FOXTON BEAUTIFYING SOCIETY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3727, 8 December 1927, Page 2

FOXTON BEAUTIFYING SOCIETY.

ANNUAL MEETING NOT CONSTITUTIONAL. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING HELD.

Last month the annual meeting of the Foxton Beautifying Society was duly advertised and held. The usual routine business of an an nual meeting was conducted by those present and officers' elected. A few days later, however, the Rev. W. H. Walton, an old member of the Society, who was not present at the annual meeting, and who had not been elected to a position on the committee, approached the President (Mr. M. E. Perreau), and stated that the business of the annual meeting had been informal as there had not been a quorum present as required by the rules and demanded a further meeting. This request was granted with the resultthat another meeting of the Society waS convened and held m Fairey’s rooms last evening, presided over'by Mr. M. E. Perreau (President). Also present were Mesdames Perreau and McMurray, and Messrs W. H. Walton, W. H. Nicholas, F, A. Mason, D. Christie, .1. K. Hornblow, W. Trueman, John Ross, R. McMurray and the secretary (Mr. R. Hornblow). The President in stating the object of the meeting said that some time ago the annual meeting of the Society had been eonvened owing to their secretary leaving for Australia. There had not been ten members present, the number required to form a quorum, but the business had been transacted and it was now necessary for the meeting to e:i dorse the action of that meeting. The minutes of the annual meeting were then fiead, also the letter from the Rev. Walton, calling on the President to convene a further meeting. Mr. Christie: A requisition of live members is required before anyone can convene a meeting. Has that been done?

The President said that Rev. Walton had asked him if it was necessary for him to obtain the signatures of five members to call the meeting and he had told him it did not 'matter. If there had been an error committed he was only too pleased to right it. ! Mr. Christie: I will move that the action of the President in convening the meeting be endorsed. This was seconded by Mr. olas and carried. Rev. Walton said he wished to explain the reasons for his action. Last year the Society had not been called together and, as an old member of eight years’ association with the Society, lie felt that that had been a mistake, because although the Society was not doing a great deal of work it would have been wise- to have called a meeting at least quarterly to keep the Society alive. On four or five occasions he had asked the President to call a meeting and on the night of the annual meeting he had intended to he present.. He had been out in the country all day, however, and returned to the country with medicine for a sick person. Mr. Trueman: I rise to a point of order, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Walton is apologising for his absence from the annual meeting. It has no bearing on the adoption of the minutes.

Rev. Walton: I want to point out why I asked Mr. Perreau to call this meeting. The President: We would like to hear the reasons. (Continuing, Rev. Walton said that the doctor had been in difficulties and had asked him to carry medicine out to a country patient, and that was why lie had been absent from the meeting. He.had discovered that there had not been a quorum at that meeting and had also heard that a remark had been passed at that meeting that people who were not present, were evidently not interested in the Society. He felt it a slur at being passed over and people, not members of the . Society, being elected to positions on the committee. He felt that some day the Society would require further funds and the old members who had been “shelved” would not feel inclined to support any effort. Besides this the business carried on at that meeting had been informal and everything' was ultra vires. The town did not know the state of the balance-sheet of the Society. One member, Mrs. Moore, had been rung up by the bank and asked how it was that a cheque had been issued when there were no funds in the bank to meet it. Mrs. Moore had mentioned that fact to him. Those were his reasons for asking that a meeting be called and lie was quite in order in doing so. There were people who did not want to see the Society lapse 01 become moribund, and who wanted to show their interest in the Society. The President said that it had been decided some time ago that no meetings be called as there was no new work to be done. All that remained to be done, for the time being, was to maintain the work that had already been put in hand. There had been no necessity for regular meetings, but they had been held od 12th March, 15th June, and m August of last year. Mr. Mason: Mr. Walton is incorrect then? The President: He evidently overlooked that fact. We did not think it was necessary to convene a meeting every month as there was nothing to do. With regard to there not being enough money in the bank

to meet payment on a cheque, £HeW position was that the late left in a hurry for Australia, and before lie went he signed the caretaker’s cheque. There had been no funds in the hank at the time, but as soon after as possible an amount was transferred from the Post Office account.

Mrs. McMurray: Haven’t we some rules as to the holding of the annual meeting? The President: It should be held in May. Mr. Rimmer was asked to call it by me on sevei-al occas-

ions. Mr. J. K. Hornblow said that the best thing to do would be to endorse the minutes of the previous meeting. The annual meeting did not possess a quorum hut it had been duly advertised and if people had the welfare of the Society at heart it was their duty to be present. The whole position circled afound the fact that Mr. Wialton had not been elected on the committee. He had done £ood work in the past and possibly was disappointed at being overlooked. Personally, he had been rejected from the committee some years ago, because he opposed a certain policy, but it had not interferral with his interest in the welfare of the Society. He would move that the business of the previous meeting be endorsed. Mr John Ross, in seconding the motion, said that it was the only thing to do. The Society had carried out certain financial obligations and could not go back on them now. St Rev. Walton: That is perfectly/ true. My action is not due to soreness. I approve of the action of the annual meeting being endorsed; Continuing, lieisaid that he'had asked the President to call the meeting to prevent creating a precedent by doing business without a quorum. He also objected to the notice given of the meeting that night. Two days’ notice was too short, he said. It would be difficult to keep the Society going unless it was properly run, and the town would be the loser if it became defunct. Tiie President: I take the blame. I would like to ask Mr. Walton to take on the Presidency and feel that he will be able to manage the affairs of the Society better than I" have done. I have done my best. It was thought wise to conserve the funds for the maintenance of .the work already done and it will not be convenient for me to attend a meeting every month unless there is some definite business to transact. Mr. Trueman: Is this meeting irregular, Mr. Walton? When you go home and read up the rules you may find that the rules provide for seven days’ notice and then this meeting would be irregular. Rev. Walton: Oh, no. Mr. McMurray: Mr. Walton docs not blame you,, Mr President . He' only considers it necessary to hold quarterly meetings. The motion was then put and carried. Rev. Wialton said he was reluctant to bring the matter up. He' had been asked to do so by others. There was nothing personal about it. The -President had been respefnsible for most of the Society’s work and deserved credit for his efforts, but if quarterly meetings had been held there would have been no trouble. He hoped that no one present would take what he had said as a personal matter. He only desired to close the people’s mouths who had,not the courage to be present at that meeting. On the motion of Messrs Nicholas and Christie it was decided to hold the next meeting of the Society in February at which Mr. Trueman is to submit a* statement of accounts. At this juncture Mrs. McMurray apologised for the absence of Mrs. Moore. The secretary reported a credit of £32 odd in the bank. The secretary (Mr. R. Hornblow), who had been acting pro. tern tendered his resignation and Mr.’R. McMurray was elected to fill the vacancy. • Mr. .Nicholas: Meetings are lo he held only once a quarter? Rev. Walton: The motion referring, to monthly meetings was rescinded two years ago. ' Mr. Trueman: Are you sure the proper legal steps were taken to rescind the motion? (Laughter). Mr. R. Goldingbam was elected a new member, and the meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to. the chair. I