OAMARU BATHS COMPANY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 21 September 1880, Page 2

OAMARU BATHS COMPANY.

The annual meptjng of thes above Company wfts helcj. ibg Qddfellows* Hull last evenipg. There were weres 25 shareholders present; land Dr. de Lautoiir was Voted to the chair. The Secretary (Mr. V{. J. Smith).read tfte pf the last general rr]epting, which ere ponfirmed. The Secretary tlien road the annual report as follows - - In presenting . the third annual statement before the shareholders, the. directors; very much regret that the financial position of the company is mosjb unsatisfactory. The baths ; were started, as you are aware, in 1877., at a cost of L1502'i63 Id, the norhinal capital of the company being LI2OO, but up to the I present date only 1091 shares had been disI posed of. The overdraft due to tlyji

1577 was L4Bl Os Sd, and at the present time is L 403 ISs 2d ; other liabilities, L 266 18s Id; the company, therefore, owe L 670 16s 3d, to which must be added the amount due to the shareholders, LlO9l, and bonus L7B 10s, declared in August, 1878. The receipts for the past season only covered working expenses by a small amount, and this very unsatisfactory state of the revenue your directors canuot help feeling is due to a want of patronage by the public of this town. No doubt the state of trade generally during the past year will account for a slight decrease, but the directors fully expected that when the company was started, each year would show a very large increase of revenue, which, with the shares unsold would have reduced the amount due to the "bank. But your directors now find from experience that such an excellent institution has not received the assistance from the majority of the shareholders and the public that was expected. To show that every , economy lias been used in working the baths, the receipts and expenses for the three years are given : —IS77, receipts L 254 2s 6d, expenses L 169 4s Id; 1878, L 237 17s, and LIBS 7s Id ; 1879, Ll5O 2s, and L 146 15s 6d. It must be borne in mind that the same expenses are incurred if. the baths are visited by 200 bathers a week or 500; the bathkeepers must attend and the engine be kept going. The buildings are in good condition, but before the engine can pump some repairs must be executed and the pipes into the sea re-laid, at an estimated cost of L 25 to L3O. The retiring directors are Messrs. Gibbs, M'lntosh, and Hislop, and all are eligible for election. * The balance-sheet was also read. Mr. Brownlee proposed, and Mr. It. Blair seconded, that the report and balance-sheet be adopted as read, which, after some discussion, 'was carried. After a good deal of talk condemning the management of the baths, some of the shareholders thought that an adjournment should take place to allow Mr. Gibbs an opportunity of being present. Mr. Finch then moved, " That tenders be called for the lease of the baths for three years, from 15th October next, the agreement to provide that the baths be properly supplied with sea-water during the season in accordance with the provisions provided by the lease given by the Corporation, price of admission, etc., to be as set forth in the terms of the lease ; such tenders to be referred to the directors, who will draw up conditions by which tenderers will be bound." Mr. Forrester seconded the resolution. He said that probably most of the shareholders were not aware that the dirtiness of the bath might arise from circumstances over which the directors or the bathkeeper had Ho control. He had spoken to Mr. Smith on one occasion about the matter, and it was explained to him (Mr. Forrester) that a heavy sea. had come on during the night, and that on the water being pumped into the baths a large amount of vegetable matter was found floating on the top. He thought that the dirtiness of the baths was due as much to natural causes as to the bathkeeper. Mr. Garrard said it was not the dirtiness of the water in the bath that the publio complained of. It was the dirty i state of the rooms and asphalt round the bath that was the cause of complaint; in fact, some of the places were like pigstyes. Now that the fresh water was laid on in the town he thought that some arrangement might easily be made whereby the pipes might be kept clear. Mr. Finch's resolution was then put and carried. Messrs. Gibbs (re-elected), Finch, and | Gonnell were appointed to fill the vacancies caused by the retiring directors. Mr. Oollis asked, in the event of the baths being let by tender, when the outstanding liabilities were to he paid off. After a good deal of discussion, the matter dropped, Mr. Forrester moved that it be an instruction to the directors to ask the ! Council to lay fresh water on the baths ; also, to ascertain definitely what will be the cost of the gas used for the gas engines. It was resolved that, in the event of their not being able to obtain tenders, the directors make the best arrangements oould for the carrying on of the baths during the next season. After a considerable amount of talk upon various matters, a vo,to of thanks was accorded to the Chairman, and the meeting, whicU was an exceedingly lively broke up.