NORTH OTAGO BENEVOLENT SOCIETY'S ANNUAL MEETING.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 487, 20 November 1877, Page 2

NORTH OTAGO BENEVOLENT SOCIETY'S ANNUAL MEETING.

♦ The following iB a report Oi «iic proceedings at the animal meeting of the North Otago Benevolent Society held last night, the President, Mr. W. J. Steward, in the chair. The minutes of the previous general meeting were read and continued and the chairman read the report for the year 1.87(5-7 as follows : The Committee of the North Otago Benevolent Society in presenting tin's, tile first annual report, to the subscribers, are glad to lie able to state that during the year completed on the .SOtli September last iti operations have been the means of alleviating many eases of distress, while at the same time freeing the community of the almost constant appeals to the general benevolence •which, previously to its organisation, Mere experienced by means oi' subscription lists separately got up with regard to each particular ease of accident or distress occurring. .Before adverting to the operations of the year more in detail it may be well -111i m being a lirst report—to refer to the initiation of the Society itself. This resulted from a, public meeting convened by his Worship the Mayor (Mr. \V. J. Steward), and held at tlie Mechanics' institute on the 4th September, IS7G. At that meeting a IVoviHional Committee was appointed for the purpose of raising funds, enrolling members, and drawing up rules ; and a canvass of the town and district was at once undertaken very valuable aid being given by gentlemen resident in the country districts ; and the appeal thus made wa< heartily responded to, upwards of 1.400 being promised in subscriptions, of which 111!)8 4s .'M was paid into the hands of the Mayor as Interim Treasurer by the '2,'lrd October, of the same year. Since then further subscriptions, donations, and other moneys have Itocu received to the amount of UJtIS 7s 2d, making a total of l.fiOG lis fid received up to oil, li September, 1877, of "which there has been expended as shown in the balance-sheet herewith the sum of l/Jol H»s 4d, leaving a balance of L'2sl l'2s Id.

It }il< 1 been intended to publish an acknowledgment of ;ill the MibseripfiniiN received several months hut it was found that the detailed list of sub-eriptions eolleeted liy tin; JeMy Ward Sult-< 'omniittoo had been in some way mislaid. and tin; publication of the list wan delayed in cuiise(jiUMiee. '1 lie lYovi-ional (.'oininitl.ee having fulfilled the (unctions (intrusted to them, a general meeting ot members was held on I lie s."}rd October, 1 S7<», ft which draft by-law# Mere brought uj», amended, and adopted, and a CominiUce and ollieeiß were elected, who. by ltule 3, now go out of olliee, but are eligible for re-eleelion. An appointment made by the Committee reipiires to be relerred too, viz., that ol a p.tii 1 collector, it being found ill practice absolutely ueeessarv lo lia\c such an oflieer. There were many applications l'.ir the olliee, and the choice of the ('ommittee fell upon Mr. Henry Richmond, who Mas appointed on the 1 ll'h of June la-it, and litis Miiee continued to give complete Kul.islael "in. I hat otiieer is paid by means of a commission of 10 per cent, on amount collected, and Hectirity has been provided to Ihe amount of 1,100 by policy of the l'idclily Oiiarantei! Society.

Your ('ommittec have i)lo:isiii t; in reporting to the subscribers, that through tins excrtions of the I'resilient and the liher;ility ot the (Joveniment there li/ive been granted to the Society the Immigration BarracliH and grounds, and the cottages on the <'ape with the whole of tliu sections in block XXXI I. The-c have :ill been formally handed over, find taken possession ol by the President in the name of the Society, and tile (Jovcrnment has undertaken to make a legal grant to the Society of the same. The Committee, for the Society, lias undertaken to place at the. disposal of the (iovernnient for tlie accommodation of any immigrants yet to arrive so much space in the Barracks as is not required for the Society'*) inmates, and lias also utidei taken to ration them at a price agreed upon. It is hoped that these properties will afl'ord the means of providing in th" future a home for the infirm and aged pour ; and the Barracks are at present lie ng utilised as a home for destitute and motherless children, of whom there are six now under the Society's eare.

It has also been proposed to establish a Servants' Home at the Barracks for female servants temporarily out of situations, they paying a Kin,ill charge, Millicicnt to ib-lray the cost of their maintenance, and the subscribers will be asked at. this meeting to express by resolution their wishes as to the proposal. The Barrack') arc now under the management of Mr. and Mrs. Ileskc'h, as the servants of the Society, being jointly paid by the (iovei liinent and the Society up to the .'{lst March next, at which time the (Jovernment payment ceases, and fresh arrangements will have to be made. YourCoiuinittee have furlherto report (hat application has been made to the Covemment for payment of subsidy upon Hulmcriptiiins received, which, under tin: proposed Charitable Institutions Bdl (since withdrawn), they would have had power grant, and suggest that urgent rejiresentittions be made to the < iovernine.nt on th* subject on this head, as the in-titution in one equally deserving of national aid with tho Hospital, by which subsidy is regularly received. During the year twenty-five cases of distress or necessity have been relieved by the Committee, some of them being still ill receipt of weekly aid, of which brief particulars arc appended. (Here follow detailo of the cases referred to.) The above particulars will show how iihocmsary an organisation snelj this Society aflbrds had booome, and it is hoped that during fie ensuing year the public will continue by its liberal support to enable the Com* mitfee of Management to assist in all canon of real distress. Your Committee have, however, to point out t-'iat the subscriptions for the current year wore duo on the Ist October, and that "but few of these have been paid as yet, and they trust that their thus prominently drawing attention to this fact will have tho cflcct of inducing subscribers to make prompt payment, so that no difficulty may be expo* rienced in carrying on tho beneficent tions of tho Society during the eiiHtiiug ye»r. For the Committee, J. Chvkch, Sccretaiy.

Mr. Johnston proposed, and Mr. M'Farlane seconded, that the report, as read, by adopted.—Carried. Sir. av. Fleming moved, and Mr. Ronayne seconded—" Tliat this meeting approves of the proposal to establish a Servant's Hume at the Barracks, and that the new Committee make arrangements for the same. 1 ' At the suggestion of the Rev. F:;Mier Coleman, it was resolved that there should be a limit fixed to the time that servants could remain in the Home. Mr. Fleming moved—" That an urgent representation be made to the Government and the members for the district, with a view to the payment to the Society of subsidy upon subscriptions received up to date, and also on future subscriptions from quarter to quarter." The Rev. Father Coleman moved, and Mr. Hassell seconded —" That a special meeting be held this day fortnight, to draw up a rule with reference to the religious instruction of children admitted into the Institute." Mr. Allen gave notice that he would move on the same date—" That a rule be drawn up prescribing the manner in which the Society's rules may be altered, amended, or added to." The following is the balance-sheet, as read by the Hon. Treasurer, Mr. C. S. Allen : Summary of receipts and expenditure for eleven months.—Period ended 30th September, 1877 : RECEIPTS. Dr. To subscriptions ... ... ...£5Ol 11 5 " interest on fixed deposit, six months at 5 per cent, per annum... ... ... ... 5 0 0 £506 11 5 EXPENDITURE. CV. By Belief to sundry cases ...£l7l 12 3 " Advertising and Stationery ... 11 9 3 " Repairs to Barracks and Cottages ... ... ... ... 36 12 9 " Insurance, LSOO, 12 months at 17s. ... ... ... ... 4 5 0 " Secretary, 11 months at L 25 per annum ... ... ... 22 18 4 " Commission to Collector, 10 per cent, on L 52 19s. ... 5 6 0 " Sundry petty expenses .. 216 0 " Balance... ... ... ... 251 12 4 £506 11 5 C. S. A ixex, Hon. Treasurer. Messrs. Spence and Milligan having been appointed temporarily to audit the accounts, certified to the correctness of the foregoing statement. Mr. Greenfield moved, and Mr. Johnston seconded—"That the report and balance-sheet, together with the rules and the list of subscriptions for the year 1876-7 be printed and circulated throughout the County." Mr. Fleming was elected President ; Mr. Ronayne, Vice-President; Mr. C. S. Alien, Treasurer; Messrs. Kerr and M'lJonald, Auditors ; and the following gentlemen a Committee for the current year Messrs. Hassell, Steward, Mainland, Milligan, Greenfield, and Falconer. County members For the Upper YVaitaki : Mr. D. Sutherland ; Lower Waitaki, Mr. T. Y. Duncan ; Waiareka, Mr. Maclennan ; Kakanui, Mr. M. Morton ; Otepopo, Mr. T. Henderson ; Hampden, Mr. W. Murcott. Thanks were accorded to the late President and Committee.