NAPIER ATHENÆUM & MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 72, 13 November 1862, Page 5 (Supplement)

NAPIER ATHENÆUM & MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE.

Pursuant to advertisement, a public meeting was held in the Council Chamber on Friday evening last, for the purpose of electing a new committee of management and other officers, and also for the purpose of considering an application made to the Provincial Government relative to the administration of the funds. The meeting was but thinly attended, and the proceedings were of a languid character. W. Maltby, Esq., was called to the chair, and after a fgw remarks, The Secretary read the following report : Your committee regret that, during the long period which lias elapsed since the last meeting, so little progress has been made in carrying out the object of their appointment. Subscriptions to the amount of £B7 4s. 2d. have been collected towards the erection of a building, and a further sum of £2OO was received from the Provincial Government in December last, as a grant in aid of the same. These sums are now deposited in the Bank of Yew Zealand in the name of the Treasurer, and are placed as a deposit bearing interest. The trustees named at the former meeting have been unable to obtain a conveyance from the Superintedent of the land in Clive square appropriated as a site for the Athenssum—an Act which was passed by the Provincial Council to enable the Superintendent to convey the said land to the trustees, having been disallowed by his Excellency the Governor ; and the late Attorney-Gene-ral having given his opinion that the trust must remain vested in the Superintendent, and cannot be legally transferred to the three gentlemen named as trustees. At the last meeting of the Provincial Council the following resolution was adopted : “ That whereas his Excellency the Governor has been pleased to withhold his assent to the Napier Athenaeum Trust Act, as stated in the Colonial Secretary’s letter to the Superintendent of the Province of Hawke’s Bay, bearing date March 6, 1862, this Council hereby requests and authorises the Superintendent to demand a refund of of any provincial funds which may have been paid to the trustees of the Napier Atheiifcum, and to expend the same on a suitable building for tlie Athenaeum, iu accordance with plan and speeifieasiou to be prepared and carried out under the supervision of the Provincial Engineer on such site as the Superintendent and Council shall now determine.” —On receipt by the Secretary of an application from the Superintendent, in accordance with the above resolution, the committee was summoned by circular to consider what course it was thought proper to adopt in reference to 1 1 is Honor’s application, but in consequence of (he number of vacancies which have occurred iu the committee since it’s appointment, it was net found practicable to proceed to business, for want of the number of members necessary to form a quorum ; and it was therefore resolved to call another general meeting, to appoint a new committee to fill up vacancies in the former committee, and also to consider whether (he application of the Provincial Government should be complied with in reference to a refund of the £2OO ; and, in the event of such compliance, to consider what is to be done with the iumls raised by private subscription, amounting to £B7 4s. 2d. —The Secretary then remarked that one difficulty in making progress was in consequence of about one-half the committee being absent, and the committee might be considered as lapsed. The Secretary also read the letter he had received from the Superintendent. Mr. I'iffen would like to know what answer they were to return to the Superintendent, and wished for an expression of opinion as to whether he might refund the .£2OO. As he intended to resign, he hoped the meeting would do something to guide him as to what he was to do. Mr. J. A. Smith believed the building must be erected in Clive Square, or the money must be refunded. Mr. Tiffen read the resolution of the Council on the matter. Air. Sealy thought the Council had no right to dictate as to where the site should be, nor had they a right to demand the refund of money. He should certainly vote against handing the private subscriptions to the Government. Mr. Williams would ask why Mr. Sealy objected to the building being in Clive Square. Mr. Sealy replied that he thought it out of the way. Mr. Fittall said it appeared to him that unless the money was handed to the Government they would have to forego the Athenrnurn altogether. Bather than lose the object, they had better hand the money over to the Government, as they were the guardians -C *.l, _ ....foil-. ’ . TT .1 1 ui me jmuiiu mtcicSt, xie tij6n moved a resolution to the effect that the whole of the money should be handed over to the Superintendent. Mr. Colenso did not know what was the exact purpose of the meeting. There appeared two classes of tilings to be considered. He assumed that there were a number of subscribers who had subscribed some time ago, and he thought they should not be overruled at a meeting of this kind by non-sub-scribers. There were certain things mixed up which he thought should be decided by

subscribers only. He was surprised that there were not more at the meeting; but he thought the fault lay with the committee, who had been appointed for two years, and yet nothing had been done, and it was not for want ot funds. He thought at the time the committee were aiipointed there would be nothing done. The committee was nearly defunct, but if they took out the working members, there was no committee to cany out the Athenaeum. He did not think that a proper meeting to appoint a new committee. If the committee had exerted themselves, they might have saved many young men from ruination. With regard to the refund, as he understood tlie resolution of the Council he thought it was for the purpose of applying it to the object for which it was voted. It had been settled that they could not alter the site from Clive Square, nor had the Superintendent the power. He did not think the Shakespeareroad men should have every public building in that locality. He should like the At he” umum to be placed somewhere out of the way of temptation—that is, away from public houses. Mr. Fitzgerald seconded the resolution profound, in order to move an amendment, which he afterwards withdrew. Mv. Pi. M. Skeet objected to the private subscriptions being handed over to the Superintendent. Mr. Fittall said he simply proposed it to bring out an expression of opinion. They should do all in their power to forward the Athenaeum, and he thought it might be effected by handing all the money to the Superintendent. He did not agree with Mr. Colenso when he thought the meeting should not deal with the subscriptions, for be believed there were many who would subscribe if it were fairly under way. Mr. Colenso thought there was some misconception as to what he had previously said, and proceeded to explain. He thought the subscribers should be called together to form a committee. With reference to what fell from Mr. Fitzgerald, it was well known that the site in Clive Square had been set apart for it, and if people had bought land in that neighbourhood on that faith, they would be sorely disapjioiuted if it were not put there. Mr. Fitzgerald instanced cases in which sites had been changed when found to be bad ones. He would ask if the country memoers would like to walk half a mile to spend an hour there. Mr. Sealy said the reserve for which the Athenamm had been lixed had been left blank. Mr. 1 riphook observed that the Treasurer had said it would be better to stick to the money, but he thought they had stuek to it long enough, instead of erecting the building, i’he. Treasurer would also lead them to believe that they would lose all control over the money it refunded, but such was not the case, as the Superintendent would be merely a trustee, and a committee might apply the money to the object. If the committee did not spend the money on the building, they had obtained it under false pretences. What guarantee had they that the money would ever be spent ? lie did not care where the building was placed if it were only gone on with, but he would prefer it in Shakospeare-road. Mr. Skeet asked if the committee had resigned, because, it so. they had better appoint a fresh one. Mr. Holder would like to hear the names of the committee. The Secretary road the names. Mr. Sealy thought they would not make much progress while the old committee were in existence, and as one of them he begged to resign. _ Mr- Colenso thought it would not he advisable to form a committee then. Were they prepared to form a good working committee ? If the present committee desired to resign, the}” had better signify their intention, and a meeting might then be called to elect a new one. Mr. Triphook would correct some remarks he had previously made. Ho had alluded to the committee having stuck to the money, but lie merely blamed the treasurer, and read from a portion of the Council proceedings to shew that the Treasurer had paid over the money to the bank without the knowledge of the rest of the committee. Mr. Skeet said that as the object of their meeting together was to deal with the .£2OO, he would move — That the sum of two hundred pounds, voted for the Napier Athonanm, bo refunded to the Superintendent in terms of resolution of the Provincial Council. Mr. Holder seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr. Fittall thought it would be consis-

tent if the first motion was put to the meeting. Mr- Skeet thought that if all the money was handed to the Superintendent the subscribers would have no voice in the matter. At this stage, a vote of thanks to the Chairman was moved, and the meeting broke up.