MASTERTON TOWN LANDS TRUST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4720, 16 May 1894, Page 2

MASTERTON TOWN LANDS TRUST.

Annual Meeting, of Voters. The annual meeting of voters of the Masterton Town Lands Trust was held last evening, about twenty persons being present. Mi- W. Lowes (chairman) said that owing to the auditor not yet having visited Ma3terton, he regretted that he was obliged to place an unaudited balance sheet before the meeting. For this reason it had not been printed and circulated. The Secretary then lead the report (as published by us yesterday) and the balance sheet." The Chairman said in introducing the balance sheet he had poetically nothing to add to the report. A large item of expenditure had been the repairing of piopeities, the leases of which had fallen in. The Trustees would be recouped however almost immediately from the increased rentals. .Another necessary expenditure was the payment of Mr Jones' debenture of £2OO which now left the Park clear of ""debt. With regard to future policy he would point out that the annual revenue would be increased yearly and therefore there would be more revenue to apply to the purposes within the act. He "was sure the Trustees wished not only to administer the act, but also to do the greatest good to greatest number. The Trustees had been approached with reference to a scholarship, and they were inclined to look favorably upon the matter. A scholarship of £4O per annum could he established at once if the Trustees were agreed. Sinco the close of the financial year an offer to take over the Drill Hall had been favorably looked upon and the surrender would be a decided advantage to the Trust.-] It was also resolved to conserve the Hall for the same uses as at present in the interests of the public, and the bodies contributing towards the cost of the erection of the Hall. He thought that was about all, but if any explanation was required lie should be happy to give it, ..The Trustees had worked very harmoniously during the past year, and he anticipated the same happy results in the future. He would now move the. adoption of the report and balance sheet,

Mr A. W.Hogg, M.H.R, said ho 1 had much pleasure in seconding the ropoii It was of a very satisfactory nature, and the Trustees had managed the properties remarkably well. He was not prepared to express any opinion on the question of a scholarship, except to say that he hoped that the Trustees would woigli tlio matter well before diverting the funds toany purpose, It was thought by nnny that a scholarship would benefit the fow and leave out the many, all not being in the position to take advantage, but he had no doubt the matter would be fully discussed at the proper time,

Mr A. Vile said that tlio report stated that it \W proposed to devote a sum from the special fund for a scholarship. Was it competent to discuss the question of the special fund? There could be no objeotion to _ that, but there was a decided 1 objection to tenoning the general fund, The report again made no reference to the Town Hall, although, in his opinion, the Trustees wcie under a moral obligation to build ft Town Hall. --•-...,"

The Chairman said in reply to the first question, the Trustees had no intention q{ spending money from tho general fund for a scholarunless the special fund were abolished. Regarding the f,ewn\d matter, tho report was one of the proceedings of the past year. They had not dealt, with the question of building- a Town Hall. It was veiy questionable to him, however, if any question of moral obligation rented on the shoulders of the Trustees because more than the money fiom the insurance had been spent on public buildings. The Trustees, apaii from this, recognised tho want of a Town Hall, Ijnt did not wishtospend tho first few hundreds accumulated in nutting up a shed. He should not be m favor of this course, but wished to wait until funds accumulated sufficiently to build a Hall whioh would be a credit to the. town. The purchase of (lis presont Diill Hall would meet present requirements. Mr Vile sauTlie was sorry to speak again, but did not take the Chair, man's remarks as a reply to his question, If the Trustees asked an expression of opinion on the scholarship question, the Trust should also have asked an opinion on the Town Hall question. The Drill Hall was not a suitable building and he did not think it wise, to wait 20 or 80 years to build one. A loan should be raised on the Trust's securities to carry out the work'. The Chairman said that tho scholarship quQstiou was brought before tho Trust by a deputation, which fact Mr Vile should have known. Tho Town Hall had not been befoie thorn. He was astonished ut Mr Vilo's suggestion to hoirow on the Trust's securities, as it was utterly outo? their power to do so. Mr Vile remarked that he must have been misinformed on the matter. Mr W. H. Jackson said that the £lO a year offered by the Trustees to supplement scholarships was not sufficient to induce competition. He did not think the special fund should bo robbed to assist in founding separate scholarships. The scholarship should be founded from the goneial fund.

Mr Lowes then read the Act showing that it was specially provided that the Trustees might found a scholarship, and as the funds weie ample, there was no necessity for the question to aviso. He had it from that only one scholarship each year came to Masterton. The amount of annual revenue from the scholarship-acres was $)6, which would increase in timo. If n scholarship of ;sKhvfts founded, it still left £2Q to assist other scholarships, if the Triist saw fit.

Mi* Kenall, at some length, ex. plained the original intentions of the donors of the land, The general fund should, not, to touched • for scholarship purposes. If the Trustees used any of the revenue to the benefit of one inhabitant more thftu another, he was of opinion that the Trustees would violate their trust. There had lie.en mismanagement in the. past under another Chairman, but better times had dawned under, the present one. He was one of the retiring Trustees, and at tho age of I eighty-ono did not feel particularly anxious to retain office. He should, i however, to. himself again, and he thought hj; at least knew more about the Truskthan most people, Mr Jacpou said ho wisnodto make one mqr|vomark, Both Messrs Hojg and BenJlH'hfld made misleadhjfl mi h isi saying'% worogiveAtp. benefit indivi^H

would be open.to the whole of tlio children of the town, and tta Tmstees in founding a scholarship could not possibly tell who would gain it. In reply to Dr. Bead, the Chairman said the revenue would not be doubled in thirteen years, the end of some of the present lenses. was nothing to provent the general fund being used for scholarship purposes, but still he did not agree with it, It had occurred to him and to many others, that the establishment of an evening class would be a good tiling He should like to ask if the Cha-> man thought the Trustees would find say & for £, or otherwise assist an evening class, which would benefit the many. The Chairman said he did not think be could pledge his co-Trustees to assist a night school. He did not think the matter outside their province, and he had no doubt that if such a proposition as Mi- Praonell had made were placed before° the Trust by a responsible person, it would receive favorable consideration, m^^*" Mr Hogg'-said,iri- JnMKNr mentioned the-fact that many people expressed the opinion that a scholarship was for the benefit of the few. If one child gained or £SO this was half as much as expended in school grants to all the schools in the district. He would now say that lie agreed with Mr Renall, and considered that, the funds should Jie devoted for the benefit of the many, instead of creating a fund to—iu all probability-benefit a child whose parents could well do without tlio

assistance given, The Chairman said ho had the Act to administer, and if it had not been for the special fund the question of a scholarship would never have arisen in Ms mind. But as it exisied Tyhy let it lie idle ? He took exception to the remarks that the foundation of a scholarship was for the benefit of the few when all met on an equal footing, and each had an equal chance of competing for the prize. No other questions arising tbo meeting was closed.