The Athenaeum

Southland Times, Issue 18058, 30 January 1903, Page 4

The Athenaeum

The annual meeting of members ot the Invercargill Athenaeum was heid in the reading room on Thursday evening. The President, the Hon. H. Feldwick, being unable to be present, Jlr W. H. Hall was appointed chairman. Tnere was -a fair attendance of members. Mr W. H. Scandrett wrote intimating that he would not offer himself for re-oleetion to ifxe committee..

..On the motion of the chairman, the report and balance sheet v were taken as read. Mr Hall explained that owing to the absence "on fcolid ays of the Government auditor the balance sheet had r.ot belli audited, Tiut. this would 1-e done, probably earlyjn _ jj'ebruary. j The report. '-s£at£fl, inter alia, uiat the? revenue amounted to £1217 15s 8d and thie expenditure to £1126 17s lOd. Kight debentures^ - ; had been sold during the year, leaving 24 held by the oank as security against the overdraft. The interest account show a reduction of over £20, as compared with the previous year. Members subscriptions show a slight increase. Library — 400 new volumes were procured, classified as follows: — Reference, 45 (including the Century Dictionary and the latest edition of Chambers' Encyclopaedia) ; hiography, 21 ; essays, 30 ; travels, 25 ; l.istory. 18 ; science, ■ 10. ; poetry, 5 ; fiction, 210 : miscellaneous, 86. Fourteen meetings of the Committee were held during tiho year, at which.- the attendance was as follows :^Hon.''TH'. Feldwick ,( gran ted leave of absence during the Parliamentary session), 71 : Messrs Willcox, 13 ; MaeGoun and ,/Thoinson, J. 2 ; Scandrett and Stout li ; Fowler and ijali 9 ; Vernon (during , seven months), 8: Hoirinson' (five months), r 4. The 'membership ' was 596 ; ' 198 beingj ladies. The statements of receipts and expenditure were as follows.":— . Receipts; — Debentures sold, £784 ; rents, £876 7s 5d ; subscriptions, £320 Us 8d; waste paper and magazines, £14 9s 5d : catalogues, £1 10s 6d ; refund interest, £3 12s ; do furniture account, ". s 8d : do sundries account, £1 ; balance '.{lst De--ceniber, 1902, £1223 16s 3d— total, £3225 12s Id.

Expenditure.— Balance at hank, £2.101 14s 3d ; interest -(debentures £276. overdraft £112 12a Sid); £38S 12s 9d ; land tax, £43 7s 8d : rates, £53 0s 8d ; insurance, £38 19s 3d; repairs, £33 11s 3d'; library account, £111 4s 7d ; bookbinding. £9 10s 9d ; newspapers and magazines, £87 18s lOd ; salaries, £172 15s ; cleaning. £69 12s -gas, £27 1« Bri; coal, £15 Oa6d; advertising and printing. £6 3s-. furniture, £31 lla lOd ; stationery. £3- 2s Gd ; auditing. ££• ; sundries. £28'5s^7d— total, X3225 12a Id. Liabilities— Sundry accounts. £17 is lOd ; bank overdraft, £1223 16s fid- ba-

lance, £1202* las Bd— total, 243 lfis lid lance £1202 15s Bd— total £2443 lfis 11 «1 24 debentures, £2400— total, £2443 lfis 13d. .

Property, Account.— liabilities : 7fi debentures sold. £7600 -• 24 debentures held by bank^£24ob ; balance, A'9B4o—total. £19,348. Assets : "Value of building ana site, £75500 ; Colonial Chambers and site, £6300 ; 1097 acres; Tnvcrcargil! -Hundred, £3301: 450 acres Campbelltown Hundred, £447; books, furniture, etc.. £1000; museum, £200— total. j£19;348.. ■'.■/■'"■ " The Hpn! H- FeldWick wrote regretting that he could not be" present. , He as-sumed"'-that the balance-sheet and report would be adopted. He felt justified in saying that no document of so satisfactory a nature had ever been presented to members. It was gratifying to note that the revenue for the year had been £90 more than the expenditure. This has not been due to a " skinflint " jiolicy on the part of the committee, who for sonic years past had had matters to deal with requiring their closest attention, I'hesp included the replacement of old loans and additions thereto consequent on the .falling into their handi;ol the Colonial Chamijers: " The committee had had to deal with difficult matters and had carried out their duties with care and judgment. Everything pointed to the continued progress of ■ the institution, which; since its inception, "had been one of which Invbccargiir should be proud. The Chairman endorsed the chief points in the President's letter. The expenditure : on : books had been 5p per cent, more than; in previous years, and everything had "'been" done without extravagance, though there had been effici- • «ncy. ;

Mr Mehaftey, in seconding the motion, asked whether it -would not be better to dispose of the debentures held as/ securityby the bank, and pay off the overdraft, thus involving the payment of less interest.;

The Chairman said that the committee had no intention of allowing the ordinary revenue alone to pay- oft the .-overdraft; they were endeavouring to dispose of £1200 of the debentures, which ■POUlil put them in the position of liuv ing- no overdraft, and thus allow them to 4argely increase the library. TttrMenaffey asked if the committee had made any attempt to get an abatement of the -heavy taxes paid on = their property

The Chairman said, that , the committee had appealed against ihte. Go\*rnment taxes and had toeea successful in getting a modification ol 'the. Corporation taxation. 0n the. Colonial Bank buildings they the "property -tax and ho rough rates for the tenants, except Messrs Henderson and Bather, who paid the town, rates.- . r ' . '

-Mr :Wade introduced another question, prefacing: his , speech with the remark that the privileges of memoirs hari l-ccn interfered with on one or two occasions during ihe past year, vnd he thougLt un explanation was required.

The Chairman - ruled, nry natter ncl mentionefl in the report out of oriicr. The time for the fUsc.ission of complaints was after the brd-.art.ry l.usiress Was concluded.— Mr Wads protested against this ruling.— The wolicn v-ns then carried. ~

The following committee ~ wi.se ek-cted for the ryeac ,:— Hon. H. FelJwick, l r is>srs Thomson, Fowler, -.Hall, \M>«sp-ttt, Stout. RobinßOtt^ W^eob, and ftav. "i. I\, Trior. Mr Feldwick" was unanlai jUily rt-et'Hed president : fir W. H. Ifall tioosurer, and Mr- Vf: Stout

.; A proposal ha-d been' before the committee to. employ some person to look jaiter .therihstitutiori r on Sunday afternoons, and Mr Macgoiin gave details. He said that members of committee had

been doing this work, but owing to several reasons the system was. unsatisfactory. There had been instances where a member had simply opened the doors on Sunday and left' the place, returning at 5 p.m.. to close up. The idea was to have someone there who would look after the institution, and this could only be done properly by continued attendance. — The. committee was empowered to employ a caretaker on Sunday.— Messrs Hall and Stout denied that members of the committee were- in the habit of leaving the institution unattended.

A. proposal to confer life membership on a former librarian was referred to the committee.

The- Chairman enquired for any other remarks ;Of .complaints. . : Mr Wade had previously' retired, and as there was no response, the ■ chairman declared the meeting closed. •.-.. . \C j^.;- ; ;| , .