also a bit of a white elephant, right from the start. A meeting was held 16 March 1875, where it was announced that few share offers had been taken up, so the company’s capital was very low, while their debts and liabilities seemed mountainous.

[Mr Boardman] was also strongly opposed to the attempt to wind up the company, which meant the sale of the hall, and its loss as a public hall to the district. He thought that sufficient efforts had perhaps not been made to carry out the original design of the promoters of the hall, which was to enlist the sympathies of the bulk of the population, by providing entertainments, concerts, lectures, etc, also a reading-room and free public library. He had a strong desire to preservedid the company reap any pecuniary benefit from them. On these occasions the company were much indebted to Mr and Mrs Stodart for assistance in various ways. A musical society and a chess club were formed, and from them a small revenue was derived in the shape of rent. In June last a loan of £680 at 8 per cent, was obtained on which enabled the board to settle with Mr Dawson, the builder, but still left an overdraft at the bank unpaid. The National Bank required the overdraft paid on the 31st of the present month, and the directors had come to the conclusion that the best means by which to reimburse themselves for the outlay they had incurred was to wind up the present company and