PUBLIC HALL, CAMBRIDGE. Annual Meeting.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1555, 22 June 1882, Page 2

PUBLIC HALL, CAMBRIDGE. Annual Meeting.

Thjs annual public meeting in connection with the Cambridge Public Hall was held in the hall on Tuesdey night last. There was a very poor attendance, ilr J. P. Campbell occupied the chair. The minutes of the last annual meeting having been read and confirmed, Mr Jno. Houghtou (senr.) read the following report :—: — Camiikimci Pum.ic H\u. CoMMiirhn's rlport l-OR "VLAK I N'DING, May 31, 1882. Thb amount of lent received during the year shows a decrease of about £8, but nearly .in equal sum is owing to the committee for recent entertainments, and will be recoverable shortly. All known liabilities have been discharged. The only special effort made on behalf of the fund 1 * of the Hall during the year has been the benefit given by the Cambridge Dramatic Society through whose kind effoits upwards^ of £12 was added to the income, and the committee take this opportunity of publicly acknowledging the assistance and thanking the members of the Dramatic Society for their timely aid. Your committee have had under sciious consideration various proposals for improving the building, .tnd obtained plans of additions and alterations which met their approval The question of carrying them into effect has, however, been deferred for the present, your committee anticipating that before long stops may be taken for acquiring a title to the Hall site. The property being now of considerable value, and its maintenance and improvement a matter of great importance to the district, your committee arc of opinion that steps should be taken as early as possible to have the title vested in the local authorities, and recommend that thismeetingtake the matter into consideration, flic plans of th° proposed improvements aie 'he pioperty of the committee, and will be available for use in the future, The building has recently been supplied with spouting and large watertanks, and the piano, which had previously been the property of private parties, has been purchased by the committee. These items of permanent improvement, together with a sum of five pounds now being expended under the ducction ot the Diam.itic bocicty in improvements to the stage, have involved an outlay of £65, and your committee bclio\e that, although the present debit balance is slightly larger than when they took office, the year's operations have resulted in tmpiovmg the (mam i.il position by about —John llouc.iuon. Mr Brooks, treasurer, then read the following balance-sheet:—Receipts :—To renc, £94 7s ; sale of gates, £1 5s ; payment by Lands Court, £2 17s; pioceedb of dramatic entertainment, £12 7s; balance overdraft at bank, £112 0s 3d ; total, £222 16s 3d. Expenditure balance from 'last year, C!) 9 14s 4d ; improvements to pioporty, ,i'Go ; incidental expenses, C 55 4s ]] d j extra cleaning for Land Coiut, £2 17s ; total, £222 lCs 3d. The Chairman congratulated the outgoing committee on the success attending their term of office. A consideiable amount of propeity had been acquired towards completing the accommodation of the hall, and taking into consideuition other matters, the iinaucial condition was \ery sati&factoi y. On the motion of Mr Hosking, the financiil leport and balance-sheet as read were adopted. The following gentlemen were then unanimously appointed to constitute the committee for the ensuing term of office : —Captains Fisher and Rnnciman (to icpioseut the volunteer interest), Captain Souter, Messrs J. P. Thomson, Hewitt, Kirkwood, John Houghton, Brooks, and Isaacs. On the motion of Mr D. Richardson, it was resolved, " That this meeting request the committee to make arrangements with the Town Board regarding the vesting of the Public Hall site and building in that body, and with that view that they be instructed to ask the Town Board to take the necessary preliminaiy steps for such purpose ; and also, that this meeting further empowers the committee, on the completion of arrangements, to hand over the building and property to the town commn-sioneis." Mr Brooks, befoie the resolution was put to the meeting, asked if, in case the pioporty were handed over to the town commissioners, would they beempoweicd under the new Act to cany out the necessary improvements as contemplated by the outgoing committee some time ago, the plans of which had been diawn up. Mr Wells thought the Town Board would ha\e the necessary powers to effect lmpiovcments, though lie was not in a position to give a definite reply on that head at prc&ent. Mr Campbell said there was a clause in The Municipal Cm pointiono Ace, winch gave the necessary powers. The resolution was put and carried unanimously. Mr Brooks took occasion to thank the Diamatic .Society for the veiy valuable assistance which they rendered to the hall committee in giving an entertainment which materially increased the funds of the building.

Committee Meeting. At a meeting of the new committee, held subsequently, Mr Houghton in the chair, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Brooks for the attentive and able manner in which he had administered the finances of the hall during the past term of office. Mr Brooks in returning thanks assured the gentlemen present that he appreciated the compliment, and on being leappointed treasurer for the ensuing year hoped he would always manifest the same interest in the hall in the futme as he had in the past. Mi Jas. Stuart was unanimously elected secretary.

Reduction of Tariff. The question of tariff was then gone into and after some discussion, a handsome reduction was made to all local bodies or parties using the building. The tariff for the use of the piano was also reduced.