COMING OF AGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 744, 17 August 1929, Page 12

COMING OF AGE

ACCOUNTANTS SOCIETY’S CONVENTION REVIEW OF PAST YEAR Tho New Zealand Society of Accountants will “come of age”- next year. To celebrate this event the society will hold a convention in February next on the lines of the gathering in 1925, and to provide for this the council has set aside £250 to cover expenses. This information-is contained in the annual report to be presented to the annual meeting in Dunedin on August 26.

The society now has 1,824 members, of whom 457 are in the Auckland district, a decrease of two compared with the previous year. A total of 1,844 candidates sat for the commercial bookkeepers’ and professional courses examinations by the University of New Zealand in November, 78 candidates completing the full course. Accountants’ preliminary examination drew 941 candidates, of whom 461 completed or gained sectional passes. One hundred and thirty-tw r o of the 1,130 candidates gained a. complete pass in tho bookkeepers’ commercial examination. Forty-five passed out of 189 examinees in the certificate of proficiency in bookkeeping accounts, business organisation and methods examination held in November. The council has granted £SO to the Otago University, and grants have also been made to assist commercial tuition to the Palmerston North and Timaru Technical Schools. A report dealing with amendments to the society’s examination syllabus is to be ‘considered at the annual meeting. The principal alteration proposed is the division of the subject, bookkeeping and accounts, into three stages. This amendment is not to come into operation until 1931. The society’s investigation committee dealt with a complaint during the year against a public accountant alleging gross carelessness, neglect, or incapacity in connection with an audit of a solicitor’s trust account. As a result the council decided to suspend the member for two years. The council authorised the executive to approve of the suggested lecturers and to grant the payment of expenses of suitable members in the city districts who deliver lectures in the smaller centres when invited.

The income and expenditure account showed a surplus for the year of £ 377 4s 6d and the accumulated fund now' stood at £4,820 0§ Id. The accounts of the benevolent fund showed credits to the capital account of £6,250. and to the income account of £932 15s Sd —a total of £7,182 15s Sd. Relief granted during the past tw T elve months was larger than in any previous tw r elve months.

The retiring members of the council are:—Mr. J. M. Elliffe, of Auckland, Mr. L. A. Denton, of Hawke’s Bay, Mr. Ernest W. Hunt, of Wellington, Mr. W. A. Smith, of Canterbury, Mr. Peter Barr, of Otago, and Mr. F. A. Webb, of Southland. The first four have been re-elected unopposed, but Mr. Barr and Mr. Webb did not seek re-election. To represent the Otago district only one nomination, that of Mr. T. G. Brickell, W'as received, and he was therefore elected unopposed. For the Southland district two nominations had been received, Mr. R. E. Mclnnes and Mr. J. B. Reid, and a ballot would be taken. Appreciation was expressed of the services of Mr. Barr and Mr. "Webb.