NEW PLYMOUTH THEATRE COMPANY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7929, 19 September 1905, Page 2

NEW PLYMOUTH THEATRE COMPANY

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the New Ply-' mouth Theatre Company, Ltd., was held at the ollice oi the Secretary (Mr M. J. Jones) on Monday evening. The Chairman of Directors (Mr Walter Bcwlcy) presided. The directors' report expressed regret that there was a loss of £ll3 IKs 7d on the year's working. '1 lie balance-sheet showed the property assets at £7130 Us lit. On revenue account the principal items were —Hire of theatre £lO5 17s yd, anil rents of offices and shops £195 17s id, the total revenue being £tiUß Ss, and the expenses £732 6s M. The Chairman, in'-moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, pointed out that the receipts had fallen very materially below the mark on which the format ion ot the company was Ijascil. Of course, the receipts from a theatre property vane,l according to the number of companies travelling. For the first live months of tile present year the receipts showid a eonsidetalile . improvement over the eornspomlliig period of the year under review. There was every probability that the rrtvipts ftr th» pn» suit year would he very SiiUsflftory, inikul. I here had been a go3it inciease in the receipts lioni rents of .-.hops and otlices, and a larger return irom hoardings was anticipated. By, the sale ol lint of unproliUble frontage, the directors had been enabled to pay olf £7I)U on mortgage at 10 per cent. 'I he runaindcr -ot the I es were costing li jier cent. The gas ikill would show a reduction, as tlutllie Jen,)' incandescent burners had been 'installed, A slight reduction was also anticipated in working expenses, rates and insurance, so that next year there was every prospect of coming out with a small credit balance. In three years, also, the legal expenses, which amounted to £llO odd spread pve-jf the period, would be paid off. Though the small returns lor the present year were s«mewhat disappointing, the directors thought they could look forward witli certainty to a much larger revenue. 11l the citcumstai&i's it was reasonable to predict that tlic company must improve its position.. Ihe srcrelary, jn reply to questions, remarked that all the tliratte couijianies aloni; tin; line w»re cojuplaiping of ].he had business for the pas I year, The c; i s |, j„ hand and bookings for Ihe live months pf live piesent liiianrial year would total t'itil iis, which-was within £ls of Ihe whole amount received for the precedi|i£ Iwehe months. These figures Included only four bookings for companies any distance aluad, an;l Iwokilwu Political meetings. Mr M. Jones thought there was not. miu-h reavoj] ip complain at [he bal-aiifc-sket, as the future would soon '»»'? <lw " counterbalance the loss. ■ | ' ■ Avery seconded (lis adoption) of (lie report dud balancc-sheql, and the motion was .carried unaniniouslv. i J-. m mol V>n,Df Messrs M. Jo'nc;; "oullon the director,; were all re-elected, napiely, Messrs Walter Paul . >'oliU Avevy, J, S, i i-- ?/ t C. T. Mills • c - Nixon. Mr T. 0. Kelsey was ie appointed auditor at arenuineralion of £2 2s. A meet inj of the directors Was held subsi-'iucufv.