THE N.O.A. AND P. ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE AND THE SHOW.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1003, 8 July 1879, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE N.O.A. AND P. ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE AND THE SHOW.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. Sir,—l see by the newspaper report of a meeting of the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association held on the 26th inst. that the following resolution was passed : " That the next show only extend over one day and further, " That it be held on the third Thursday in November." Now, what absurdity for the Committee to pass any such resolution ; and I would strongly urge the Secretary to forward to each member present at the meeting a copy of the rules of the Society, one of which states, " That the show shall be held on the third. Thursday in November and on the following Friday." Another of the rules states, '' That no alterations shall be made iu any of the rules of the Society unless at a public meeting of the members called for that purpose." As the Society is incorporated under the Agricultural Societies' Act, 1877, I will quote, so there may be no mistake, all the sections of the Act bearing on the question under notice : Section 9 says :—" The members of every society incorporated under this Act and their successors, at their general meetings, assembled from time to time, shall have full power to alter.or annul any of the by-laws, rules, and regulations or orders as they or the majority of them'presentat such meetings shall judge proper and necessary for the better government and direction of the

-society, and afterwards to alter or annul the said rules, regulations, or orders hereinbefore recited, as well as the by-laws, rules, regulations, and orders to be made in future, or any of them, as the members of the society so assembled, or the major part of them present at such general meeting shall deem, proper and requisite." Section 10 of the above Act says :—"All such by-laws, rules, regulations, or orders, or any of them, and every alteration thereof, shall be notified at two meetings of the General Committee of Management to he appointed as herein provided previous to the general meeting of the society at which they are proposed to be made, declared, or altered ; and shall also be confirmed in and by the next general meeting of the society held and kept after they shall have been respectively made as aforesaid." Section 11 says " All the by-laws, rules, regulations, and orders made as aforesaid, or in force at the time of the incorporation of the society, so far as the same are not inconsistent with the provisions of section 12 shall, until altered, be duly observed and kept, provided that the same are noways contrary to this Act." fgSection 12 has no bearing on the question under notice further than under it, before a a meeting of members is held, "It must be notified in a paper published in the district for 1-4 days, and that at such meeting 20 shall form a quorum." . . From the above it will be seen that it is no such easy matter to alter any of the rules of the Society as the Committee seemed to think at their last meeting, their powers being confined to carry out the rules and regulations laid down by the members at the general meeting. Of the advisability or otherwise of the proposed change I will say nothing at present, as I leave that to be discussed at the meeting of members which will have to be called before it can be entertained. I am, &c., A Member.

Papakafo, June 2S, 1879. [Our correspondent will observe that we have dealt with the matter exhaustively in our leading columns. He will also notice that the question will again come before the Committee, when the subject will doubtless receive a greater amount of consideration than it previously did.—Ed. N.Z.A.]