FORESTRY.

Evening Star, Issue 11512, 1 April 1901, Page 8

FORESTRY.

UNITED OTAGO DISTRICT. The annual meeting of the above District was held at the Council Chambers, Milton, on Friday, and was attended by a large number of delegates from the courts throughout Otago and Southland. D.CJR. Bro. J. Patterson presided, and the other district officers present 'were:—D.S.C.R. Bro. J. Hope, D. Treas. Bro. J. Macfie, D. Sec Bro. W. Woodland, D 3. Bro. W. Black, and LP.D,C.R. Bro. G. W. Geddes. P.CLR. Bro. Cairns, speaking in commendation of the Executive's report, thought ■that a special vote of sympathy should be passed by this District in connection with the death of our late beloved Queen Vistoria. He hoped the Executive would l»e instructed to draft such a vote, and forward it through the Governor to the RryUt Hon. the Secretary for the Colonies. With regaid to the continued leakage in our membership, it was much to-be regretted, and he intended to bring forward at a later singe a plan which he believed would go some way towards stopping it He moved the reception and adoption of the District Executive's report—Seconded byP.C.D.R. Bro. Taverner, and agreed to. Senior Auditor Bro. Giffies read the bal-ance-sheets and auditors' report. The balances to the credit of the various District funds were:—Funeral\fund, £8,356 5s 2d; management fund, £567 12s 3d: district relief fund, £1,353 18s 7d. P.CJR. Bro. dark moved—" That" the District Executive be empowered to vote a sum annually to the Juvenile Foresters' District Executive." P.D.CJI. Bro. youngman moved as an amendment—" That the delegates vote the sum of £lO to iflie Juvenile District Execoiive." This was sup-, poifted by Bros. Cairns, Meams, Folley, Robertson, Paterson, Williams, and others. —The amendment was carried by a large majority. P.CJR. Bro. Taverner moved—"That as there may be in the near future a. necessity to bring the District members' fund into working condition, and as that fund has at present no money to credit, this District meeting thinks it desirable that a committee be appointed now to consider the best method of placing the said furid in credit, so that it may be in a position to meet demands when made upon it." This was agreed to, and the following committee appointed :—The District Executive and P.D.CJLs Bros. Youngmaai, Melville, Munro, Geddes, and P. O.K. Bro. Taverner. On the motion of P.OR. Bro. Cairns, it was agreed to amend the law relating to court nights falling on public holidays, so as to include the eve of any holiday, and thus make it legal to hold tihe meeting on any subsequent night before the next regular meeting. Some very important rules were agreed to, their object being to give tihe District meeting power to compel branches to have their assets and securities valued when there was any doubt as tb their being of the value set down in the balance-sheet Also, when a court's assets showed it to come short of 17s 6d in the £, the District meeting are to have power to compel such court to take measures to bring themselves up to. that standard. In doing so, assistance may be granted from the District relief fund where considered necessary. It was decided by a large majority to accept the invitation of Court Pride of Oamaru to hold the next District meeting in tfaat

The. following were elected for the ensuing term:—D.C.E., Bro. J. Hope: D.S.C.R., Bro. W. Black; D. Treasurer, Bro. J. Macfie (re-elected); D. Secretary, Bro. W. Woodland (re-elected); D. Beadle, Bro. A. Swanson; D. Trustee, Bro. W. H. Munro (re-elected); D. Auditor, Bro. G. W. Geddes.