FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13637, 16 April 1908, Page 4

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

TARANAKI ASSOCIATION.

rtThe annual meeting of the Taranaki Friendly Societies' Association" was* held at Stratford this week. Mr. F. x Amoore, of Eltham,. occupied the chair. Tho other delegates present were: Messrs Taylor and Hamerton (Ingle- '. wood Druids), Q/Hagan (New Plymouth Hibernian), Simmons (Toko Oddfellows), Hewer and. Kivell (Stratford .Foresters), Snowden (Manaia/ Oddfellows), Hobbs (New Plymouth Druids), J Bennett, Fawcett (Inglewood Foresters), Whitham (Stratford Rechabites), Hancock, Mountford (Midhiret Odd- . fellows), Melville, Betts (Kapong* Oddfellows), Hopson (Inglewood Rechabites), and Hardy (Eltham Oddfellows). , The balance-sheet showed that six months ago. the liabilities exceeded the assets by £250 ; at the end of the financial year (March 31) the liabilities exceeded the assets by £100. Practic- . ally £150 had been wiped off. ' The chairman said the Association had every reason to congratulate it* self* on the working of the past six months. In October of last year the | liabilities were over £200, while at ! the present time the total indebtedness . was down to £111. They had every ! hope of seeing 1908 close with a balj ance 014 the right side. While most of I fhe lodge secretaries' had rendered good service by sending contributions , ! promptly, some had been very lax jn I this respect. He trusted the various I delegates would bring the matter before their respective lodges with a view, to having-, the trouble remidied. On tho whole the membership of the Association had been well maintained. Only three lodges had expressed their intention of withdrawing — the Egmont Lodge (New Plymouth), Union Lodge (Hawera), and Hawera Druids. The Egmont Lodge had paid their share of , the deficiency but the others had not . as yet done so. The following officers were elected: President, Mr Hamerton (Inglewood), vice-president, Mr Simmons fToko);. secretary and treasurer, Mr Amoore (Eltham) ; executive, Messrs Hobbs ' (New Plymouth), Betts (KapongaV, Fawcett (Inglewood), Hancock (Midhirst)* A resolution was passed concerniiiSL^. the Hawera Oddfellows and Drt^dw^ that, unless the dues of those lodieS^/ we^e paid by April 30th, the AssociaA tion should decline to recognise liability on hospital accounts owing by members of those lodges. Votes of thanks wero accorded the Stratford Foresters for the use of a room and to the retiring officers and , executive. " It was decided to pay 50 per cent, of all outstanding accounts.

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