TOO WEAK TO DIE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 110, 11 May 1909, Page 4

TOO WEAK TO DIE.

THE SCENERY PRESERVATION SOCIETY. LIVING THROUGH LACK OF A QUORUM. Seven men with murder an their -hearts met in a committee-room of the Town Hall last night. They were the only vigorous members/ of a moribund society, and in bitterness of heart they had said it musb die. For. ten years or mdre.it had been doing good service to the citizens. A few hills formerrly brown or grey had been made green,'and some yellow gullies less gruesome, as a result of its labours ; sundry white letters, each three feet long, clinging to a split-faced hill, and shrieking to every Wellington citizen an allegation that Scorchers's B2 Lather Producer excelled all others, had been allowed to crumble out as a result of the society's pleadings ; children had been taught, by its members, to love sfciH life and to help forward the good work of afforestation and of skrub planting in public places ; but these times of usefulness were past, and the' day had come when the society "lingered superfluous on life's stage/ and men were met together to despatch it. A poet who was old before Rome was young observed, in a poem too long to quote here, that the tempest which uproots the oak is powerless to do more than bend the bulrush. The same sentiment, in varying forms, has been expressed by "many later verse-makers, so there can be no harm done by levying upon the old Grecian's metrical property once more. The society, then, still lives -, it has been spared from destruction by -Time's tempest purely because of its bulrush-like, instability. The seven men who were met together last night to give a quietus to the Wellington Scenery Preservation Society ascertained that the rules of that body fixed ten members as the minimum number required before business could loe transacted. Eight o'clock went by, and still there were only seven present, so telep.honic messages were addressed to sundry aibsentee members, in the hope that- they would attend the funeral of a society that they had little time for in its less lethal days. But the responses were unsatisfactory* Ono member sent word by Betsy that he had a game of bridge in progress, and "really he couldn't leave it " Another replied that he was going out that minute, to keep an important appointment. Some would not reply in any form. "Must be out," said tho telephone girl. Strains of music floated in from the Town Hall, and the telephonist went in to seek members. He found two, side by side, drinking in the melodies "Come and help us slay the society," he pleaded, but the unfeeling pair told him to go and die ! So he returned to the meeting-room, and reported "no progress." One of the sad seven had an inspiration. The difficulty} he suggested, could be surmounted by making honor ary members ,of the three reporters. But the chairman was disinclined to let reporters assist in the fell deed. He thought that only actual members should carry out so momentous an action. Others of the seven, who seemed to think Chat "any old thing" would do for a society murderer, pleaded with the chairman to accept the reporters, and for a moment it seemed that they would be made participants in the" cruel kindrfess. Then, alas !it was discovered that honorary members had to be elected by the committee — and the committee also was without a quorum on this occasion. So the seven would-be murderers told the reporters to "go to," and a veil of mystery descended over the further ruminations and discussions of the meeting that could not meet effectively. The Scenery Preservation Society, living now because it is too weak to die, is financially sound and numerically strong j but its_ members, in the majority, seem -to think their ,duty done when they pay their annual half-crown subscriptions, and the result of this lackadaisical procedure is seen in the present parlous state of the society. Whether 1/he would-be murderers will relent, and postpone the meeting for six or twelve months, to enable members as a whole to bestir themselves if they will, is a decision that lies "in the lap of the gods." A suggestion of this course was made to the informal meeting. A sum of £27 cash stands to the^society's' credit, after a similar sum has been paid away for labour and other expenses incurred in the last twelve months, so there is no financial reason why it 'should die — no reason beyond inherent weakness. That is why the few "live" members at present belonging to it are complainants. The chairman of last night's meeting, in a few words of unofficial sorrow that he addressed to the informal gathering, said that the society had been well helped, financially, by the City Council, and in spirit by 'the Wellington newspapers, but there seemed to have been an"-absolute inefficiency about it, in the last two or three years, that made "the happy despatch" seem ihe only feasible means to adopt as an ending to the uselessness that had beset it. "FOUND DEAD." Later developments make it appear that the society is lingering no longer, but actually dead. When the reporters left the meeting voom, nearly half-an-hour after the time , fixed for beginning the meeting, there were still but seven members present, and the financially strong but inherently weak society seemed likely to acquire a fresh term of "vegetating" (to say "life" might be misleading). A supplied report, however, states that after the reporters left, an atI tendance was secured sufficient for the holding of a committee meeting, and by the election of a new, one-day honorary member, the society was able to hold a formal annual meeting. Mr. W. L. Meek, president, was in the chair. The annual report and balance-sheet were adopted. The report has been already published. The balance-sheet showed a surplus in nand of £27, The principal items of receipts were subscriptions and donations £24, and subsidy from the City Council £50. Tho chief item of expenditure was £43 for labour. Mr. G. A. Hurley moved that the society disband owing to want of financial support. The mover and other speakers expressed their regret that this coiuse should be considered necessary, but urged the impossibility of doing useful woik in view of the limited inteiest and suppoit which the. society enjoyed. 'Ihe motion war, carried. [ Mr. Pearson suggested that the New Zealand Natives' Association might be willing to take up the work. Some discussion followed, but no decision was come to.

1 Mr. William E. Coode, 107, Victoriastreet, Christchurrh, N.Z., says : "I have" been a bilious subject all my life, and though I havo tried all sorts of tilings for it, have never found anything like Chamberlain's ,Tablets for warding off bilious attacks. When I feel one of these attacks coming on I take two of Chamberlain's Tablets and 1 am soon ;j"ell attain." — Advfc '