MEETINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14019, 26 March 1909, Page 8

MEETINGS.

■♦ — PONSONBY SHAKESPERE CLUB. ' The annual meeting of the Ponsonby : Shakespcra Club was held in the Leys In- - stitute, Ponsonby, last evening, a fair number of members being present. The report and balance-sheet for the past year were adopted. The institution was shown to bo j in a sound position financially, the credit . balance to date standing at £7 0s Bd. The election of officers for the ensuing year re- - suited as follows: President, Mr. H.' 3 Hemus; vice-presidents, Messrs. E. T. Hart, , T. Wells, and A. Coutts; hon. secretary and treasurer, Mr. J. H. Gregory; auditor, i Mr. P. H. Harris. Rules for the conduct . of the society during the coming year wero presented to the meeting and approved. I . — i GRAMMAR SCHOOL BOARD. , ( The monthly meeting of tho Auckland Grammar School Board, held yesterday, was ' attended by the chairman (Sir G. Maurice 6 O'Rorke), Professors A. P. W. Thomas and ) Browne, Dr. Roborton, and Messrs. L. J. i Bagnall, C. J. Parr, and A. Kidd. On tho recommendation of the headmaster and headmistress respectively John Williamson scholarships wero awarded to Master E. C. ' Clayton of the Boys' School and to Miss j T. D. Thompkins of the Girls' School. Mr. . J. W. Tibbs, headmaster of the Boys' , School, stated that tho scholarship was 5 worth £20 a year. Several matters of a " routine nature wero also dealt with. , In the course of his speech at the com- [ plimentary banquet to Mr. G. Laurenson, > M.P., at Lyttelton, Sir Joseph Ward re- - ferred to the recent controvery regarding I the price charged for telephones. It was, > ho said, with some pride that he told I them that a comparison between New Zealand and the Australian States for the . year 1906 in regard to telegraph and tele- - phone busmen was entirely in favour of i Now Zealand. In New South Wales there i were 1122 offices open, as compared with I 1607 in New Zealand in Victoria, 565; i j Queensland, 536 ; South Australia, 304 ; ! West Australia, 200; and Tasmania, 193. i The number of exchanges Were :—New Zealand, 112; New South Wales, 76; Victoria, 31; Queensland, 24; South Australia, 11; West Australia, 20: and Tas* j mania, 16. Sir Joseph added that he t, would not trespass "on the subject of i cost. The man in New Zealand who i objected to pay £5 for a domestic tele--3 phone or £6 for a business one could not i be hard up, but must be very anxious I to save money at the expense of the public generally. .