Auckland, Jan. 16.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 335, 19 January 1889, Page 6

Auckland, Jan. 16.

Tint •annual modtirig l of blris Society for the olecbiQrtiof^opicQrs'fca'-the-ensuin^ y_ear was j hold last night ab Iho Masonic Haft, Now- i ton'- The 'Chalrrtmn aimo^iced that, in response 'to a req.u"ost frpip, th£C*onlmitteo, the P*ov. E, H. Gulliver hadldiftlly consented torfiljjbhe offie^ of .President, and ho was thereupon declared bV'acclamation. Tho pther oflicos were tilled as follows : — Vice* President/, - Mi: Hould ; Treasurer, Mr Plabt ; Secrotary, Mr Hoopei ; Commibtee^Meiasrs Batty, Cowloy, Greenwood, Harvie 1 / Kelly, Walsh, and VVarburton. ' Annual Report. — The followiug report of tho Socioky'jsj fqr, the past year. wag read and adopted r-'—^fn 1 presenting the fir&b annual report to tho members of tho A nti- Poverty Society, the Comuiitteo desire to state briefly the worlcdone dining the past year,' ' arid, .to of^oi'/ some sugges tious for increasing the Society's influence* \n tho future. During -bhe year eight hublicfnjGObii^gs-liavo bqen be,ld, at which nddreboirnavc Mtf '^I^o^^^ varJpfls £übj'eots,-all-tciuliug. to^establish jtfio truth pf our assortion tjvttt involuntary~"po"v6rt"y is tho result of bacl^"kiw&, dridvEhat it is only -by spsjo and ji\st laws that) it can be finally jabolrshed. 4?he mGsfc."'succosVrul of' our [public meetings was held in tho l?oi esters' '(-fall on 20th Novcihbor} when Sir Goorgo !Grcy. presided, and the He y. E. 11. Gulliver, M'. I A., doliVorfoci ah ' 7 oloquoht address on " Ptogresis ■•a^id'- Afterwards"' to an appiie,ciative audienop of about poroons. Your ComniiCt'ct)' arc gltttl to'i'cport tho Cbtablishmont ol a branch of this Society at Cambridge, tiniVtho' rl'elivcry ot an address thoio on " Llmd Nationalisation " by tho Kov. -Dr. lloopor, D. D. In the early part ot the year about 5,000 tracts were obtained from Hcnry ; (.icorg-o and Co., of New \ ork. They aip all in fcuppoib of the'piinciplo of gradually concentrating taxation on laud \alue:= only. These tracts have nearly all been distributed, and it is very desirable that a further, supply should bo orclcicd at once. "V our.,Coinnutboe had decided to publish Mi Cl u lliVoi^s address on •"Progress and Afterwards," and also a paper on "The Sirugglo foi: Exisbenco," contributed by Mr Hould., as tracts for distribution ; but unfortunately the &tato of oui; funds will not permit this at present. Pooling thus the urgent* riced of hinds to carry on and extend tho woik of the Society, the Committee now appeal to each member to boar in mind that the entrance foe ib moroly nominal, and that unless each ono does what ho can to supply "the sinews of war, our work 'must necessarily languish. It is very desirable that aclvortisoments bo insoited in the leading newspapers of the colony, inviting thohe who arc in sympathy with our aims to communicate with our Secretary with a view to the formation of brailbh societies. The Committee strongly recommend member. -> to become subscribeis to tho "Standaid," a weekly paper published in Now York by Henry George, and devoted to the advocacy of the land tax. % It is vierorou&ly edited, and each number contains extract's from the leading papers and magazines of the day, showing thornogross of the movement. It ib now supplied regularly by the Society to the reading-room of the Free Libiary. The- numeu&us books now published on the land question and on social questions generally, iorm quite a library by bhemselvos, and should, as soon as practicable, bo acquired by" the Society for tho uso of tho membors. Ladies are earnestly in\ ietd to becomo members of our Society, and to lend it therr poworinT aid. None are more vitally interested than they in putting an end to the blighting j poverty which renders the piesent so ! sad, and tho future so threatening. Finally, the Anti-Poverty Society would call upon all those who fool that this modern life of ours ,-is not at all whab it should be — that ib' might be far better, brighter and npbler Ahaii it is, and that when once the remedy is fully understood, hardly any eflort will be need to make it bo — wo I call upon them to study tho land question in all ifcs bearings ; to consider that the conditions of modern society render a reasonably healthy, happy and virtuous life impossible to the masses ; that tho^o conditions can be impio\ed by wise and just legislation, and that each one can do something to help to bring about a bettor state of things ;< butJthab'so long as we are apathetic, and' excuse ouitelve^ irom taking our shaie of the work, wo must expect the l existing conditions , to continue. — J. Batty, I President : W. S. Hamsun, Societal y.