The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-11-03 00:00:00

ANNUAL MUTING AT THE WORKING MEN'S

CL US.

Ti,.' annual meeting in connection with this club
Ilelel on Friday evening, Mr. G. E. Eliot, the
president, in the chair.
Mr. J. UM, jun., the loon. secretary, submitted the
annual report, as follows : —" li. presenting the :rind
annual statement of incerne and expenditure for the
year ending September ?Ali bolt, I am very iil.weed to
state that the paxtyear has been most olatisfacb.ry. The
receipts show an increase. The amount received for
the bagatelle boards is not quite so large as last year,
owing to the very bed state of the tables, and it is
hoped now that the committee have lawn to the extra
expense of having th;-in re-covered. and re-cusliion.sl,
they will still lw a great attraction. The •isitors'
pence also show a slight falling off, but thin ain only
he expect,,l, conaidering the extraordinary fine
summer we have hail. The large room Iwo wain
meted a source .4. great income to the club, and I
firmly I:4,lWve it will conti 1111 l •to do so. The attend-
sues of memhem during the year has been most
encouraging, the number of annual meinhent being
103, and quarterly 4•11,v1 103. I have to report a
great falling oft in the amount of li.. rary
subscriptions, owing to death and other canoes, but
cannot allow this meeting to pass without tendering
the thanks of the committee to those geutletnen who
still Impport the club. The oommittee desire
also to thank the following gentlemen for the con-
tinued kindneesi in supplying the club with the
following livers, viz. :—Mr. G. E. Eliot, Palm
Telegrapa; Sir 11. Edward., 14.1'., Mtipping (hurtle
1)r. Childs, Me Greie ; and Mr. A. -Sylvester, the
Piaorini (sod..ieir. The thanks 4 the committee are
also due to the custodian (Mr. Bowden) for the
oxoellent MAIIIIM in which he looks after the club
pragniaec—John 1/..V, tn., Hon. See. of the We
end filelaionlse Iria Working Men's Club
The balasoe sheet contain.si the folliowisg items:-
11011. aulr.criptionA, £lO 34. ; balance:Drought forward,
£44 IS.. menthol-A' animal ontlweriptiotut, Clft Ix. ;
quarterly ditto, 1:17 T'.31.; Ixtgatwlle pence,
42 4.0 2.1.; balance in savings' lank, Sll I. 7d.:
cash in hand, I:14 lee. 44. . . . .

- .
The coAigibiot, in moving the adoption of the
report and the balance sheet, alluded to the items of
the same As being very satisfactory. Ile subsequently
referred to the suggestions which had been mask, for
the establishment of a free library in the town in out-
motion with the club. He found, as ha hadantieipated,
the ememittee was quite willing to take up the move-
ment, which was a popular one, although it would do
no good to the club as a club. The next step to be
Wien WM to hear what the generous dimor if the club
—Mir Henry Edwards—thought of the matter. The
hon. baronet, it was ascertained, wash's,' wi I ling to allow
the club to be utilised for the purposes of a free
library if the committee awl the Town Colinzil
thought it well that it should be. flia lordship was
willing, although the club was him gift, that the fact
should not in any ohms- stand in the way f the move-
ment. Matters had therefore gone thus far :—The
suggestion bad been received by the Town Council,
but the Act of Parliament made it imperative that
befure practical steps were taken, a public meet-
ing of ratepayers should be convened, so that
if two-thirds of those who attended such meet-

ing were in favour of a free library being
established, the Council might proceed to take
the necessary steps. The question, however, he
wished to bring forward was as to how this would
affect them as a club For his own part he saw no
n•nson why a free library should not be worked in
the banie of the club. They would not take away
the advantages of the club, but the matter would have
to go through processes of legislature ere the premiape
could be placed at the disposal of the Town Council.
He would very much like to see • library as exsablished
without the existing machinery being swept away;
because it would give the club the advantage of a
much larger and more superior library. If the scheme
was carried into effect the building would probably
have to be enlarged, but they would still have rooms
iii which they might gather together as a Working
Men's Club, with • much larger library, and he hoped
many more pervious would take advantage of the
library, and that no members of the club would
feel that the enjoyment or advantages derived
from the club in times past would be endangered by
the movement. Neither would there be the cause for
alarm which a wnter in a local rewspeper seemed to
imagine, because the expenditure would be limited
by Act of Parliament to nothing higher than a penny
rate. He did not .0e any neeessity, smisselng they
joined in the movement, why it se,d cost anything
like • penny rate for the maintenance of the library,
so there need be no alarm its the town on the •core of
its bring any heavy addition to the rates. As to the
little addition which it might make he thought no
ratilayer would hesitate in bearing it when he coii.
sidered the great advantage Ruch a place would be to
the town.

Mr. larnai. haying teconilod the adoption of the
report and the balance sheet, the motion wan limo.
iii' .tj47 carried.
Mr. O. DOWILL : To whom do the club building's
belong?
The To the trustees whiles :lames are
engraved over the mantel piece in the mina upigaira
Mr. Dowst.t. : 1 do not that the club would le
bettor in the hand.' of the town. How are the
younger members of the club going to be properly
dealt with? They will have no right there unless
introduced by a ratepayer. I think it will let driviig.
the younger menhlieru to the publio.housee if they feel
at all distesied to go there.
Another member f the club observed that as the
auheeription Bo the Working Metes Club del not
amount to so much as min penny a week, every man
who cared about seeing booka or newqmpers could
easily pay that sum. (Hear, hear.) Ile did not we
they were going to benefit in any way by the
eatahliiiliment of • free library in Weymouth. (Am
phiuse.)
Mr. If. Heretic. agreed with Mr Dowell that
r•oir... which hx,l 10,4 tugge.t...l 'night li:tve 4
0,1.1..nry 1 driving away coin° of the younger mein.
"f tle. pleb.
Mr .Y• I do not think we are going to get the
rktepity. ru to carry Ow ei..votr.., thong 't
ii r.ither
Jo...ate, 'lit gong into the matter. V. art,
" to the ratrpayere how, cud that we
ought to do.
Cuamman ; It may be very metal to obtain

the opinions of the members of the club ere the subject
is brought before the ratepayers.
Mr. Howl thought the establishment of a free
library in the town would be • step in the right
direction.
The CHAIRMAN. replying to the remarks of the
member., explained that the legislature had to give
its sanction to the establishment of a library ere one
could be obtained. and the legislature wmild have to
I' folly perms :el.-1 the time bad coin., whim the
demand slimihl he mil.plie.l before permission W3N
given. For his own psort he hail not Noe, any idace
in which frse lihraries Icel hem, establish...l that any
difficulties had arisen. As to the ',linger members of
the chili, who might not is. ratepayers. all they ',Till'
have to .1° would be to get ratoporem to Mir...ince
them. With reganl to the club itself, they would
not he pnrtim: with it in ally Way Which W.. 314
ilre 'itt their loeing t• 1.11j.,y it.
Affait'., accurately deserilol
if they said they poser] it into different
management to what they had at the present
The trusts,. would part with their authority
to the authorities of the town. Al! matters iif detail
might lie easily arraignsl providing the general
Principle were accepted. Ifs thought the remarks
made by Mr. Itoyal were proper and sensible- that if
the town did not require a free library they need not
have •by ally means.. if, however, the idea was
carried nit he (the Chairman) would try to the utter.
not to engraft it with the club if that COUlii possibly
be managed. If not possible, another course ui
action would have to he taken.
On the motion Mr. Itriem.t... second...l by the
Itev. .1. O. Itaiimoisigt. the slam of two guineas waa
voted to Mr. Ifosi for the efficient manner in whets he
has discharged his onerous dutigs as secretary.
Mr. FAX, however. generoirly expressed a wish
that the money 10.114e4 for the purchase of 3
CIOCk for the chili. (Applause.)
The Iter..l. U. IRA 113.41/3 Lk submitted useful sug•
motions for improving the regulations if the club,
and it was decided that amine of theta be adopted.
On the motion f Mr. M ACM, WW /WIWI liv Or.
Roos. a rote of thanks to the Chairman teririiiiated
the prooredings.