LYTTELTON COLONISTS’ SOCIETY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1030, 13 October 1877, Page 3

LYTTELTON COLONISTS’ SOCIETY.

The annual meeting of this society was held on Thursday evening last, at their Hall, Lyttelton. Little interest was manifested, only about twenty members being present during the proceedings. The President, Mr Nalder, having taken the chair, read the committee’s report for the past year, which ran as follows : Your committee have much pleasure in reporting that during the preceding twelve months they have been enabled to make considerable additions to the library, 300 volumes of books of various classes having been added. Additions have also been made to the newspapers and other periodicals supplied to the reading room, and they see with pleasure that their efforts to make the reading room attractive are appreciated, as instanced by the numerous attendance, especially in the evening. The reading room is still thrown open to visitors and mariners coming to Lyttelton free of charge, but your committee regret that this is taken advantage of by residents w T ho have no claim to this benefit, and who thus attempt to evade the small subscriptions required from members. The number of subscribers has increased this year to 120, but this bears a very small proportion to the population of the town. The committee have during the past season continued the winter entertainments, which have been a great success, the net proceeds amounting to <£62 18s. The committee have received from the Lyttelton Harbor Board a donation of £25, and a promise of further support, for which liberality the Board deserves the thanks of this society, as it has been only by great efforts on the part of the committee, aided by the donation above referred to, that the committee have been enabled to meet their engagements. Tour committee feeling that it was necessary that they should ascertain in what position the society would be likely to be placed in with reference to the Hall and site at the end of the present lease, have applied to the Lyttelton Borough Council to ask them to consent to' powers being inserted in a Bill which will be brought before the General Assembly this session, enabling them to deal with another reserve, to authorise their vesting the Hall and site in trustees in trust for the society; but although three months have elapsed since the application was made, no definite answer has yet been received, and your committee cannot but regret that this delay has arisen, as even if a favorable reply is given, it leaves little chance of getting the matter settled this session. The treasurer’s balance-sheet has been duly audited, and will be laid before you. The hon. treasurer, Mr Lance, read the balance-sheet, from which it appeared that the receipts for the past year had been £375 8s 3d, including a balance of £57 14s Id left over from the previous year, and the expenditure had been £385 9s, leaving a deficit of £lO 0s 9d.

The election of officers was then proceeded with with the following result;—President, Mr Joyce ; vice-president, Mr H. 0. Jacob* son ; hon. treasurer, Mr W. H. Lance ; committee, Messrs H. R. Webb, J. C. Boddington, George Tayler, Wilcocks, Fyfe, Kingsford, Woodford, Eyes, and Chalmers, and Drs. Rouse and McDonald.

The new president, Mr Joyce, having then taken the chair, thanked those present for the honor they had done him in electing him to the office of president. During his residence in Lyttelton he had always taken a deep interest in the society, and hoped during his year of office to see it continue to prosper. He thought that the use of the institution might be increased by the establishment of classes for the study of certain subjects, and intended to use every effort to initiate such classes. He was promised the aid of the vice-president in this matter, and had every hope of seeing [it carried out successfully. The vice-president also returned thanks, and expressed his willingness to aid the president in inaugurating classes. Mr Woodford proposed, and Mr Phillips seconded, a vote of thanks to the retiring officers and committee.

The president for the past year, Mr H, H. Haider, replied. He took this occasion of thanking the members of the entertainment committee for the great aid they had rendered him. Had it not been for the efforts of those gentlemen instead of a paltry deficit of £lO, they would hare owed nearly £IOO. He was sorry that so few, comparatively speaking, of the members of the society seemed to take any warm interest in its welfare. Mr Jacobson, the vice-president, bogged to move a vote of thanks to those ladies and gentlemen who had assisted at the winter evening readings during the past season, many of whom, at considerable inconvenience to themselves, had come forward, time after time, for the benefit of the society. , Ho also wished specially to mention two gentlemen who, though not members of committee, had undertaken the arduous, and not by any means pleasant, duty of issuing and taking tickets at the entertainments. He referred to Messrs J. S. Willcox and Bunker. The Hon. Treasurer (Mr Lance) seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously. The President regretted that Mr Haider (the late president) refused to act this year on the committee. That gentleman had done very great service to the society, and he hoped he would reconsider his determination. Mr Haider said that, though wishing the society every possible success, he must refuse to hold office during the present year, as he thought some of the other members should now come forward to assist in the work of the society. Per the past eleven or twelve years, ever since the hall had been built, he had been a committeeman, and thought the period had now arrived when he might retire prom active service, at least for a time.