TARANAKI PROVINCIAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 299, 10 May 1913, Page 3

TARANAKI PROVINCIAL SCOTTISH SOCIETY

AXXUAL MEETING. Mr. W. McLaughlin Kennedy, the Chief, presided over the annual meeting of the Taranaki Provincial Scottish Society at Stratford. The Chief's report stated that the past i year had been one of solid progress, all the office-bearers working most harmonioifply together with the one object of advancing the Society. The membership -of the Society now stood at 301 —a most satisfactory position for one year's work- ' irig. Four branches of the Society liad been formed during the past year, at , Toko, Inglewood, Manaia and Stratford. Unfortunately the rules of the Society did not make due provision for the status of these branches, and this fact had to a certain extent militated against the activities of the branches. The rules should be amended in such a, manner that no difficulty will be experienced in thV future conduct of the Society. The Society had decided to do" something for ; the encouragement of the study of Scot-' tish history in the schools of Taranaki, by offering prizes for the best essay on "Sir William Wallace, His Life and Times," and the arrangements' for car-' rying out the programme were well in hand. He was pleased to report that if the arrangements with the Taranaki Pipe Band were brought to a successful > issue "(and he had every reaspn to think that 'they would) this Society would have,''in a few months' time, an up-to-date pipe band. In connection with the balance-sheet, Mr. Kennedy said that, taking into cbnsideration the fact that the expenditure had been necessarily high, owing to the great vohfme of organisation work which always attended a society's opening year, they had every reason to congratulate themselves on the result. The executive had come to the conclusion that the annual subscription for gentlemen was ridiculously inadequate for the successful conduct of a ociety like this, and recommended that !.« be fixed at os per annum. The thanks | of the Society were due to Mr. C. H. Croker, the honorary solicitor, who gave much valuable assistance in drawing up the rules. Continuing, the Chief said: <- I desire to take this opportunity of urging on all branches of the Society the necessity for using their best endeavors to lay before every Scot in their district who is not yet a member the claims of the Society, and the necessity for their joining, and so further strengthen the bonds of union and good fellowship. Our aims are high, and to carry them out we require the active assistance, personally and financially, of all who claim kinship with 'bonnie Scotland.' We claim to be patriotic; let Us rise to the occasion and evidence by our actions that we are so." The report concluded with eulogistic referencfe to Mr. Alec Henderson, the secretary, and thanks to all other workers. ELECTION OF OFFICERS.

Mr. Kennedy was re-elected Chief. The other officers elected were:—Chieftains, Messrs. A. F. Rrant, G. Sangster, John Petrie, J. Davidson, James Rrant, R. McK. Morison, D. Todd, W. Murray, T. A. Lees, D. S. Glasgow, R. Lambie, R. Young, J. B. Camphell, A. W. Reid, J. McN. Adams, and A. Morton; secretary and treasurer, Mr. D. Butchart; hon. auditor, Mr. F. W. Wilkie. Rules were amended to provide that the .affairs of the Society shall be managed by a committee hereinafter to be called the Executive, consisting of the Chief, chieftains and a representative for each fifty members or part thereof of each branch, five to form a quorum. Then followed new rules for the government of branches. It was decided that one-fifth of the subscriptions collected should go to the central executive. PRESENTATION. In making a presentation of a cheque, on behalf of the Society, to the retiring secretary, Mr. Alec Henderson, the Chief, paid tribute to Mr! Henderson's untiring energy, and said that had it not been for the energies of their secretary the Society would not have been in existence to-day. Mr. Henderson's instrumentality had kept the Society in existence, and his genius for organisation had created branches almost throughout the entire province. Mr. Henderson, in thanking the members, said that much of the credit belonged to the committee, who had given their time unsparingly. If he might be allowed to offer the Society some advice he would say: "Keep your Society absolutely free from political and religious discussion. Work on the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number, and if you have any functions, don't spare any expense to make them worthy of the Society. A small credit balance and a first-class function is infinitely preferable to a large credit balance and a third-rate function."

STRAY PARAGRAPHS A mother of ten sons was compelled to sue several of them yesterday to provide for her maintenance. The magistrate expressed his astonishment that with' ten sons living she should have to resort to legal proceedings to avert starvation. Orders were made, totalling 15s a week, against five of them, and another has yet to be served. The other day the police caught a boy (who was below the legal age) with an air-gun. Questioned, he said he bought it from Mr. Moon's depot, and that he could identify the person who sold it. But the sale was not remembered by the lady whom he pointed out, and in the S.M. Court yesterday she stated her conviction that she had not sold it to him at all, but owing to the alleged purchase having been made during the rush of Christmas five trade, she could not swear to it one way or the other. A fine of 10s and costs was inflicted, His Worship remarking that to prevent mistakes of this kind, and to protect the shopkeeper and his assistants, it would be as well to confine the sales of airguns to one or two persons. His Worship considered the time had arrived for drastic.legislation to put a stop to the indiscriminate use of pea-rifics and air-guns, for they were of no real use except on miniature ranges, and they constituted a clanger in the hands of Irresponsible persons. A man named Andrew Cameron was fined .CI and costs at the S.M. Court yesterday for making a disturbance in, a railway carriage going east from Stratford. According to the evidence of the police, the man fought first in self-de-fence, but was not content 'with that. The S.M. remarked that had he been satisfied the man fought only to defend himself he would not have inflicted a fine. j In the S.M. Court yesterday judgment' was given by defendant in these cases:—. Masters & Son (Mr. T. C. Fookes) v. A. W. Birss, claim £3 4s 7d and costs 10s; | Adam Findlay (Mr. Cecil Wright) v. John William Heal, claim £l3 14s 3d, and costs £1 17s fid. A clergyman in this 'district recently

lost ay sum of money (about £8) at the I hands of burglars. | Mr. T. D. Colson is at present confined | to liis house, suffering from a badly j bruised leg, the result of a fall from a !' fence. ' ' j The local hockey players have decided I to affiliate with the association and to j enter for the Thursday competition. One who saw Thursday's practice reckons the other clubs will have to look out.