KEREPEEHI PUBLIC HALL

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4619, 31 October 1923, Page 1

KEREPEEHI PUBLIC HALL

MEETING OF SOCIETY. A general meeting of the Kerepeehi Public Hall Society was held on Friday evening to discuss the proposal to acquire a public hall for the district. There wafs an attendance of about 50. The chairman Mr E. S. Masters, said the committee had approached Messrs Herkt and Innes with regard to purchasing the present Kerepeehi Hall. The conditions under which the building could now be purchased were different to the previous offer. The present price would be £1250 cash, including the picture projecting plant. It was for the people to decide whether the hall should be purchased or another one built. Mr Herkt quoted figures showing that the price aisked for the hall was fair and equitable. Mr Masters said that if the people wanted a hall they should get moving so that some finality could be reached in the matter. The question had been before ,the district for a long time, and apparently there were two parties. The question should be settled. If it was decided to erect a new hall satisfactory financial arrangements could be made. Mr B. Frecklington said that the question had been decided at a public meeting seven months ago, and that meeting had decided not to build a new hall. Mr AV. Herkt and Mr J. A G. Wilson 'said that a public hall was advocated last year because the present hall on the site it then occupied was not considered suitable for use at show time. Mr W. Thompson said that the committee desired to reach finality as the continual argument was tending to deter the owners from improving the building. . Mr W. Booth said that the residents were quite satisfied that, the hall question should remain in abeyance, and that I<he hall remain in private hands. He spoke of the charges for hall hire, and compared the charges with those of Ngatea, showing that on an average the Ngatea charges were higher than those at Kerepeehi. He moved: “ That the residents of Kerepeehi are quite satisfied with the management of the ha 1 ! at the present time and that there is no need for a public hall in Kerepeehi while the interests of the public are being served so liberally by the present owners. Seeing that it has taken two years to arrive at this conclusion, and that it has been held oyer the heads of the hall proprietors, we, the residents of Kerepeohi, now urge the owners to proceed with their proposed improvements.” Mr Li .A. W. Bagnall seconded. Mr Booth said, in support of the latter part of hi,s motjpn, that there were several improvements that could be made to increase facilities. t Mr G. A. Avey said that the feeling was that there .should not be a public hall. If the question was closed the society should be wound up. Considerable discussion arose a,s to who were eligible to vote on tjhe motion, several members of the society contending that only financial members had that privilege. Mr Booth suggested that the question be put twice —once to financial members' and once to the public present. He said that the meeting had been called as a public meeting. The chairman said that he would be exceeding his duty by extending the privilege of voting to the public. He would therefore adhere strictly to the rules of the incorporated society. The matter was finally settled by those who desired to become members being proposed and elected. On the motion being put to the meeting' it, was carried unanimously. THE SITE. Mr Booth moved that the committee go into ways and means of untilising the funds and the site belonging to the society for the purpose of building a public library if the Registrar of Incorporated Society ruled that this was permissible. The chairman pointed out that the rules provided that the funds and the site could not be utilised for anything else than the building of a public hall. Members suggested that a library could be erected as side rooms to a hall which could be built in perhaps twenty years. This would conform to the rules of the society. The money had been provided by the and now the public were desirous of building a library. This was seconded by Mr Herkt. Considerable discussion arose as to whether the motion was in order. Mr Devereaux contended that it was contrary to the rules of the society and therefore out of order. He moved as an amendment that the rules of the society be strictly adhered ta, and the fund not to be übed for a library or anything else. The amendment lapsed fop want of a seconder and the resolution was put and carried unanimously. The chairman asked how it was proposed to finance a library if the registrar said that it was permissible to use the hall funds as a nucleus. Mr Booth moved that subject to a favourable reply the committee go into ways and means of raising money for a library. This was seconded by Mr Bagnall and carried unanimously. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair.