THE TOWN HALL.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 21, 6 March 1924, Page 2

THE TOWN HALL.

ELECTION OF COMMITTEE

Outstanding* Accounts. The adjourned annual meeting of the public of Putaruru to elect a hall committee for the ensuing year was held in the hall on Tuesday evening, Mr. N. 11. Ashford, chairman of the outgoing committee, presiding. There was an attendance of 14 persons. The resignation of the secretary of the outgoing committee, Mi*. G. L. Martin, was received,, and Mr. J. Rolfe was elected secretary of the meeting. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. The financial statements for two periods past were submitted. The statements of receipts and expenditure for the year ended September 30, 1922, was as follows: —Receipts: Rents, £l6O 14s; donations, £4B 8s 4d; total, £209 2s 4d. Expenses: General, £lO7 Is lOd; depreciation £22 6s 3d. Excess of income over expenditure: £79. For the 14 months ended November 30, 1923, the statement of receipts and expenditure was as follows:—Receipts: Cash in hand, September 30, 1922, £4 4s sd; rents, £93 8s; debtors (old acounts collected), £23 Is 6d; bank" overdraft, November 30, 1923, £-394 12s lOd; total, £515 6s 9d. Expenditure: Bank overdraft, September 30, 1922, £326 18s 8d; creditors (previous year) paid, £2B 19s 4d; Lewis, Portas and Daliimore, re deed of trust, £3O ss; electric light installation, £4l ss; insurance, £l4 Is 6d: interest on overdraft, £26 17s 3d; caretaker, £l7 3s 4d; lighting, £lO 14s lOd; county rates, £4 16s lid; sundry expenses, £3 19s 4d, repairs, £5 Is sd; cash on hand, November 30. 1923, £5 4s 2d; total, £515 6s 9d. The balance-sheet as at November 20 was as follows:—Assets: Cash on hand, £5 4s 2d; sundry debtors (rents), £43 15s 6d; piano, £l4 15s; plant, £7O ss; buildings, £622; total, £775 19s Bd. Liabilities: Bank overdraft, £394 12s lOd; owing to Thames Valley Power Board for light, £3 15s Sd. Balance of assets over liabilities, £377 11s 2d. AUDITOR’S REPORT. The following report from the auditor, Mr. S. J. Parker, as addressed to the committee, was read: u I have audited your books for the two periods respectively, September 30, 1922, and November 30, 1923, and enclose herewith the signed balancesheets. There is nothing special to report other than what has been pointed out in a prior report, namely, the inadvisability of your committee allowing long delay in banking- proceeds. This wrong has been accentuated in the last period in that no bankings at all have been made since March, 1923. This, I am given to understand, is by instruction of the committee. If the position was that it was deemed inadvisable to make lodgment to your ordinary banking account, instructions should have been issued to bank elsewhere, particularly where interest may have been earned to counter-balance some part of the interest on the overdraft. Apart from other considerations it seems scarcely fair to ask a secretary holding an honorary position to retain for months sums amounting to over £3O. The holding back of this cash necessitated making payments out of cash instead of through bank. This is a system which should be discontinued. In reference to rentals, I notice Lodge Selwyn is given a preferential rent evidently upon the assumption that the room will be rented at certain stated periods. In several instances the lodge has not used the room on the night for which it was looked. No charge has been made in any of these instances. Attention is drawn to the debtors for hire of the hall. Of a total of £63 15s 6d outstanding at November 30, 1923, over £2O remains uncollected from the period ended September 30, 1922. If this sum or any part of it is uncollectable it should be written off to the extent it is bad. In order that you may mere clearly follow the transactions ot‘ the last period, I have had a statement of receipts and payments made up. You will note £IOO is absorbed in paying legal costs, installation of electric light and creditors .from the prior year. The bank overdraft has increased by £6B in the year ended November 30, 1923, but taken over the two periods under review there has been £62 reduction.” The chairman said that the late | secretary, if present, would probably j tell the meeting-, as he had told him .(the chairman) that he had received j verbal instructions not to bank the I revenue from the hall while the posi- | tion of the title of the property was lin doubt. He (the chairman) was I now able to report that this matter J had been, settled and the hall was now j legally public property. [the outstanding accounts. j Mr. »S. C. Snell asked was it likely (Continued on Page 8.)

that the amounts outstanding, totalling £63, could be collected. The chairman, in reply, gave instances to show that probably most of it was collectable. Accounts for rents had evidently not been rendered for some time past. The chairman added that considering the nonrecurring improvements that had been made to the hall, such .as the installation of the electric light, the financial progress of the past two years was satisfactory. He emphatically agreed with MrH. Pearse and other questioners that there was far too much work involved in the secretaryship to expect anyone to fill it gratis. The secretary should be a paid servant (Hear, hear). . NO MEETINGS OF COMMITTEE. Mr. Snell: Why has the committee not seen to it that accounts for rents due have been sent out regularly? The chairman: There has been no committee meeting-. The secretary and myself have attended*here night after night on due dates for the meeting’s but have been unable to get a quorum. Mr. Snell: Under those circumstances, then, we have no alternative but to accept the financial statements. I move that they be adopted. THe iuotion was carried . without dissent. COMMITTEE ELECTED. The chairman then called for nominations for membership of the committee for the ensuing year, and the following were elected unopposed: - Messrs. N. H. Ashford, J. liolfe, A. R. Vosper, C. Woodgatc, R. McLeod, G. McArthur and G. E. Martin. Mr. Ashford was appointed by the meeting- chairman of the committee foi the ensuing year. It was unaniresolved that a salary of £l2 per annum attach to the secretaryship. A further motion that in addition secretary be given ten per cent, commission on the outstanding rents collected by him was defeated by six votes to five. Recommendations were made to the new committee that in future the hire of the hail should be paid in advance, namely, before the person hiring* it was given the key, and that the committee should meet at least once a month. A vote of thanks to Mr. Ashford, as chairman of the committee lor the past year, concluded the public meeting. MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE A meeting of the newly-elected committee followed. Mr. Rolfe was elected secretary. It was resolved that the regular meetings of the committee be held on the second Monday evening in each month. It was decided to call tenders for the position of caretaker of the hall for the current year. An offer was received from Mrs. Aspden to take a lease of the hall for cinematograph entertainments for every Saturday night in the year on the same terms as last year, namely, £1 for each Saturday night, and also 15s for any Wednesday night which, she might require it. | —The offer was accepted. It was decided to write Lodge Sclwyn advising that if they wished the use of the supper-room regularly, at a reduced tariff, they would need to lease it for the year for the nights on which they would require it.