ACCOUNTANTS BILL 1907.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13523, 22 August 1907, Page 3

ACCOUNTANTS BILL 1907.

Sir, —This measure is now -dead,' but the ■ Premier, having promised to bring in am amended one- next session, may I, as chairman oi' the public meeting of accountants hold on flie Ist inst., be permitted to reply, to Miv Barr's letter appearing. .in you? columns of Saturday, and to.lay before your readers some of , tlj,o considerations \v r hich weighed with those present when/ takings exception to some of the provisions .Of; 'tho Bill? In the. first -place,- can ■your, correspondent fairly claim appreciative press and Parliamentary notice for his measure as framed? Those references which I h#v© Keen (with the. except ion of that in the professional organ), whilst undoubtedly srir.pafhetie towards the objects of the J3 i 11, clearly draw attention to the contentions nature of many of its clauses; and in the Hansard reports this is particularly noticoablo, therefore .one sneaker's condemnation of it;' at the meeting, and the applause this elicited, were not .to " extraordinary" as Mr. Barr would appear to think. That the document was drafted ' by. one of the very ablest lawyers in the Dominion we can well believe, and it is nothing to his discredit that in drawing it in the interests of tho«o who "paid the shot" he failed to equally, protect those who did not. The promoters nave only themselves to blame. for their failure, and the possible indefinite postponement of the desired reform; the selfish arrogance of section 45 and of clause 4 of the first schedule was alone sufficient to; wreck the Bill. Future proposals of the kind '.to have a chance of success will require to deal fairlv not only with the ; interest? of the outside men but- with those o f the far more' numerous inside ones also, and of the public which employs both. Without wishing to impeach Mr. Barr's veracity I must say it seems aln ost incredible that the commercial accountants of Dunedir and Christ- ; church should have unanimously accepted the Bill with these clauses in it. However, that may be, Auckland member* of that section of the pro lon hold that five amendments are 'esseniiaj., 1. Equal representation on the council' with , the outside men. 2. Semi-autonomous local committee* 1 , in each centre, with control over locallTraincd revenue., 3. .> The inside man, to be left free, without extra fee, to pick up _ hi» experience as. he can during his spare time by accepting any accountancy , work whatever that may offer, subject to a restriction against auditing any form of public company accounts or those of building or friendly societies; nor is he to advertise or hold himself out as a public accountant. 4. The deletion of clause schedule 1. 5. The placing of the conduct of examinations in' itio hands of the New Zealand University Senate. I note with pleasure that, the last point lias already hcti conceded, and if Mr. Ban- and his friends can see their way to accept the others there should be no insuperable , difficulty in adjusting minor points, and we may yet stand shoulder to shoulder in endeavouring to place o- the Statute I.Viok a measure acceptable to both sections of the pi'olV-sion. Ha not W. tl rnso.v, F.I. A., Vio . August 20.