NASEBY COMMONAGE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 35, Issue 9388, 9 October 1903, Page 1

NASEBY COMMONAGE.

A public meeting was held on Thursday evening, Ist inst., to receive the balance-sheet for the past twelve months and elect new trustees. The attendance of the public w is verysmall. Of those who, use the reserve for grazing purposes there was only one present, the rest beingdkiuteresied parties. The mayor (Mr Culten) presided. The meeting ,was very short, and the discussions took a desultory conversational form. Mr Jones presented the balancesheet, which showed the receipts for ', the year to have been £ls 2s 6d, and the expenditure £l3 Is, with £2 ls6d in hand, which left liabilities to th& amount of £l2 6s. An account having since been paid, the liabilities stood at £lO, which was due to the ranger for salary. The balance-sheet was adopted; on the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr Dawson. Mr J. Dunwooilie was elected Jo the trust in place of Mr J. Whitehead, sen., on the motion of Messrs J. W. Reed and Dawson. The Chairman said that, the thanks of the public were due to the retiring: trustees for their services. This applied especially to r the trust for the first year as they had to get everything in working order. Mr Jones pointed out that thegrazing fees were not high enough to meet the necessary expenditure. Mr Gufiie suggested a rise to ss, but Mr Jones thought that would not be sufficient. Mr Guffie said that there were one or two items of expenditure which would not occur again. There was the charge for the lease, and the purchase of books ; besides which the current year's rent had been paid in advance. There was plenty of grass ou the reserve, but there wasnot a sufficient number of cattle to eat it. It was remarked that evidently all the cattle grazing or: the reserve were not paid for. After some little discussion as to the salary to be paid to the ranger, and the best way of raising it, Mr J. W. Reed suggested that the ranger should be offered a percentage of the fees. By doing this, and enforcing payment for all cattle running on the reserve, it might Tie possible in time to lower the charge. It was eventually decided to act on the suggestion, and ou the motion of

Messrs Jones and Dawson, it was resolved to amend rule 2 (which provides for the payment to the . ranger of a salary) by adding the words "or commission" after the words " such salary. " Mr Guffie then proposed—That rule 4 be altered so to make the charge for grown cattle 5s for the current year and 7s 6d for horses.—Seconded by Mr Reed and carried. Mr Jones moved a vote of thanks to Messrs Cutteii and Hjorriug. They had drafted the bylaws, had drawn out the agreement between the ranger and the trustees, mid Mr Hjorrius; had audited the books free of —Carried.