CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 94, 22 April 1926, Page 9

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

MONTHLY MEETING. ADDRESS ON LEAGUE OF NATIONS. The monthly lunch meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce was held to-day in the Chamber's rooms. There was a large attendance, and the president, Mr F. A. Hellaby, occupied the chair. Mr. Hellaby referred feelingly to the loss of the Chamber's late secretary, Mr. C. H. Tewsley, and on his motion a message of condolence with his relatives was carried. The speaker of the day was the Rev. W. G. Monckton, who chose as his subject " The League of Nations as it Affects Commerce and Business." Mr. Monckto nsaid that to his mind the most valuable portion of the activities of the League of Nations were those carried out by its subsidiary organisations, and concerning which little publicity was given.. The League's financial organisation had the services of some of the ablest financal men in the world, who met and after considering applications for assistance made from various countries, made representations to the Council. The case of Austria was a striking ona. The rehabilitation of Austrian finances had been despaired of when the matter -was handed over to the League of Nations. In five weeks the League's Finance Committee had evolved a scheme which at a total cost to the League of £6000 put Austria on her feet. Britai at that time had a £2,000,000 debt against Austria, which had been written off as bad. After the new financial scheme came into peration this £2,000,000 debt, with accrued interest, was paid off. On this item alone Britain had received enough to pay its contributions to the League of Nations in perpetuity. Next Hungary and Albania were put on their feet financially. Next came an appeal on behalf of thousands of Greek refugees who were being, returned penniless to their own country. The League made a successful appeal for funds to -supply the immediate needs of these refugees, and then arranged an international loan of f7,000,000, which made satisfactory permanent provision for these unfortunates on sound commercial lines.

The economic organisation of the League dealt with matters in which the various economical methods of different countries were held to be detrimental to the general good. Amongst these was the very complicated one of taxation and unfair competition, such as a misleading use of trade marks. An effort was being made to provide means whereby a tr_ide mark registered in one of the 58 countries affiliated to the League should not be duplicated in any of the other 57. Another subject under discussion was the variation in regard to Customs regulations, and the laws affecting trie movement of commercial travellers. A uniform practice in all these matters was sought. It had baen stated that last year 07,000 American commercial travellers had ~paid an average of £50 for passports, visas, etc. A motion would come forward either for the abolition of the passport system or a radical simplification thereof. The League of Machinery was the best piece of machinery the mind of man could conceive, but it could do nothing without the prlwill and assistance of the people Of the world.