Annual General Meeting

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AT SHREWSBURY

The Annual General Meeting of the Association was held in the Music Hall, Shrewsbury, on Wednesday, 5th April, 1972 at 11.00 a.m.

The meeting was opened by The Worshipful ,the Mayor of Shrewsbury, Mrs. E. M. Parsonage, who welcomed the 86 members who were present. She expressed the pleasure which it gave her personally and also her Authority that the Association had chosen Shrewsbury as the venue for its Annual General Meeting. In reply the Chairman of the Association responded as follows :'Madam Mayor, The Mayoress, Gentlemen, I am sure I speak for all our members when I say that we are deeply conscious of the honour you have done us this morning by officiating here and opening our conference. I note that in addition to your civic duties as Mayor, you are listed as holding ten other appointments of a wide variety, and because of these onerous commitments we are extremely grateful that you have managed to find time to be with us. I don't know how you manage to fit in your hobbies of gardening, listening to good music, cooking and needlework, which are, in themselves, time consuming.

One reason for your attendance here is undoubtedly your regard for your Chief Inspector of Weights and

Measures, Bob Holdaway, who we will be honouring later this morning. It is fitting tribute to him that your Authority invited the Association to meet. at offered facilities for a two day meetmg, mcludmg a CIVIC reception. 'In the Association he is also highly respected for his abilities and wealth of experience which is invaluable.

Throughout the centuries Shrewsbury an important role in the history of medIeaval time was considered a town of major strategIc Importance.

It became a near impregnable fortress bounded on its landward boundaries by a wall and elsewhere by the River

Severn, presumably to keep out Nowadays there is no need .for such fortIficatIOns and the

Council of Shrewsbury, the county town, is always delighted to receive visitors, as was evidenced by the warmth of your welcome.

We do thank you for your presence here this morning and look forward to meeting you again this evening when our members will have the opportunity of meeting you individually.

Meantime, I know that it is your wish to remain for part of the forenoon session at least, as Shrewsbury has a special interest in certain events that will take place later in our agenda'. Apologies Apologies were received from 26 members. Minutes The minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting (circulated) were accepted by the meeting.

Matters Arising There were no matters arising from these minutes.

Chairman's Report 'My year of office began in the wake of the postal strike which had interrupted the arrangements for last year's Annual General Meeting, and had threatened education and training courses organised for the spring and mid-summer. Fortunately, when communications returned to normal, the administration process within the Association recovered quickly and ,the Annual >General Meeting was held some three weeks hehind schedule. The residential courses ran according to plan.

During the year, for the first time, 'two training courses and one Advanced Seminar were held. The Northern Branch's training course and the Advanced Seminar for Senior Officers were held at York University, and the Southern Branch's training course was held at Surrey University. All three courses were highly successful, and my thanks are due to the organisers. I would particularly mention the Southern Branch's course which had a very limited time to get off the ground following ,the postal strike and looked, at one time, as though cancellation was inevitable.

Our 'Bulletin' Editor had completed his first year in office and he, too, was faced with problems at the time of the postal strike, being unable ,to get material in or get the 'Bulletin' out. However, he quickly settled into his new appointment, overcame difficulties and managed to publish and circulate each quarterly edition with the minimum of delay. The quality of this publication is high, and it continues to be highly respected throughout the petroleum industry, a tribute to the calibre of our Honorary Editor.

This year has been one of consolidation reflecting a continued expansion in membership and ,trading surplus. I do not want to go into these matters as the Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer will be reporting separately thereon later in the agenda. Meantime, ;the Association continued to gain strength and respect as a national body.

One event which could radically alter the future of the Association was the publication of a Bill of Parliament to reorganise Local Government. It provides for the administration of the Petroleum Acts to be carried out by Top Tier Authorities. In consequence, the number of Authorities from whom membership of the Association could be drawn

will be substantially reduced, and it is unlikely that it will be able to continue as presently constituted. However, the same number of officers will still be required to carry out their various duties, and the hope is that the Association will be able to continue in some new form. It is your Council's intention to seek legal and financial advice and to call a special meeting later this year, or at some other opportune time, when this issue will be fully discussed and a decision taken by the members as to our future destiny.

The Legal and Reference Committee of your Council has been kept busy during the year with such matters as contents gauges, electrical certificates, emergency procedures, tank testing, parking places for tank wagons and other matters. Some of these items have been disposed of and reports on others are expected shortly.

The main task of the Constitution and Rules Committee was the production of Model Branch Rules which have now been adopted by most Branches, subject to minor alterations, insertions and amendments to suit the needs of individual Branches.

I have enjoyed my year of office as your Chairman in spite of the fact that it has involved extensive travelling. I can remember a previous Chairman reporting that he, on occasions, had to be on his way before dawn and very often did not arrive home until late at night. I have not been inconvenienced to any great extent in this respect, but I have taken the trouble to add up the distance I have travelled in attending meetings of Council, Branches (and it has been my policy to visit as many as possible), and other Association duties. The total distance covered was 7,050 miles of which 3,850 were by road and 3,200 by air. No doubt this will have a salutory effect on the item 'Expenses of Council and Committee Meetings' in the balance sheet.

Finally, I should like to thank the Vice-Chairman, the Honorary Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer, the Committee Chairmen and other members of the Council and Branch Officers of the Association 'for their support during my year of office. My thanks are also due to my Authority for allowing me the time to undertake my duties and to my Deputy and staff for the extra burden that they have had to share in my absence'.

Honorary Secretary's Report The Honorary Secretary informed those present that the membership of the Association now totalled 606 (601) Local Authorities; 144 (110) Associate; 41 (48) 'Bulletin' subscribers and 12 Honorary Members. (Last year's figures in braCkets).

He told the meeting that he had attended the three Council meetings which were held during the year together with two meetings of the Financial and General Purposes Committee and one of the Education Committee. These meetings too, had been well attended and the considerable volume of work which had come before these meetings had been efficiently and speedily dealt with.

The Honorary Secretary went on to comment on the first Advanced Seminar which was held at Derwent College, York University in the autumn of 1971 which was attended by 52 members. It appeared, he said - from comments received by officers attending - that this event had been a most successful one. He drew members' attention to the Association's Council decision to organise a second Advanced Seminar to be held at Alcuin College, York University from 25/28th September, 1972. About half of the sixty places had so far been reserved and other members were advised to write to the Honorary Secretary as soon as possible if they wished to attend. It was unfortunate that the fee for this seminar had had to be raised to £21 this year. The Honorary Secretary reported that this was solely due to the University increasing its charges. The Honorary Secretary concluded his report by thanking the Chairman and other officers of the Association and members for their assistance and co-operation during the year. He further officially thanked the members of his own staff without whose willing assistance his task would be impossible.

The Honorary Secretary's report was accepted with thanks by the meeting.

Honorary Treasurer's Report The Honorary Treasurer reported that the year 1971 was not remarkable in any way. The accounts showed that the increase in subscription was necessary, without it the Association would have been barely solvent at the year-end. All three schools proved to be viable so that no call was made on the general funds.

Sales of the Association's Codes of Practice have been steady and sales of 'The Bulletin' have increased.

All things considered the year had been satisfactory from a financial point of view.

Mr. A. Senior moved, seconded by Mr. G. Harvey that the accounts be accepted. This was agreed by the meeting.

Honorary Editor's Report The Honorary Editor reported as follows :'This is the first full year in which I have had the pleasure to report to the Association and in doing so I should like to thank all those who have been kind enough to send articles for publication, especially Branch Secretaries without whose help it would be most difficult to produce a full and balanced magazine. I would still ask those gentlemen for continued contributions, letters or any item of information even though it might appear to be of no great importance. Very often those items which appear unimportant prove of great interest to someone somewhere else.

We have reached a very good relationship with our new printers who have been most helpful in the publication of 'The Bulletin' and between us we have managed to keep expenditure within the limits laid down by your Council. Unfortunately postal charges continue to rise and over this item we have no control. It is interesting to note that our articles over the past year reflected a close liaison that has built up between ourselves and the industry as a whole.

During the year we have published the usual question and answer supplement to 'The Bulletin', a new electrical

certificate and, to date, 2,500 copies of the Association's Codes of Practice are in circulation.

I should like to take this opportunity of thanking the retiring Chairman, the Honorary Secretary, the Honorary Treasurer and Council members and in particular Bob Holdaway and WaIter Heatherington for their very valued advice and support'.

At the conclusion of his report, the Honorary Editor was asked by Mr. M. Clark of Cheltenham B.C. whether articles for publication in 'The Bulletin' should be passed direct to him or via the Secretary of the Branch. The Honorary Editor replied that all articles should be passed direct to him in order to obviate delays. The Honorary Editor's report was received with thanks by the meeting.

Special Items Presentation to the retired Honorary Editor Mr. R. P. Holdaway The Chairman, Mr. J. Short, in taking this item said 'Before proceeding to the next item on the agenda, I have a very pleasant duty to perform. At last year's Annual General Meeting, your Chairman made reference to the retiral of Bob Holdaway from the post of 'Bulletin' Editor after some nine years service. He was warmly thanked by the Membership, by Branches, by the Council and by individuals, but it was felt, within the Association, that his service should be recognised in some more tangible form.

As many of you will know, Bob Holdaway is Chief Inspector of Weights and Measures for the town of Shrewsbury. You may not know he is descended from a long line of Weights and Measures Inspectors, as his grandfather, father and uncle all held similar appointments. Bob himself has seen service in Crewe, Berwick-upon-Tweed (we nearly naturalised him), Kent and Salop County Councils, as well as in Shrewsbury itself. This service stretches back to the thirties.

So much for Bob's career, which is of general interest, but it is in his capacity as Petroleum Officer and Shrewsbury's representative to the Association that we seek to honour him. He was Editor in the days when 'The Bulletin' was the publication of the Midlands Petroleum Acts Administration Group. When this organisation merged with others, 'The Bulletin' eventually became the Association's shop window, and it was presented so skilfully that many powerful sections of the petroleum industry and administration were drawn into membership. In fact, I can remember on one occasion taking issue with a major petroleum compan,Y on a technical point in forecourt layout at one of theIr filling stations, and 'being confronted with a copy of a page from 'The BUlletin' giving the answer and demonstrating that my requirements were out of date.

Bob, we are grateful to you for your sterling work in those early days as Editor, which helped immeasurably to create a feeling of mutual respect between Local Authority administrators and the petroleum industry, and did so much to build the Association to its present strength. It is my pleasure, now, on behalf of the Council and members of the Association to ask you to accept, with their good wishes. this gift in appreciation of your long and valued service in that capacity'.

Mr. Short then presented an onyx table lamp on behalf of the members of the Association to Mr. R. P. Holdaway. The members present showed their appreciation in the traditional manner.

Election of Officers for the Ensuing Year (a) Mr. Short, the Chairman, in announcing this item informed members there was one nomination for the office of Chairman for the year 1972/73, namely Mr. R. P. Holdaway. He mentioned that in previous remarks he had already paid tribute to Mr. Holdaway and said there was little which he could add to those remarks except that the choice of him as Chairman could not be bettered and to members' applause Mr. Short invested the new Chairman with the Badge of Office at the same time wishing him a successful year in office. Mr. Holdaway then suitably replied thanking the retiring Chairman for his outstanding services dur!ng his year of office. (b) Vice-Chairman

One nomination for the office of Vice-Chairman, that of

J. W. Hewison, Havant and Waterloo V.D.C. Mr. Hewis on was duly appointed Vice-Chairman by the meeting. (c) Honorary Secretary

There being only one nomination, that of the existing

Honorary Secretary, Mr. J. W. Frid was therefore reelected and thanked for his work in respect of the

Association.

(d) Honorary Treasurer

There was only one nomination for this post, that of the existing Honorary Treasurer, Mr. C. T. Peacock, who was duly elected after being Ithanked by the Chairman for his past work. (e) Honorary Editor

One nomination was received, that of the present Honorary Editor, Mr. B. W. C. Thacker. Mr. Thacker was suitably thanked by the Chairman and was duly reelected. (f) The Honorary Secretary reported that no nomination had been received for the office of Honorary Liaison

Officer and the meeting agreed that this should be left vacant until such time as the Council wished it to be filled. (g) Mr. P. D. Wadsworth, the present Honorary Legal

Adviser, was sincerely thanked by the Chairman for his past good offices and was re-appointed for the year 1972/73. (h) Mr. A. Senior, Chief Public Health Inspector, Hemsworth R.D.C. was thanked 'for his past services by the

Chairman and duly re-appointed as Honorary Auditor.

Election of Council (8 members) Six nominations were received for the eight Council representations and the following were duly elected by the meeting :-