RAILWAY OFFICERS’ INSTITUTE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1250, 13 February 1896, Page 39

RAILWAY OFFICERS’ INSTITUTE.

The first annual general meeting of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Railway Officers’ Institute was held in the Exchange Buildings on February 5, Mr F. W. Styles in the chair. The annual report and balance-sheet were laid on the table and adopted. The report shows that the membership of the branch is 139 out of a possible total of 14S officers on the section, while the finances are in a sound condition.

The following gentlemen were elected as members of the Branch Committee for the ensuing year : —Messrs E. J. Andrews and W. Bourke, head office ; C. Loveday, locomotive department ; W. S. Pedler, maintenance department ; J. ETaslock," stores department ; and G. A. C. Robieson andjfj. C. Payne, traffic department. Mr J. T. Hutchinson was unanimously re-elected hon secretary, and Messrs Roe and Nicholson were re-elected auditors.

Votes of thanks were passed by acclamation to the out-going committee, the auditors, returning officers, scrutineers and hon secretary.

It was stated that several objections had been raised as to the amount of the annual subscription as fixed by the general executive, it being considered that if a graduated scale was to be adopted a maximum, as well as a minimum, should have been fixed.

Mr McYilly, general secretary, considered that the members of the Institute should havo confidence in the delegates elected and sent to the recent conference. It was imperative that the Institute should be placed on a sound financial footing, and it was very much better for members to pay a subscription on its present basis for one year than to have the Institute in a weak condition financially with the prospect of a heavy subscription for several years. The constitution provided that the subscription could be varied by the Executive Council at any of its annual meetings. and it was very unlikely that the present rate of subscription would require to bo maintained after the present year. The Council had gone very carefully into the question of expenditure before fixing the subscription and members should have confidence in what had been done bv the Executive Council Personally, he would rather see the subscription doubled than that the Institute be in a weak financial position.

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