinaHon by the.'society with a view to '• registration.. The motion; was ; ' carried.:. •/_ ■ Another resolution agreed upon recommended that.the.surplus funds of,the. society should bo,libsrally expended- in providing,professional libraries in the.,principari towns' in tho■ interests of; members -.and. students. ; ."'' With' a :'view.; to ensuring tho'.recognitipn of the society by ,the mercantile community, the' meeting;.: affirmed ;that it was desirable that the -council- should r-consist, of- • liberal-minded men on known: integrity.". • It/was 'agreed/ £hi\t, as, nominations''for: the council did not close until. Monday, October 11; a .'meeting- ; of "accountants should-'be : held on the. foUoiving..Wednesday evening, to lwhicli 'fill :- 'candidates ~ for - election- on - the ' ;eouiicU jrould be invited. ; .-'