POULTRY ASSOCIATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3569, 26 June 1872, Page 3

POULTRY ASSOCIATION.

The annual general meeting! of members .of this Association was held ut Coker’s Hotel, at 8 o’clock Inst evening. There was a numerous attendance.

Mr Glassford was voted to the chair. The minutes of the last annual general meeting wore road and confirmed. The Hon. Sec. (Mr Davie) read the followlowing report: — “Theeommitteeof the Christchurch Poultry Association, at this the fourth annual general meeting, beg to place before the members the following report and financial statement: — “ Your committee have to report that the fourth annual show of poultry, pigeons, and canaries was bold in the Music Hall, Christchurch,on Friday and Saturday, the 18th and 19th August last, and that the experiment tried last year, of keeping the show open to the public ou two days, instead of one as heretofore, met with general approval, and further that, as anticipated by the committee, the change iu the mode of exhibiting in the poultry classes (viz., a cock and hen, in lieu of a cock and two hens) introduced at this show for the first time, conduced materially to its success, and your committee would certainly recommend that the above changes introduced last season should bo continued in future.

“ Tho following is a list showing the number of exhibits at the last show, compared with a similar statement of the number at that of the preceding year:— IOUTI

From this ifc -will be seen that m the poultry classes there was a large increase in the number of exhibits, attributable, in the opinion of rour committee, in a great measure to the alteration in the system of exhibiting alluded to in the preceding paragraph, and also to' the increased pen accommodation which the association were enabled to offer. The canary classes were also more numerously represented than at the previous show, but the pigeons showed a slight falling off, which may, in some degree, be accounted for by the fact that the season had been a very unfortunate one for breeders in this class. “ From the subjoined statement of accounts, furnished by the treasurer, it will be seen that the sum of £54 5s was paid in money prizes; but the actual sum awarded was £56 10s, of which £2 ss, not having been claimed, has been carried to the credit of the association.

“ Your committee would beg to draw the attention of the members to the large number •of private prizes presented, thus indicating the increased interest taken by the public in these exhibitions. “ The following is a list of the private prizes awarded:— “By Mr M'Callum—a silver cup for the best pen of black-breasted red game. “By his Honor the Superintendent —a silver cup for the best pen of Duckwing game. “ By Mr H. SawteLL—The Poultry Book for the best pen of coloured Dorkings. "ByMr G. Warner—a silver cup for the best pen of Spanish ; also, a silver cup for the best pen of game fowls. “ By Mr Gould —The Poultry Book : 1 For the best luff Cochins ; 2 For the best silver pencilled Hamburghs: and 3 For the best golden spangled Hamburghs. “ByMrW. H. Wynn Williams —a silver cup for the best light Brahmas. “jßy Messrs Coates and Co.—a silver cup for the best dark Brahmas. “Bv Mr Euddenklau—a silver medal for the bestjpen of brown-breasted red game fowls. “By Messrs Petersen and Co.—a silver medal for the winner of prizes of the highest aggregate value in the pigeon classes. “By Mr James Blake —a silver cup for the winner of prizes of the highest aggregate value in the poultry classes.

“Again referring to the Treasurer’s statement, the committee would point out that under the head of subscriptions and donations, no less than £62 13s was received, being an amount much in excess of the receipts from such sources in past years. “ Your committee .have to state that, being ' impressed with the necessity for the acquisition by the association of a further supply of exhibition pens they took advantage of a most liberal offer by Mr George Gould to lend to the association the sum of £SO to provide funds for that purpose : the loan to be subject to interest at the rate of 8 per cent, per annum, the principal being repayable to Mr Gould so soon as the association is in a position to do so. Your committee were thus enabled to provide 19 additional pens containing 91 compartments, and it is the firm belief of your committee that the association will be able to refund this loan to Mr Gould within two or at the most three years hence. “ The pens (which have by the kind permission of Mr P. Laurie been stored in a shed on his premises) have been insured against fire for £IOO in two policies of £SO each, one in favour of Mr George Gould, as collateral security for the repayment to him of the above loan, and the other in favour of the trustees of the association.

“ Your committee are happy to state that the debt of £l9 to certain members of the association, which was incurred the year before last, has been discharged. “ Your committee cannot conclude their report without expressing their deep regret at the death of Mr George Warner, a gentleman who has for some time past taken great interest in the welfare of the association.

“ Your committee would remind the members that the thanks of the association are due to John Ollivier, Esq., for auditing the accounts of the treasurer of the association, and to Messrs Wood, Bros., for receiving entries Of late show, and to Mr W. White for allowing his room to be used gratuitously for the meetings of the association. “ J. H. Wood-, chairman.” On the motion of Mr Banks, the report Was received and adopted. The Hon. Treasurer (Mr G. A. Reade) submitted a balance-sheet, from which it appeared that the receipts during the year had been £lB5 10s Id ; expenditure, £lßl 9s 5d ; balance in bank, £4 Os Bd. The balance-sheet was passed. The following elections for the ensuing year were mode: —Patron, his Honor the Superintendent; President, Mr George Gould; Vice-Presidents, Messrs T. H. Potts; J. B. Hill, Wynn Williams, H. Sawtcll, and W. Beeves; Hon. Secretary, Mr Davie ; Hon. Treasurer Mr Beade ; Committee, Messrs Stapleton, J. 11. Wood, W. James, Glassford, Jas. 8. Williams, W. Pirie, T. Williams, W. Calvert, J. Todd, E. Bees, E. Strange, and A. Saunders. Mr Beade drew the attention of the meeting to certain cases where artificial colouring had been resorted to, in the poultry classes, at the late show, and stated that some measures should be taken to put a stop to such malpractices, and moved the following resolution “ Any exhibitor who shall be found to have applied coloring matter to any portion of an exhibit, shall be disqualified from competing at any shows held by the association, for a period of three years. The resolution was seconded by Mr Todd, and carried unanimously. Considerable discussion took place with regard to a by-law enforced at the late Exhibition, whereby, under penalty of disqualification, it was made imperative that exhibits should bo the bond fide property of the exhibitor. The chief arguments used in favour of doing away with this by-law being the great difficulty of discovering an infringement thereof, and its being from time to time a source of much dissension. The following resolution was moved by the Secretary, and seconded by Mr Williams : “That, in the opinion of this meeting, the by-law No. 5, with reference to exhibits being the bond fide property of the exhibitor, as passed and carried into effect by the late Managing Committee, should be discontinued,” and, on being put to the meeting, was declared to be carried.

After votes of thanks had been passed to the Hon, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairman, the meeting broke up.

Poultry ., Pigeons 1870 . 123 .. 1871 . 157 .. . 31 increase 30 .. 26 .. 1 decrease Canaries . 20 . 31 .. , 11 increase 173 217 .. . 11 total in.