COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS AND WAREHOUSEMEN’S ASSOCIATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21212, 18 December 1930, Page 2

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS AND WAREHOUSEMEN’S ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report of the Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen’s Association of OtaßO for the year ended November 30 states, inter alia: — It is indeed gratifying to comment on the credit balance of £536 7s Bd, and this figure will now provide a basis of comparison with future results, for as we are now working under entirely different conditions comparisons with past results serve no useful purpose except to show the improvement which has followed our entry into our Bond street premises. It is interesting to observe that such a substantial headway has not been made by our association for many years past. Further, for the first time, since 1916 a profit has been made on the club’s trading departments. The sum of £536 7s 8d represents the headway in the funds of the association after allowing for depreciation on premises of £66 8a 8d and depreciation on furniture and fittings of £64 12s 9d. The calls upon the Mortuary Fund amounted to £247 5s fid, as compared with £456 17s for the previous year, which naturally has a favourable bearing on the year’s figures. The committee is keenly alive, in these days of high costs, to reduce expenditure wherever possible and to make every effort to increase the ordinary revenue. It is confidently hoped that the next 12 months a considerable reduction in management expenses will be effected. The funds at November 30, 1930, aggregate a total of £15,973 5s 7d, as follows:—Permanent Relief Fund, £4066 19s; association account, £465 7s fid; Mortuary Benefit Fund, £11,435 19s Id; Scholarship Fund, £s;—total, £15,973 5s 7d. MORTUARY BENEFIT FUND. This year the sqm of £465 3s has been credited to the fund from members’ subscriptions, which has been allocated in equal proportions to capital account and dividend account. It being estimated that a further £260 may be required to provide for ensuing years’ expected mortality, that amount has been transferred from reserve account, which brings the capital account to £BBOS Bs, with £482 Us 6d at credit of dividend account and £1397 19s 7d at credit of reserve account. The total worth of the Mortuary Fund is £11,435 19s Id. • during the year five deaths occurred m the ranks of the association membership* dividends paid amounted to £247 5s fid, which fell within the amount available for dividends at the commencement of last year, thus permitting a transfer to reserve acount of £226 18s. The amount of dividend account at close of the year, £482 11s 6d, has enabled your committee again to fix the amount of the maximum dividend for the ensuing year at £55. CLUB ACCOUNT. Jjj* takings for the year amounted to lyS 10d, yielding a gross profit of £2606 0b lOd, as against £5301 0s 2d, yielding a gross profit of fIGSQ fi s 3d for the previous/year. So substantial an increase is most gratifying, and the committee earnestly hope that in future years these figures will be maintained. A further pleasing feature is that the percentage of gross profit on return is 34 per cent., as against 31.72 per cent. last year. The dining room revenue for the year amounted to £l4Ol fis fid, yielding a gross profit of £166 ss, as against £ll7O 4e, yielding a gross profit of £6O 16s 6d, for the previous year. This improvement in the dining room figures affords great satisfaction to the committee, as the gradual decline which had been taking place for tne past few years was causing grave concern, * The billiard room revenue still continues tosho'v an improvement, the figures being £433 18a 7d as against £403 13a 2d for last year and £387 8s for 1928. It must also be borne in mind that the billiard room has now only three tables, as against four in the old club. Subscriptions from club members amounted to £664 13e, an increase of £4O ias on the previous year’s figures. The club has been credited with its proportion of £1 Is out of every £3 3s association members subscription in .accordance with resolution carried at a special meet£4^s°3B^ Une amounted to The position of the account at the close > i enr P e ™><ited a transfer of £235 10s 6d being made to the credit of the association account. This is the first occasion since 1916 that it has not been necessary for the club account to draw on the association account to make good its loss on working for the year. Last year the sum of £757 Is 7d was drawn from association account to make good the loss on club account, so that with the profit shown this year of £235 10s fid a gain of £992 Was , ln the trading departments ns against last year’s experience. th?t th» e fn n + K i Upon this lt was ho T e( l that the total revenue from all trading departments would reach £IO,OOO. Our nopes in this direction were very nearly realised, as the following figures show;— block revenue, £7649 16s lOd; dining -r-. £ i 4 ? l i 6s x 0 n d lL^ illiard revenue, £433 18s 7d,— total, £9485 0s lid. HOTEL MATTERS. the year the question of coun■V hotel .accommodation has occasioned the committee a good deal of thought. P nn cipal has been laid down, and accepted by our registered hotelkeepers, that members of the association, by reason of the continuous and substantial support which they contribute towards the business of the country hotels, are entitled to a concession on the rates charged to the general public. Generally speaking, a disposition ls , t 6 1??. B ra <iually manifested on the part of hotelkeepers to recognise the fact tbat the commercial travellers’ trade is an ,import ant factor in their business. Following this, the committee desires to point out to travelling members the plain duty which devolves upon them of patronising our association’s bouses. Unless this Course is faithfully observed, there is danger that the relationship between our association and its registered bouses may be disturbed, and our influence thereby weakened. This is a most important matter, and one that the committee desires to emphasise strongly. It is a matter of general comment that hotel arrangements within the association territory are in a very satisfactory condition, thanks to Mr J, T. Gillan and his assistants for the excellent services they have rendered in this connection. . RAILWAY MATTERS. The United Association is alive to the wants of travelling members, and makes every endeavour to secure concessions, and also tacilities for their comfort. In order to keep constantly in touch with the Railways Department, the committee appointed Mr J. T. Gillan to act as railway representative. Mr Gillan’s duties are to bring before the department all complaints and suggestions made by commercial travellers, and this arrangement has worked out very well indeed. OBITUARY. The committee greatly regrets to record the _ deaths of five association members during the year:—W. A. Barnes, E. Chetwin, W. Scales, R. Turnbull, and Sir J. G. Ward,' Also club members;—A. Gillies, Charles Kerr, S. S. Myers, and H. W. Phillips. sorrow was expressed by all at the tragic passing of Mr E. Chetwin, who was accidentally drowned at the Clydevale crossing of the Molyneux River, in the death of Sir J. G. Ward the association lost a loyal and esteemed association member. Sir Joseph Ward was a member of many years’ standing, and at all times took a keen interest in our association and its activities. CONCLUSION. We have taken stock after a year’s activity and trading in our new Bond street premises. Our high hopes of a successful year which were entertained at the outset have been realised. We set ourselves a goal which we hoped to gain, and not only have we been successful in realising our hopes, but we have done so under the most trying and difficult trading, conditions our community has experienced for many years. Such results give one reason to believe that at last we are on a sound footing, with a centarily situated and popular club, which under capable management can pay its way, and at the same time provide members with efficient and satisfactory service. The committee trusts that this may long continue.