SOCIETY OF ACCOUNTANTS

Taranaki Daily News, 19 August 1922, Page 5

SOCIETY OF ACCOUNTANTS

THE TARANAKI BRANCH. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the branch of the New Zealand Society of Accountants was held at the Soldiers’ Club, New Plymouth, last night, and! was attended by about twenty members, the chairman (Mr. F. T. Davie) presiding. The annual report stated that during; the year mostly routine business had. been dealt with, but an attempt hadbeen made to establish -students’ societies in the various centres. This had been successfully accomplished at New Plymouth and Hawera, where good work was being done. A competitive examination for scholars attending schools throughout Taranaki was conducted by the branch, but the entrieswere so poor that the incoming committee would have to seriously consider whether it would be worth while holding one this year. The first and seaotnft prizes had been awarded to Ethel Bnrftif and Mary Macßae respectively, both ofi the New Plymouth Technical College, and the third to Eunice Henry, of thel Stratford District High School. During the year the committee had visited Stratford, where an enthusiastic meeting had been held. The balance-sheet showed that th« balance in hand at July 1 last year waf £2 19s 7d, and receipts for the year £35, a total of £37 19s 7d. Various miscellaneous expenditure totalled £371 13s id, leaving a cash balance at thd bank of Cs Cd. The assets of the branch were the bank balance, library £l5 6< 7d. and fittings and fixings 17s Id, a total of £l6 10s 2d, while the liabilL ties were head office £23 15s 6d, less balance from income and expenditure

account £7 5s 4d, net £l6 10s 2d. The income and expenditure account showed secretary’s’ salary £lO 10s, etc., £27 3s Id, and depreciation on library and fittings and fixings £8 2s 8d a total of £45 15s 9d, while on thi other side of the ledger was a grant o? £35 from head office, additions to library £3 10s sd, and a balance, being excess of expenditure over income for year, of £7 5s 4d. The report and. balance-sheet were adopted on the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr. H. Baily. A PROPOSED CHANGE. Mr. H. B. Burdekin moved that th» headquarters of the branch should bo changed triannually between New Plymouth, Stratford and Hawera, and that the library be housed at the headquarters for the time being. Mr. Burdekin said that it would stimulate interest and make the library more available to country members. Several members spoke on the question, but the majority were in favour of the headquarters remaining in New Plymouth for a -few years. Members w rei in sympathy to some extent with country members, especially in the distance they had to travel, but it was thought that the majority of the profession were in New Plymouth, and the time waa hardly opportune to make a change. The chairman thought that possibly they might mitigate the lot of the country members, and at the same timd stimulate interest by holding an annual meeting at one of the other centres. The motion was lost on the voices.

Raising the matter again at a latefc stage, Mr. H. llaily moved that a general meeting of the branch be held at Stratford in February before the halfyearly meeting of the New Zealand council, when matters that were coming up at the council could be discussed. The motion was carried.

GENERAL. The council’s delegate to the New Zealand council (Mr. H. Baily) was instructed to oppose the establishment of a memorial chapel in the propose® cathedral in Wellington. Members were of opinion that the erection of such a memorial might offend the religious 'susceptibilities of some of their other members,, and should not be gone on with. The following were elected the committee for the ensuing year: Messrs. V. Duff, H. B. Burdekin, W. Power, F. T. Davies, C. F. Wynyard, and J. S. SMedley.