City Of London General Pe...
The Times, 1824-10-05T00:00:00

Yesterday, a numerous meeting of the friends of this institution took place at the City of London Tavern, for the purpose of conlfira- ig the appointment of a secretary, with a salary, and unIon other business connected with the interests of the society. WsI aLAht WlftL]AMS, E&t., MV. P.; in the chair. Air. BUtRWASH, one of tlhe Directors, after Borne obseivationa upon the zeal and talents of the late honorary secretary, AMr. RiChardsdn, proposel a resolution in favour of the appointment of that gentleman witt a salary of 2001. a year. M Ir. COPiLANrD seconded the motion. AIr. GREGOx Y considered the prepositionl equally wicked and Im- politic-wicked, inasmuch as it was calculated to ivert the mosqey which had been raised for poor deserving objects to a very difierent purpose; and impolitic, because It violated economy, which he con. sidered the vital principle of charity. The appoinltment of a secre. tary with a salary stripped the Society of the pdiker of placng 1I poor women upon the books of the charity-, anid he trtisted that tltoge beneVnlent iadividuals who surrounded him would give its due weight to the objectioni, and unite in ihe endeavour to puti an end to all posisibility of speculating upon the prosperity of ingeittitions df this kind. (Some applause and hissing.) To Mir. Richardson, whose respectability and rank were vrell knowvn, the sum of 2001. could be ns object, while to those unfortunate persons who were waiting in anxiety Ibr the bounty of the Society, it was niatterof vital concern. The moton would, he trusted, be negatived, when the meeting con. idered that the affirm atlve wouhl tum away from the current of charity 400 annual sttbscriptions. (A mixture of applause and hissing.) M r. WHE1I.ER contended-strenuously in favour of the appoInt- inctr which he said, was deeply due to AMr. RIchardron, and the refuisal of which *ould be an act of the grossest IijutifiCe-ti that gentleman, whose services had added so limmensely to its ntimber's and respectability. When first Alr. Richard son accepted the office of secretary, the difficulties lie had to contend with were very great. The number of subtcribers amounted to no more thaii 180, and they liad found scrious impediments to increase, but those Impediments were removed by the intervention of divine Providence, whio directed them to a person qualified in every respect to benefit the institution. WbVether or not he l1ad ftilfiUed the ex. pectations of those by whom he had been appointed, was well known to the public; but perhaps it was not equtally well known that it was owing to his exertions that thc subscribers increaset from 180 to 6,000 (loud applause) ; that lie had not only devoted a great part of hisownl time, which was his stock in trade, to the interests of the Society, but actually bestowed the attention and labour of his clerks upon the da ties oftthe office. He (iMr. Wheeler) was not persorrally acquaiited with Mr. lictiardson, but lie knew him to be cntitled by the most undeniable claims to the tituation of secretary with the salary. Milr. TITTEItTON (a Director) stated that he had stigg&sfed to the Board of Directors the propriety of rewarding the exertions of Mr. Richardson, by whom the business of tle institution was transacted with incredible rapidity and correctness. In the opaoe of half an hoar 400 claimants it was ascertained, had been paid in consequence of his admirabie arrnngementg. (Applause.) The other sex were pointed at bh. Air. Gregory in rather an uincandid manner. The exclusion of 1 women was selected at an atgartent against the appointment, and was certainly salculated to give an un- fair importance to the proposed measure. But the way to view the question wan, to ask how much had been gainedby Ar. Richardson's labours, and to place one sum against the other. How could the Society expect, that after a five years and a half's attention to it without recompense of any kind, a man could continue to labour upon the sarne terrns ? It might as ell h expected.that a man would be clerk iR the Bank or in theEar.t India-hotise jrafls. (Applause and laughter.) hMr. CROOK said, that an advertisement had appeared in TA;e Tines newspaper of the 29th of September, calling upon those persons who objected to the appoihtment of a secretary wlth a salary, to attend the meeting of the City of London General Pension Societv, on the 4th of October. Hle then read the advertisement, and asked whether it would not have been much more latf and ho- nourable, to advertise for the members not to come and object with. out hearing, but to come and hear, and ascertain, whether they were bound to vote for or against the proposition. (Applause.) He would beg leave to ask, *whether it *as not extremely unfair to put such an advertiseinent A, ihat he had reals intq a great publlc print. The dbject of it was palpable, and lie should wish to be Informed by the gentleman wvho opposed the appointment. whether he wa. the erson to whom the meeting were indebted for the advertisement. Ir. Crook concluded with observing, that it would be most uncon- scionable to cill upon Mr. Richardson, after he had for so long a pe. riod served the Society gratuitously, to continue to do so, after the instittition had go extensively improved under his superintendtence. Sir PETE1 LAtTRIE said, that if theSocietyhad been set going by !'lr. Richardson at the commencement, he should be disposed to give it the epithet of a job ; bitt the fact was- the former Secretary wvasnot capable of performing the duties, and the performance of the duties fell upon Dir. R{ichardson, *hO soL iproved that he w:S qua- litiedi, and mnaniested the utmost zeal, as well as ability. Upon those grounds he (Sir Peter ,aurie) shonoid vote for the motion, at the s-ne time that he wished It to be understood, that if he con. ceived there was any thing like jobbing in it, he would not have thought of any thing but oppoRition. Mr. SAUNTtERg bore testimony to the merits of AMr. Richardson. Air. STtPHEiNS was of opinion that it was not the most economi. cal plan to be converting honorary secretaries into salaried secreta. ries. An honorary secretary was considerably above a secretary ;he had a power which a salaried secretary could not dream of wielding, anti the question was, whether he would become the sort of person which a society could wish, upon beltig paid for his exertions, and whether that son of control could beexercised over him which it was necessary for a society to maintain over Its servant. le (M1r. Stephens) (id not meani to oppose this proposition, but he certainly thought that it was a practice worthy of being discotuntenaticed.to make a nia an honorary secretary, and after a service of two or tlhree years, to let him creep into a salary anti a sinecure. (A laugh andapplause.) I'he town had already been informed of the practice in othet instances, and cerainly under different circumsatances; andi really he hoped that the thing would soon drop altogether. He confessed his prejudice towards the sort of conversion to which lie hnd alllded; and was of opinion that there wa.s nothing like the honest old plan of advertising for a secretary, for then there would be comparison of talent, and the person elected would reel himself bound to attend to his duties. The CHAIRMAN here informed the nieeting that Mr. Richardson had dropped the title of honorary secretary at the last meeting. A Subsc:iber cried out,"Istthis sum of 2001.tokeannuallypaid?" The CHAIRMAN replied in the affirmative5 and that It was to take its date from Mlidsummer, 1823, at which period the title wis uhropped5 and ithe appointment determinedl to be submitted to itle great body of subscribers, 51r. GREGORtY rose to reply. Ile admitted the respectability of M r. Richardsen; and in answer to the question whether tiat gentle- tnatn had not mtrited something from the$ ocigty, would say he cer- tainly did. 1n faci;T 'r. Richardson had already receivedsometlting substantial ii ihis consciousisees of having donie so much servlce dis- interestedly, and in the numerous votes of thanks whichi he had re- ceived from crowded assemblies, for his gratuitosts labours. With respect to the epithet " honorary," he should just make one obser- vation. He feitred that some circumstances combined.to make a new reading necessary, and that for the werd "4 honotark," ought to be substitutetl that of " mercenary."-.(Loud disapprobation and some laughter.) The CIlArhrtAN was obliged to call the meeting to order, and Mr. Gregory declared that lie did not mean to apply the offensive word to Mlr. Richardson. Hle certainly thought, aftr all that had been said of lhonorary secretaries" lately, and their determined object at start- itng, those who eveF intende to rnake mnney by serving the poor, ought to drop the dlistinguithinF title. Mtr. EVANs was decidedly of opinion that the resolution entered into at a forner meeting, and now brought, forward for confirmation, should be rescinded, upon the ground that the suim of 2001. would be obliged to be withdrawn from 16 poor women, and berause the iub- scriptions of 333 subscribers would be swallowed tip by sU3t1 appro- prittion of the funds. He lvas ctonvinced that if the salary In aues- ton were voted td the Secretary, the Society would sustain fatal i jury in the defeption of the groat menss of the subscribers He for 6ne woult withdraw from it, as lie could notpermiii tc uniwarrantable an appropriation of his money. fle trusted that his example would be followed by mainy others, convinced as he was that this was the bett way to dispose of "bouorerv" secretaryships. the female sub- scribers in particular he looked to for approbation of his amendment, which he then moveed to the effect of refusing ,the ssar A Gentleman said, on the patt of saonte ladles who wete ptesent, that the original motion had their full support. (Applause.) The question on the amendment was then put. and four bands were held up. The original motion was then carried by cc)arnsaion. A ballot was immediaely called for loudly by the oppoulents to the motion for the appointment, aind Air. T. WILSON, A.P., rose to deprecate the attOsnpt to tow dis- sension in, and occasion expense to, the Society by the proposition to proceed to a ballot. He represented also the total bsurdity of doing so, thie numbers being, he said, so disproportiohate as to leave not the slightest doubt of the determination of the majority. The CHA1IRAq, in reference to the laws of the Society, declared that the ballot (if any were determined upon) must take place upon the spot, and the votes were to be calculated from the number of votes to which each Individual was entotled by the amount of his subscription. Now there was one gentleman in his eye who would support the original motion, whose vote would outnmber those of all who opposed it. This iniormation concluded the business. The salary is declaYed snettlteld, and the Chairman lavinj expressed hIls satifaction, the This mneeting mncst strongly proved that there is a feeling against sitepformationdof societiefor thebenefitofthe officers, now on the (ITY OF LONDON GENERAL PEFSION SOcIEry.