THOSE OPERATIC SOCIETIES.

Hastings Standard, Issue 267, 10 March 1897, Page 4

THOSE OPERATIC SOCIETIES.

[To The Editor.] Sir,—Contrary to Mr A. L. Ryan's expectations and beliefs, lam not by any means satisfied. " Fine words butter no parsnips," and the " intentions " of Mr Ryan and " his committee " do not have much weight with the banker on the fourth of the month. Will Mr Ryan tell us whether the old society held a meeting and decided to hand over their assets to the so-called new one, and if not how the so-called new one became possessed of them, and if they have not received a quid pro qu<> why should the so-called new society lumber themselves up with £6O or £7O worth of debts with which they have no concern whatever ? Let Mr Ryan stop vaporing and give us some facts. Where are the assets for which the old society paid some £6O, and who holds the security for the payment of some £ls, besides moneys for the sale of tickets in Napier wdiich have not yet reached the bank ? Why are the creditors not called together and the real position of affairs placed before them ? Is Mr Ryan not fully aware that some members of "his committee " have refused to have anything to do with the so-called new society because an unwarrantable liberty was taken in using their names without consulting them, or making them aware of the real facts of the case ? If the assets have been handed to Mr Ryan's committee and they (not the assets but " his committee ") are so full of the justness and uprightness which he claims for them, surely they can have no objection, as men who intend to carry on the so-called new society on " proper business principles " (vide Napier paper) to give the creditors of the old society some security to represent the assets in goods and money of which they have deprived them — that is if they have got them ; and if they have not I fail to see why Mr A. L. Ryan should continue to trumpet forth the facts that " his committee " intend to pay debts with which they have no concern. Let Mr A. L. Ryan give each creditor a piece of paper with the names of "his committee" on the back of it and that will be a tangible proof of what the intentions of " his committee " really are. Let us have no more high falutin, but put up the stuff! That is business, pure and simple; honorable intentions are only humbug ! The whole business is nothing but a trick to get the society into the hands of a clique who have done their best for over a year to thwart the efforts of those who had it in hand, and no one knows it better than Mr Ryan does. Now they have got it, it is safe to predict that it will end where the Town Hall Crystal Palace concerts did—at the first and only one of which black eyes were plentiful and people mopped the floor with each other. That was managed on proper business principals. So was the Hinemoa business, where it was thought necessary to have barrels of beer to induce the chorus to attend. I could mention many other things 'notably the Town Hall (out of which the Brass Band made a good yearly income) but which was taken over by the mortgagee soon after it came to be managed "on proper business principles." It won't do. Mr Ryan and " his committee " must give us something better than what hell is said to be paved with. — I am, &c., St. Matthew. P.S.—Mr Ryan's letter shows how "his committee" treat the wishes of a general meeting as to a social, which is not a good augury for its intentions as far as the common people are concerned.