S.P.C.A.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1916, Page 8

S.P.C.A.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting, of the New Plymouth branch of the Society for the Provnition of Cruelty to Animals was held in St. Mary's Hall last evening. There was a fair attendance, ladies piedominatin?, and Mr.'T. G. Hirst, in the unavoidable absence of his Worship the Mayor, piesided. Apologies for absence wore received trom Mrs. J. B. Eoy, the Mayor, Rev. A, B. Chappell, Mr. W. D. Webster, and Dr. J-<-:\tham, the latter signifying that he did not desire to take any office this year, as his time on committee days was Hilly occupied with hospital work. The annual report (already published) was read by the secretary, Mr. R. C, Hughes. Mr. J. B. Paton, lion, treasurer, submitted the annual statement of receipts and expenditure. The former amounted to £34 Os 2d, and the expenditure, to f2O 13s, leaving a credit of £1 7s 2d.

The report and balance -siiwfc were adopted, the. chairman commenting on the unfavorable financial position, due to the apathy of the public who did not iccogni.se the purposes of the Society. Kev. A. H. Colvile remarked that much was said in a general way about animals, and many people did not look upon them as creatures full of feeling. The iS.P.C.A. had been designated a society of faddists; its members were ultra-senti-mental. He wished to voice an emphatic protest against such an accusation. "ArtMr. Moyes, Mr. Paton, and a number of the other gentlemen present 'faddists'? Do you think?" said Mr. Colvile, "that a schoolmaster, such as Mr. Moyes would belong to a society such as this if hn were a 'faddist'? (Laughter). The scVoolmaster had sometimes to inflict pain, but on those who deserved it. It had been said that there was so little cruelty to animals in the province that there was no need for such a society a= the S.P.C.A. This was sheer fatuous nonsense. Of course there were cases of glaring cruelty constantly going on. Ordinary citizens did not note such cases, and it was one of the duties of the Society to Meet these misdemeanours. That was why the Society existed, and why its members wanted to extend operations to .outlying districts. An ordinary oitizen could not see the state of a horse as it was being driven .long the road, but other people could and they were the people to judge. "There always will be cruelty to animals among the uneducated, unrefined, and unenlightened people,,but as education expands so will cruelty to dumb beasts lessen, In'this town .We are specially enlightened as compared with other towns." The attendance that evening was not eom■nonsuvate' with the work the Society was doing, and he knew that the work of .the Society was meeting with much more sympathy than was apparently manifested.

At a later stage, Mr. Colvile appealed (o those present and to the public to leport.more freely to the lion, secretary, or lion, inspector, any eases of cruelty that might come to their notice. Some pecple had an idea that animals, simply because they owned them, were their own property, to do as they liked with. Silly people, because obsessed with the

idea that they would be "in bad odour" if they reported cases of cruelty, but this

was absurd. The Society was framed for the purpose of detecting and preventirijt cruelty—not to punish, if this could be avoided. But punishment was sometimes necessary, and it was a notorious fact that Magistrates, to convict in such cases as the Society deemed advisable to bring to Court, demanded the clearest of evidence. The Society must teach the public to come forward boldly and courageously in such instances.

ELECTION OF OFFICERS, The following officers were elected: President, Hon. O. Samuel, M.L.-C; vicepresident, Yen. Archdeacon Evans; committee, Mesdames Colvile, Denny-Brown, Martin, Misses A. Wilson, C. Douglas, Curtis, Revs. A. B. Chappell, and A, H. Colvile, Messrs. F. W. Sandford, W. M. Moyes, E. Lash, and T. G. Hirst; treasurer, Mr. J. Paton; secretary. Mr. R. C. Hughes; auditor. Mr. P. C. Morton. On the motion of Mr Sandford, hearty votes of thanks were accorded to Mr. Morton for his services as awVlor, to the secretary and treasurer, and to Mr. Mason, lion, veterinary surgeon, of Stratford.

At the instance of Mr. R. C. Hughes a vote of thanks was also given to the l:on. inspector, Mr. R. Collins. Mr. Moyes brought up the question of ways and means. He said the receipts hjul not been as large as might reasonably have been expected, and something should be dono to enlarge them. The committee bad made several attempts to increase the revenue, but with very little success. Mr. Paton thought members should be circularised, and Mrs. Colvile considered that each member of the new committee should agree to write to a certain number of members reminding them that the Society wa.s still in existence. A vote of thanks to the press, and the usual compliment to the chair terminated the meeting.