CALEDONIAN SOCIETY OF OTAGO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12472, 1 October 1902, Page 8

CALEDONIAN SOCIETY OF OTAGO.

The following' annual report wiH be submitted by the' directors to ttie annual meeting of members: — . • Your directors, in submitting the fortieth ariiiual report and balance sheet, have to congratulate members on a substantial augmentation- of the funds, in. spite of a very quiet year in regard to gate receipts. After writing down and writing off tho sum of £132 8s 6d, as ahown in. profit and loss account, a net profit of £237, 17s lOd is shown, and bad: the gates of current year come up to last year's a very much larger increase would have been realised. The annual gathering was an unqualified success, the large sum of 18s 6d having baea received .at the gates and for privileges. The prize money paid, £413 17s Gd (the largest since .1836), discounted the receipts somewhat, and a net profit of £154 10s was the result of the gathering—a sum your directors think hardly proportionate to the amount of money received and the trouble involved. By the kindness of our friends, the business people of Dunedin,'no less a sum than £138 10s was received for special prizes, which, with a medal valued at £5 5s (kindly presented by Mr It. Mackenzie) aaid small amounts atill outstanding, made a gross total of £150 3s—the largest amount ever received. A few new items wero added to the list of sports, but the competition iii tlietn hardly justified their inclusion in the programme. The cycling track is in good condition, ' and has been pronounced by leading riders to beiVbne of the best in the colonies. The 'membersaip roll continues on a fair level, but might, with slight effort on*the part of the directors generally, lie considerably increased. .Credit, however, must be given to a section of the board for their sustained efforts in this direction, i Your directors notice with satisfaction thai the time is probably fast-ap-proaching when a larger share of the profits of the society may be devoted in some wayto the advancement of education in our midst—a work in which the directors may fairly expect that the .public, should assist by supplementing and maintaining the membership of tho society. It will bo gratifying to the members to notice that £1000 has been paid off the mortgage. This sum Was been accumulated during the past five years', and in addition £180 of debentures have been paid off and £270 expended on the cycling track. The annual ball did riot come up to expectations, and directors who wish to have a winter reunion of the society would do well to seek some other form, ot entertainment more in accordance with the characteristics of the membership. The ground and' stand have been well kept up, £108 14s Id having been spent on maintenance. The oval is in excellent condition, and some little attention lias been paid to -the outside grounds, .upon which a good deal of money, will, require Ito be 'expended, wlwu means, permit, ,to make it worthy of a society such as ours. ' The society has kept welt in touch with the tenants, and no complaints have been made, while every attention has been given to reasonable requirements. It might be mentioned that the pavilion, erected by the Massey-Harris "Club lias been purchased by the society at a -rea-sonabk* price. In connection with the other Scottish societies your executive took part in entertaining General Sir Hector Macdonald in a manner with which our distinguished visitor expressed himself extremely satisfied. The society, at the request of the Hugh Miller Centenary Committee,- donated the ■ sum of £3 3s towards the memorial institution to be founded in his native town of Cromarty in commemoration of that illustrious • Scottish stonemason and litterateur. Your directors express'regret at the absence from -the annual meeting of our worthy; friend Vice-president Mr D. A. M'Nicoll. Occasion wa-s taken on his departure to give nim- a send-off, and to present him and Mr .T. S. Chapman with souvenirs of their long service to the society as auditors.