DUNEDIN BURNS CLUB.

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 15

DUNEDIN BURNS CLUB.

The annual business meeting of members of the above club was held on the 29th in the Choral Hall. There was a large attendance, including many ladies. Mr R. Gilkison (vice-president) presided in the unavoidable absence of Mr J. Arkle (president).

The annual report has been published in our columns. The balance sheet for the year ending 31st March, 1905, showed : Cash in bank, £153 12s lOd; members' subscriptions, £75 3s; proceeds of Halloween gathering, £49 18s 6d; annual gathering, £38 6s ; and other items, bringing the total to £346 Is Bd. TKe expenditure included : Rent. £4-4- 10s ; conductor, £20 ; cost of gatherings. £66 Is 2d ; salaries and honorariums, £32 9s. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet, regretted the absence of their president, Mr Arkle, who had always taken great interest in the club. One of their vice-presidents, Mr R. Chisholm, was also absent on a trip to the Old Country. Be-fore that gentleman left, he (the chairman) had told him members of the Dunediu Burns Club would expect on his return a full account of his voyaging and .experie-nces. Mr Chisholm consented, and he hoped lfienib&rs would see that thepromise was kept on that gentleman's return. — (Cheers.) He congratulated members on the gcod attendance at meetings during the past year, particularly at their two gatherings, in connection with which they were greatly indebted to the Rev. Dr Nisbet and to Mr George Liaurenson, M.H.R., who came forward to assist them. At a former meeting Mr Justice Williams had said that he did not like to see a society Hide theirs accumulate funds, as the business of the club was to spend money. They would remember, too, that Lord Macaulay had said that Great Britain owed a great portion of its prosperity to the existence of the National Debt. He (the chairman) shared these opinions to a large extent, and thought they might profitably be applied to their club. If their funds were not so large they might be inclined to work harder. They were told that the moa and the dodo once had wings, but lost them because at a later period in their history they had a supei--abundance of food and had less need to seek for it. So with a society like their own: if they always had money to the good they would be apt to grow fat and to rest too long on their oars. He thought Scotchmen worked best and fought best ■when surrounded by difficulties. — (Cheers.) He would like to see some of their funds used for providing scholarships open to the children of members. That proposal was well within their scope and powers. They might also offer prizes for the best eesaydealing with Scottish national history in prose or poetry. He regretted that in this country they had no old associations like those in the Old Country, where a. resident in Edinburgh or Stirling, or other old city, had opportunities of seeing old castles, cathedrals, or other old relics. In the colony there was nothing to carry them further back than about 50 years. That was a hard thing to fight against; but they should encourage the-ir members to che-rish a love of the-ir oountry, their music, and their poetry, instead of bein.<? so eager in the race- after riches, which he was afraid was the principal thing thought of in the colony. It was, he also thought, the duty and business of the society to provide speakers who would stir up the national sentiment of members and tell them stories of Scotland that would make them familiar with the past history of their native country. He hoped all would assist in carrying out the business of the club oven better than it had been carried on during ihe past 14 years of its existence, so that their club would advance by leaps and bounds, and then their society would fully justify its existence. — (Cheers.) Dr Stenhouse, in seconding the motion, said he thought the club was somewhat like the church at Laodicea — neither cold nor hot. There had been a falling-off in members, in enthusiasm, and a small falling-off in money. All that would have to be rectified in the future. Many of their old and enthusiastic supporters had gone T;o that bourn© from whe-noe no traveller returned, but there should be no difficulty in getting together a strong choir under a capable conductor. Perhaps they had left the management of these affairs too much to the men ; but; there were many things that the women did much better than men, and therefore the ladies might be asked to assist them. He regretted there was not greater competition in an elocutionary direction, but hoped, by putting strong, enthusiastic, and useful Scotch men on the new committee, the =ocioiy would advance greatly during- the coming year.— (Cheers.)

Tho following ytpvp olerWl offirc bearers for the current year; — -President, Mr Robt.

Gilkison (unanimously elected, with musical honours) ; vice-presidents, Messrs W. R. Don and R. Brown ; seci'etary, Mr J. R. Fairbairn ; treasurer, Mr James Wallace (re-elected) ; committee — Messrs W. Brown, Jeans, D. M. Fea, R. R. Donaldson, RTelfer, W. Wallace., P. Sutherland, J. Moncnoff, and Dr Stcnhouse ; auditor, Mr James Brown.

Votes of thanks were passed to the retiring office-bearers. Mr J. Wallace moved — " That it be a recommendation to the committee that the whole matter of the choir and its relation to the club bo considered at the- earlie=t possible date." — Seconded by Mr J. Henderson and carried.

The meeting closed with the singing of "Auld lang syne."

As showing appreciation of New Zealand woods, it may be mentioned (says the Christchurch Press) that some very handsome bedroom furniture has been manufactured by the firm of A. J. White to the order of a lady visiting the colony from England. The furniture is made of beautifully mottled kauri, and it is expected will lead to further orders.

"I_ am opposed to wasting money on inebriates' homes," said Mr T. E. Taylor, M.H.R., at Christchurch, on Tuesday. "On the grounds of sheer pity for the victims of inebriety we should provide for their isolation, but experience is against the possibility of curing any considerable proportion of the dipsomaniacs." A female Hibernian witness at the Masterton Court, on Tuesday morning, was giving evidence as to alleged ill-treatment by her husband, and said. "On Tuesday last he tried to beat me with a big stick." "What happened?" asked the S.M. "I took the stick from him and beat him," was the unhesitating re-ply. "He has not been home since," the witness added later.