THAMES MINERS' ACCIDENT RELIEF FUND.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1981, 11 May 1875, Page 2

THAMES MINERS' ACCIDENT RELIEF FUND.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING.

;• :;The half-yearly meeting? of subscribers to the above fund was held last night, in the Governor Bowen Holel. The attendance was, it is to be regretted, very «poor, being as follows:—Captain Fraser (in the chair), Messrs Berryman, Lowe, Donnelly, Syvrett, Murray, and Mr Frederick F. Day, Secretary.

The President read the advertisement calling the meeting, after which the minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.

The half-yearly report and balancesheet were then read as follow: — " Thames Miners' Accident Relief Fund. Receipts and expenditure for the halfyear ending April 19, 1875. Dr.—To balance .at bank October 19, 1874, £62 Os . sd; donations from Magnet Variety Troupe, £3 6s 7d; subscriptions for half-year ending April 19, 1875, £117 4s 9d; cash in hand October 19, 1874, Bs—£lß2 19s 9d. Cr.—By balance at bank April 19, 1875, £56 5s sd; printing account, £2 2s; relief expenditure, £101 2s lOd; secretary's salary, £20; general expenses, stationery, and cheque book, £2 7s; cash in hand, £1 2s 6d—£lß2 19s 9d. Liabilities.— To printing account (owing say), £6 10s ; amount owing relatives of deceased H. Levy, £25; amount owing widow of the late R. Fox, £12 10s ; secretary's salary due, £12; amount of assets ov.er liabilities, £1 7s lid—£s7 7s lid.. Assets.— By balance cash at Bank of New Zealand, £56 5s sd"; cash in hand, £1 2s 6d— £57 7s lid. * Fbed. F. Day, secretary. T. L. Muebay, hon. treasurer." He then read the following' report.—" Gentlemen, —In submitting to you the 6th half-yearly report of the affairs of your funds, we would call your attention to the statement of receipts and expenditure. By that you will see that the subscriptions received during the past six months have not been enough to pay for relief of members who have met with accidents and to pay the general expenses, leaving nothing for special cases where fatal accidents occur, and had we not have had a balance to start with, we would have been in,debt. The accounts as they now stand show only the small balance of 27s lid, after paying all liabilities. Under the present circumstances the Committee do not feel justified in recommending that after the present week any further subscriptions be received—unless, that at a special meeting they would recommend to be called for this day week, the miners, by their attendance, make such arrangements as would justify the Committee in continuing the affairs of the Belief -Fund ; failing the doing so, i the Committee propose to. pay up all liabilities;, arid close up the Fund—any; balance to hand to be paid to the Thames ~\ Hospital; or, if deficient, they subsidise sueh ', deficiency, and resign their .trust. We take this opportunity of thanking Dr Lethbridge. for.his servicesi as hqn. surgeon, Messrs Power '. and Chapman for auditing the accounts, and Mr Anthony; for the use of his rooms at the Govenor Bowen Hotel." . . ,

Captain Eraser fully endorsed the sentiments contained in the report, The people most interested never came, the attendance being confined to the Committee. He could not see how the Committee could in justice to themselves and the community continue to go on. As to the treasurer (Mr Murray) there was no security to induco him to advance' money. The whole thing was sliding down the hill, and drifting into a state of decay. He would have thrown it up before, but the Committee might have been blamed, and it was only just to give the public an opportunity of deciding for themselves. Be* garding the consequences which an abandonment of the institution would entail upon subscribers, he maintained that old subscribers would suffer nothing, inasmuch n.s they paid their, subscriptions from, week to week, and as security received a guarantee of assistance during the whole time they subscribed. The old subscribers would therefore not be placed in a worse position than the new. It was a great mistake for the Committee Mieawber^like, to keep putting the question off in the hope of something turning up. If there was found to be no vitality in ..the scheme, it were best to abandon it. ""There were many people who considered the was doing an injury—-the Hospitalaad

Friendly Societies for instance ; the only exception being the Ladies' Benevolent Society. Mr Murray coincided with the remarks of the President, that in present circumstances there could bo no use in prolonging the exis.once of the institution. Capt. Fraser : It is as well to give the public an opportunity of seeing how matters stood. Mr Murray said be never was of opinion that the subscriptions would be enough to meet demands ; a subscription fixed at sixpence would not go far towards payments of £12 and £25. The Fund had received a lot of extraneous aid, without which it would have been impossible. . y Mr Donnelly proposed, and it was carried, that the report be adopted. It was further decided to call a meeting of the public, to be held in the Warden's Court at 7.30. o'clock, Capt. Fraser kindly offering the use of the Court in order that there might be no excuse non-attendance. 'J ho meeting then dispersed.