Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-18 00:00:00

'B, nine

REPORT

The committee beg leave to lay before the proprietors the
statement of the accounts for the past year, which have been
audited as usual by Messrs. Harmood Banner and Son.
Two stalls have been.sold, and eight stalls have been forfeited
to the society owing to the non-payment of the year's subscription.
The proprietors will observe that the current expenses of the
society have exceeded by a few pounds the receipts of the year,
a result which must be ascribed to the diminished attendance of
the public. Considering, however, that the past year was one of
continued depression in this community, the committee see no
grounds for discouragement, nor reason to doubt that in suc-
ceeding seasons the ordinary rate of subscription will prove, as
heretofore, fully adequate to the ordinary expenditure.
The mortgage upon the hall has been discharged, and the total
liabilities of the society are now £1,234 17s 3d. The proceeds of
two boxes and 245 stalls held by the society will, as realised,
come in reduction of this amount.
The committee have again the pleasure of conveying to the
practical members their acknowledgments for very valuable
services rendered to the society during the past season.
They likewise wish to express to Mr. Henry Sudlow their
approval of the zeal and efficiency with which he continues to
perform his duties as secretary and treasurer.
It has latterly been the practice to give ten subscription and
two extra concerts, but the committee now beg to propose that
the twelve Concert; should all be included in the subscription,
and be divided into eight full dress and four undress.
It will be in the recollection of the proprietors that when the
arrangement for the liquidation of the debt upon the building
was entered into, a pledge was given that no expense should be
incurred in painting and decorating the hall pending the payment
of the calls. Those calls being now paid, the committee are of
opinion that the subject of cleaning and decorating should be
considered, and with this view they have obtained some estimates
of the probable cost, not based, however, upon any precise
specification, and therefore merely a guide for themselves and
for the proprietors. These estimates show that the cleaning,
painting and decorating of the hall in a suitable manner, with
the necessary restoration of the furniture, would require a sum
of about £I,IOO, and, in order to elicit the opinion of the pro-
prietors upon such an important question, the committee have
prepared the following resolution, which they will submit at the
adjourned annual meeting, viz.:—
"_ That it is desirable to paint and decorate the hall, and that
an addition of £1 is be made to the ordinary subscription for
boxes and stalls for the present year, and the sum so raised be
placed at the disposal of the committee to defray the cost."
They will then recommend that the subscription for the year
1859 should be as follows
Boxes and stalls ..
Gallery stalls ..
Gallery ... -
Annual subscribers to the stalls .. 4 4 0 „
They also propose that proprietors should be allowed to
nominate any resident gentleman for the season, upon payment
of 5s each, as before. And that any resident gentleman, not in
business for himself, and approved of by the committee, should
be allowed the privilege of purchasing, or of making use of, a
member's ticket at the subscription concerts, upon payment of
lOs 6d for the, year, in accordance with the resolution passed at
the annual meeting in January. 1856

£4 4 0 each seat,
20 0 „
10 0 „

A statement of accounts was submitted, by which it
appeared that the expenditure for the year was £4,477
lis. Bd., and the receipts during the same period
amounted to £3,725 4s. 6d., of which £3,687 15s. 6d.
was subscriptions for boxes, stalls, &c. ; leaving a balance
of £8 16s. 9d. against the proprietry. The liquidation
account stood thus —Balance 31st December, 1857,
£11,528 17s. 11d. ; Balance 31st December, 1858,
1,815 16s.

It was moved by the Chairman, and seconded by Mr.
Johnston, "That the statement of accounts be passed,"
which, after some conversation, was carried unanimously.
It was then moved by the Chairman, and seconded by
Mr. Parker, " That the best thanks of this meeting be
given to the practical members, for the very valuable
services rendered to the society during the past season."
The motion was carried unanimously.
It was moved by the Chairman, and seconded by Mr.
P. G..Heyworth, " That twelve concerts be given to the
proprietors and subscribers next season—eight of which
shall be full dress, and four undress concerts,"

Mr. Perkins moved, as an amendment, that only six
concerts be given during the year, with a view of curtail-
ing the expenses.
It was stated by several gentlemen present that the
band would cost as much for the six concerts as for the
twelve; and nothing could, in consequence, be saved by
the amendment.
The Chairman said that the committee had thought it
a great hardship that, on many occasions, the public were
admitted into the hall at 55., to hear the same artists and
enjoy the same concerts as the subscribers did, who paid
7s. 6d. the previous night.
It was stated in the course of the discussion that the
extra concerts which were given did not pay for the
sweeping of the hall.
The amendment was seconded by Mr. Johnston, but,
on being put to the meeting, was lost by a large
majority ; and the original motion was accordingly
allowed to pass.
It was then moved by the Chairman, and seconded by
Mr. Meade King: "That it is desirable to paint and
decorate the hall, and that an addition of one guinea be
made to the ordinary subscriptions of boxes and stalls for
the present year, and the sum so raised be placed at the
disposal of the committee, to defray the costs." The
cost was estimated at about £l,lOO.

Mr. Johnson held that it was inexpedient to make any
further outlay until their debt was paid. He proposed
that they should sell their boxes and stalls by auction,
and said it would be better to give them away than
continue to hold them as at present, as the subscription
would come to more than £l,OOO in the year, whereas
now they did not realise more than one or two hundred.
They had only sold two stalls during the year at eighteen
guineas, and he asked why they should keep them up 'at
that price' if they did not sell ?
Mr. Downes moved as an amendment, that it was
inexpedient to make any outlay on the hall while the
society was in debt.
Mr. Johnson seconded the amendment, which, after
some desultory discussion, was put and lost.
Mr. Downes then moved, as another amendment,
that the committee be instructed to sell the two
remaining boxes and the remainder of the stalls. Manner
of the sale to be left to the discretion of the committee.
The amendment; after being seconded, was put and lost,
and the original motion was accordingly carried.

The Chairman moved that the recommendation in the
report, in reference to the subscriptiOn of 1859, be
carried. The motion was agreed to.
A committee was then, appointed, by resolution,
after which

The Chairman moved a resolution, the object of which
was to concentrate the bank accounts. The motion was
seconded by Mr. King, and carried unanimously.
This concluded the business.