THE RECENT EXHIBITION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 134, 8 June 1907, Page 7

THE RECENT EXHIBITION.

L. FINAL MEETING OF MARL- ! BOROUGH COMMITTEE. j H»-v SATISFACTORY BALANCEW^ SHEET. The monthly meeting of the Comimt- - >tee charged with the conduct of the .Marlhorough Court at the International Exhibition was held yesterday afternoon. Present:—Messrs Thos. Horton (Chairman), H. D. Vavasour, W. Pollard, S. Tapp D Buhe 1, E. Mead, J J. Corry, A. McCallum, E. H. Penny, and J. J. White. The financial statement as at 6r-a May showed that, after all liabilities had been paid, there remained an uncollected credit balance of £18. There was one item, £4 10s, outstanding for space money. BALANCE-SHEET. The Secretary then read the balancesheet as follows:— RECEIPTS. £. s. d. ! Guarantees ... 215 0 Q donations 197 10 1 Subscriptions ... 11l 5 0 Space money 72 4 0 Court furnishings 20 7 7 Court fittings ... 19 14 3 Waikato Court (use of dividing part.cion ... 9 0 0 Freights .. : ... J ••• Hl4 3 Fire insurance ... 5 12 6 Marine insurance 0 15 9 Sale of photos ... ...... 518 6 Cartage and entrance fee 0 8. 0 ■ Total £669 9 11 Balance £35 13 11 j DISBURSEMENTS. "£. s. d. Space money 15112 0 ' Mr Gavin Watson fitting Court ... 125 0 0 Mr Gavin Watson, furnishing Court 115 5 8 Secretary 50 0 0 Caretaker (H. Redwood) 10 0 0 Caretaker (J. G. Draper) 48 0 0 Caretaker (J. G. Draper) bonus • • • ■ 5 5 0 Canvasser (R. Hendra) ... 10 0 0 Gas account ......... .19 1 5 Advertising and printing 14 14 b Freights ••• J4 4 6 . Photos ... ... 14 15 0 Fire insurance ■» ° 0 Marine insurance 1 n Fee for wood competition 2 0 0 Mr W. Horton assisting Mr Tapp) ... 410 0 D. Bishell's expenses ... 13 4 Sundries in fitting up Court 15 11 6 Exhibition delivery charges ' 12 5 10 Stationery, etc., 8 10 9 Bank fees 1 18 0 Balance ... 3o 13 11 Total ... , 666 9 11 The Chairman said that the Committee had been fairly fortunate in receiving donations, and the sum received for fittings must, under the circumstances, he considered reasonable. The wind-up would turn out better than was expected. The guarantors who had come forward so generously would be satisfied to know that their dona- ' tions had enabled the Committee to come out of the whole affair with a slight credit balance at the bank. SPACE MONEY IN ARREAR. In reply to Mr Tapp, the Secretary said tie amount- outstanding for space- •-, mone*Vv'as all owing by one person. It was Mr William Adams,.. ? Langley Dale, and was due for space for his flax. He proceeded to explain that he had twice rendered Mr Adams the account for the money, without effect. Becently he met him in the street, and asked him if he could let him Jun-e.the amount. He declined, saying 3;;? had been unfairly treated. The Scci-hiry had asked if it was the Marlbc-^.gn Committee he had the grievance against, or the authorities. Mr Adams had complained that his flax had iiot been judged until the end of the Exhibition, and he was not going to pay.. With that he walked away and left the . Secretary standing. Mr Corry asked if Mr Adams was a guarantor. . , . Mr Pollard: No. I have tried him, but he is the only one in my district who would not subscribe. Yet he had the nerve to come and take part at one of the meetings. • • " , It was explained that Mr Adams was, on the Flax Sub-Committee. The Chairman said there could be nothing in Mr Adajns' s imagined grievance, as all the flax exhibitors were treated alike. , Mr Corry: Did he get his hemp back? Mr Pollard": No, he sold it, and did not give the proceeds to the Committee Mr Vavasour moved: "That if the money is not paid within seven days he be sued for the amount." (Hear, hear.) With leave of the Chairman, he would like to express his opinion on the matter. Here was one of the wealthiest men in the district, who had subscribed absolutely nothing to the Marlborough Court, nor guaranteed any money, as a great number of others had done to keep the thing -going. ! He takes up space in an ordinary business way for his flax; gets several gold medals; and now he repudiates his just debt for space, on the supposition that he has not been treated particularly well by the authorities in Ohristchureh. That hfld nothing to do with the Marlborough Committee. He had bought his space from the Committee, and he had got to pay for it. (Hear, hear.) Such action was on a par with the action of the so-called Liberal Government in the allocation of gold medals at the Exhibition. They had advertised the gold medals, and when they were applied for by the winners these fortunate people were told they could be had for £2 10s each. Mr Pollard seconded the motion. He had succeeded in collecting the amount of subscriptions he had set out to collect, but had got not a cent from Mr Adams. He thought Mr Vavasour's remarks were very just. Mr White said there must be some misunderstanding. Mr Adams must be confusing the Marlborough Court Committee with the Christchurch authorities. It was pointed out that the Secretary had made that point clear to him. Mr White thought that he should be written to. He was- certain if Mr Adams understood ■he would send a cheque at once. Several members: He has absolutely refused to pay. Mr Bishell pointed out that the motion was to ask him to pay within seven days.. That gave him the opportunity of paying. Mr White: But such a form of request is very rough. Several members: He has dealt roughly; let him so be dealt with. Mr Corry said there might have- been something in the suggestion of a misunderstanding if Mr Pollard had not reported that Mr Adams's name was not to be fouucl on the guarantors' nor

subscribers' lists—and the only one m his district. There was absolutely no excuse for him, and he did hope the motion would be put and carried. The motion was carried, Mr White alone dissenting. Mr Vavasour added that tne Secretary should understand the motion was to be followed out in its entirety. CONFUSION OF FEES WITH DONATIONS. Mr Tapp reminded the meeting that at the outset he had paid £50 for space on behalf of the wool exhibitors. There had since been a little mixing up. Some wool exhibitors who were liable for space had paid subscriptions, and confused these with their obligations for space-money. After a protracted and irregular discussion, Mr Vavasour moved that the Chairman, the Secretary, and Mr Tapp be-a committee to adjust the matter, at the same time conveying the opinion of the meeting that wool space-money is due, pro rata, quite apart from any unconditional donations. The motion was carried. MEMENTOES. On the motion of the Chairman, it was decided that a large framed photograph of the concrete drain pipes manufactured at the Gasworks be presented to the Borough Council, as a memento. Mr Pollard, in seconding the motion, said that, thanks to the late Mayor's ! good offices, the Borough Council had ! treated the Executive very liberally. The Mayor (Mr A. McCallum) thanked the meeting on behalf of the Council, and then moved that, in recognition of the good services of the President, who had been most active throughout the Exhibition, the Committee vote him a donation of ten guineas. Mr Pollard seconded, and referred to the tact of the President in bringing order out of chaos at many of the earlier meetings. He himself often felt that he did not know whether the meetings he was coming to were going to mark the continuance or the abandonment of the whole affair, such were the discordant elements. ' However, thanks to. the efforts of the President, Marlborough had been able to get off at least one industrial display that was a credit to the whole community. The Chairman, in thanking members for the tribute, said he would be glad to accept a vote as a memento, on the understanding that the accounts were first adjusted and closed satisfactorily. The meeting then closed.