ACCOUNTANCY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 638, 15 October 1909, Page 8

ACCOUNTANCY.

' THE NEW" SOCIETY,

'CANDIDATES; FOlt.-THE. COUNCIL.

: A ; :meetiug.'of atcountants tp'-hear 'the'views 'of candidates \ for the CounciKof the Kew Zealand. Society." of' Accountants-wa- held- ft'- the Chaniber last night. Mr. J!"H., HelliwflUpresided'.pver an .attendance-of: about ; sisty! ; ; 'The 'Speeches'.of candidates, were., limiitc.d to ; :flve : :minnteS'''each.'•..-■'■"'. ''.'-.-; ■.;;■' ■ ■

:,Mr: '.T. S. ■Bartp'n-'said that: the I .cbnstitutiPn of I the :societj:;sjtibuld';prbvide for' proxies' at-the general., .meetings, of the;, speiety,;' and. a'special ; general.m.eo.ting,-should be.'held •Iβ amend .the -cpnUjtnition\in-.t^^direction.. 'The''scheme of teprcsentatidn'.Pri'tlif 'council '.was 'anomalous, ; and':should :be ;, .tectified,"e:g.,' Wellington' -had Pne^thifd. of; thev-members'; of the • society/ But '.only. three-sbventeenths. of'the.-niemb'ers of;the Council. Jlembers already admitted by the -b6afd shpuld:"not be .-further tested by the council, but the. council should set "dp a high standard for;future admissions. . ; ;

Mr. T. Fdfsyth' solicited'support'-as a representative'of the eonimercial' accountants; who, he 'submitte'd.bught to-have special; representation... They numbered about 400, while there were'about 100 publio accountants. He' thought thefee'.'for'commercial accountants "should bf one guinea, and.:fof public accountants, perhaps, threp ginueas. Local centres, should be formed,to , assist the students' societies, and-libraries-being started in'the cities. Men. snouid :not be'-allowed to practise as accountants unless had' practical 'experience. • . Mr. P. Heyes'vsaid-he was'.willing to carrj: :out' the ■.'?ippare.nt 'wishes of the ■ majority,. as : expressed in passed at .the meet-. ■me- held last we«k, 'He favoured the estab'.lishment'.of libraries.•■•;■'■ '■ ■■ ! ' ■'■■..' Mr.- G; B.' Hull .hfeld that registered "account•ant's should be , allowed to become public ac'conntants.' 1 The I 'amount'of sahscription pay- ■ able by the: latter: should 'bo thrice .'that rerquired of- the; former.' ■■■ The council should iappoint ■good.'eiamine'rs,'and:leave the passes 'to 'them entirely;' The funds of. the society •should be Used .'for educational "purposes. .MrJ.H./Kember thought the funds should be 'applied'to : assist those -who needed it, instead :of mainly to:educatiPnal*purposes. !Ho agreed ,with ;m'pst pf'the'resolutions/passed;at.- the -meetiiig^' V ' '■ . ; ■. •.' Mr; W.- 'Hv:-Sucklng "expressed; ;himself stronglv , .against: interference by the -.council With the ■examinations. He agreed.-with all the ■resolution's , of the.last meeting. ■ .The registrations recently effected, by the -board should be loyally accepted: . No line: of distinction should'be drawn' between commercial and public'- -.accountants. "..... l '■'■:.•'..'. .;i.';. '■-... ; Mr. 'H. C.' Tewsley said there: seemed.'tohave 'been some Misapprehension , ;regarding- his. actions in'cbrincPtion with- the 'new- sooiety. . He had assisted, to'-start : the ■.■lnstitute of. Account■ants 15: years -agp,: and had ever- since,;worked h'a'rd' for the'profession, and;; had- done-.a' good ; deal in.shaping'the'Act,.,whichi,constitiited the .new society.-XHe'did, a man was. a: commercial,.- a' professional, or - a -private ■accountarit,-'as long as he; had .been,'passed by. . the , board. 'The profession '■ should ;be given la status equal to that, of the .medical and legal and■ the'e'dtichtifenal qualifications must, in time, , be raised. The amount of the fees was not' an-importa'nt question, and they 'should be reduced to 55., if that would make for'greater strength in - the. sPcietyi . ■' ' Mr. K. Tyilberfpss agreed, with the.resolutions ■of the .previous; meeting,. except .that-he':thought the ,, subscrintipn' .'for 'public ■accountants' should :be 'moro'thali'two "guineas. , ..Accountants in salaried .positions.should not , be debarred from • taking outside'.wk, but; legislation should be ,'passed to "give 'public' accountants' the sole right.to audit the accounts of publiccompanies, friendly societies and building, societies.- He had mainly idrafted'the New Zealand Society of. vAccountants : Act,- .though Mr.; Tewsley and Mr. Heyes'.■had'.-'done.imorp in' :the''movement that I,ed.- UDV.to.'.it,;. , :.' >;'./, .--'.• 'i'.■ '". . 'Mr.' .G./HirschMCPalmer'stbh .. North)' wro^e. , apolpgisinpr fprv'.absen6e:.,'.', v : -. •:'-.-•:.■<:.:■ '■-.;■ ...■■Mγ. A. T,i Clark expressed.; his views- ; by letter.- -.: There 'should' "be ho '(listinction--among .the- ; members-admitted ...by;, tho .board. ■ Any member wishing to practise as. a-; professional 'accbufttant'should nbtify'ihe 'council. Tho subscription -should "'be higher; for 'professional than for other , accountants. The general knowledge examination should not be enforced for , the first three or four years. Tho-law papers should be set-'in , 'Now Zealand. ' . •Mr. A. "S. Biss.'\vrote apologisirii; tor nonattendance. There .should.'be no clnshing, -he said, between practising and /salaried.members, but the. latter .should .not-compete for, audits. •A..'firstelaps.'library' should bo. csttiplislied ;■ at 'each of the. four 'centre's,''-beforo funds;.were devoted'to other, purposes.. -\ ■ /■ >■ "J,-?.. A resolution for,wlirded' : by,Mr. G:'Hirsch, of Balmerston North, to -the effect-that at least one of the.'Wellington 'representatives -'o'ri the council should be -an'/aecou'n'tant' practising.in a country.'town,'.was-formally.' moved and seconded by.the chairman,'and secretary (Mr. G. S. Chisholm) and lost on the voices. • ■