TUAPEKA AHEN EUM.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 324, 24 January 1874, Page 2

TUAPEKA AHEN EUM.

The. annual meeting of subacribera to the above institution waa held in the Atlienseum last evening. There was a fair attendance of subscribers, and considerable interest was manifested in the business transacted. John Copland, Esq.., -^aa called %o the chair. The- minutea of the lass annual meeting were read and confirmed.

Mr. Squires, before, reading the following report, explained: to the meeting- Mr. Bro\vn's unavoida,ble absence.

"In presenting- their report for the. year ending 3,lst December 1873, yojir. committee are pleased to.be able to v state ljhat the affairs of the Institution are in a more satisfactory condition than they havp been at $ie <jlpae of any previous yeaif... ' T,he. outstanding liabilities as will be seen by the. statement that will be submitted to. you, amounted at the close of the. year to £24 4a 5d this, sum included an amo.unt of £7' 18a 5d due to, ijho. Boa,rd of Education for- boofcs. ' All feheae liabilities saving the. last item and 12s 9;l due for aundriea ha.vo since, been paid. The number of subscribers to. the Library and B.eoding Eoom continues to increase theFe beitig a(j present 92 on t-he books*. 2-1 froin-va^.'ous causes have ceased, to. aubsf ribe- an-l 35. ne-w, m,embers were enrolled, thus leaving a,n increase <?f 14 members during- the. year. The Library at present contains, 1341 volumes of w,hi,ch 82^ have been added,' during the year.. A considerable number- of new book 3. have been, received from the. Education Board, and your Committee have sent a list to, tb^t body of worka \yliich they vift be an acquisition to, the Institutioa. The large number of 2174 books iras issue i from, the Library during the past 12 months, and the demand for the pppular. Mjagazine.3 and Periodicals received' by Idjfi. Institution remains unabated.. Since lost report the sum of £30 has been forwarded to, the London Agent of which £20 has, been remitted this month. Thia remittance settles, all claims for magazines up to June next." " The. Readings, which, were initiated in the early part of last winter, were not so, successful a,s, your. committee anticipated; the difficulty of regularly, finding material for- an attractive programme being greater ljhan they could overcome.. The propeeds. from, a lecture delivered by Judge Chapman, a concert by the Trinity Church, choir, and from. Headings, formed a very acceptable addition-to the. ordinary revenue. '■' Since host annual meeting, the various resolutions standing in the books relative to the. management, of the institution, have been extracted and codified, in accordance with, the suggestion contained in, the last annual report. " G^he.questipn of dealing, with the Atheaseum, resprye at Beaumpnli, hae been, fully considered; by your- Committee, "who, are of opinion that, independent pf other- difficulties surrounding the matter through the lessee's depasturing rights remaining still uncancelied, it is undesirable at present to- attempt to alienate, or lease the r.eaerve % The compensation, required; to. be. paid for existing knproveinentjs. tscouM be so. heavy- as to counter-balance any 3<d.vantages accruing from immediate realisation <?f the xaKieof the endowjnent. Your CoramitteehavQ the assurance of the-Pvo^incia^ Government tiaat the land- is permanently szcured' to. the Institute, anil thats there is apJ"O3peot of the. block in. winch it iajncludedoeing thrown, open, for sale, Tsthen the.re.serve iriU become immediately available.. j

" Several contributions ha,ve> beer* made io the.museum, iai theform : of aampleiof colonml timber, and; a variety of mineralogical and geological specimens.. ' S§veral valuable maps have. also,, been presentedj by the. Cheneral Government, and- a, large topographical map of Victoria from, the. Government of that colony, through the.imdaeßß,of the. Hon. Mr. Casey.. The native, birds, which -wera presented to, the. museum by Dr. Hector and other gentlemen have been forwarded to, Mr.. Purdie to, be stuffed. '•' Thirteou Committee, meetings have. b?^n

held, the attendance at which has been as follows -.—Brown, 8; Pyfce, 6; Abel, 9; Thompson, 7 ; Squires, 8 ; Ferguson, 6 ; Arbuckle, 6 ; Halley, 7. "Your Committee desire to record their satisfaction with the manner in which Mr. Love has discharged his duties. "Appended ig a comparative statement showing progress, foj the present year " :—: — 1871. 1872. }873. Subscribers tolibrary 55 7.1 92 „ magazines 23 — — Books iv library - 122? — 1341 circulated - 1774 — 2174 „ purchased - — 88 85 ■ " £ s. d. £ s. £ s. d. Arrears of subscriptions - -618 6 3,4 53412 6 Mr. Abel, as Treasurer, then read the balance sheet, which will be found in cur advertising columns. _ t ' After, tho Chairman read the auditors report, - Mr, Jamison moved that the report and balance sheet be received and adopted. He considered the report full and comprehensive, embracing everything required to. be known by the subscribers. H.e had seldom seen a more satisfactory report laid before a meeting, and he would therefore with pleasure move that it be received and adopted. Mr. Adams seconded the motion. After some remarks were made regarding the amount of arrears, The Secretary informed the meeting that ha believed the whole of the amount owing w.as good., and wpuld be collected without difficulty." ' The Chairman said it appeared from tne report that the Athenaeum was in a much better position than it ever had been in, and he had much pleasure in putting the motion to. the meeting that the report and balance sh,eet be received and adopted. The motion waa carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr, Harrop, a vote of thanks was passed to the retiring Committee fosr their services. The election of a President and; Committee was tben proceeded with. Mr-. Abel moved that Mr. J. C. Brown be elected Prescient, It waa unnecessary for him to inform gentlemen present of the immense value Mr> Brown's services had been to. the institution. Mr. Squirea, in seconding the motion, adverted to the many services rendered by Mr. Brown tp, the Athenaeum, showing how the contributions to the Museum and other matters were all attributable to the activity of their President, who had' the happy knack of doing things at the right time and in the right place. On the motion of Mr. Ferguson, it was agreed, that nine- mem.bera, including tho President, should fojrm the CQmmittco — three to. form a. quorum. The f ojlowing gentlemen were then elected by- ballot, viz. :— Messrs. Adams, Abel, Halley, Squires, M'Kinlay, Ferguson, Stewart, a.nd Messrs., Jamison and Copland wore appointed Auditors. A vpjte of thanks, to the Chairman closed the pi'ppeed^ngs.