NORTH OTAGO BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 627, 7 May 1878, Page 2

NORTH OTAGO BENEVOLENT SOCIETY.

The ordinary monthly meeting of this Society was held last night at the office of the Secretary. Present—Messrs. Neil Fleming (President), Ronayne, Greenfield, Milligan, and Hardy (Secretary). The minutes of the previous monthly meeting and of a special meeting were read and confirmed, and the inward and and outward correspondence was read. The minutes showed that the business at the special meeting waa to consider serious charges brought against Mr. and Mrs. Hesketh by one Fox, whose children were inmates of the Barracks. The Committee, after the fullest possible investigation, discovered that the charges laid by Fox were groundless. They demanded that he should either apologise to Mr. and Mrs. Hesketh, who, ii was proved, had treated the children with exceeding kindness and generosity, or withdraw his children from the institution, and he elected to do the latter. Amongst the inward correspondence was a letter from the Government, in reply to one from the Society, stating that the Barrack property could not be handed over to the Society until it became a corporate body, and empowering the Secretary to sue for moneys due for rent till that was accomplished. This was ratified by the Society. Mr. and Mrs. Hesketh were appointed master and matron in terms of the resolution passed at the last meeting—namely, for six months, at a salary of L 75 per annum, and four rations , three months' notice of a desire to make a change to be given on either side. The Visiting Committee's rjport was read and adopted, with the exception of certain suggestions concerning the barracks, which were referred to the incoming Visiting Committee, with power to act. On the motion of Mr. Milligan, seconded by Mr. Ronayne, ii was resolved that tile Collector should be requested to furnish (to be laid upon the table at monthly meetings) a monthly report of rents received and the amount of rent in arrears. The Barrack Master's report was received. It showed that 21 servants had been admitted into the Honii during the month, and stated that all of them, with one exception, had secured good situations. It also mentions that the demand for servants was greater than could be supplied. A letter from the Colonial Secretary's office stated that the amount of subsidy (L 157 18s. 31.) due to the Society, had been paid in to its credit. A vote of thalike to the Chairman terminated the proceedings.