Junior Chambers Of Commerce

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25179, 9 May 1947, Page 6

Junior Chambers Of Commerce

One of the most pleasing things about the Canterbury Junior Chamber of Commerce is that its members show little disposition to talk about themselves. They have gone very purposefully about the many valuable community projects in ' which they have engaged since the formation Of the chamber in June, 1944, and they have put forward many sensible ideas. They have probably accomplished the more, and gained public goodwill the more completely, because they have never taken themselves too seriously. Earnestness and zeal too seldom go hand in hand with a sense of humour and a sense of proportion. Yesterday’s luncheon was an exception to the general rule of the chamber in that the speaker was not a guest but one of the chamber’s own members, Mr P. B. Watts, who is national president of the Junior Chambers of Commerce. His outline of the objects of the junior chamber movement will be informative to many. He emphasised that they exclude “ narrow political tendencies ” and oppose the creation of pressure groups. If the membership of the chamber includes, as it probably does, young radicals as well as young conservatives, it will be all

the better for that. But Mr Watts admitted that they want this body, “established, solely by, for, and “ about young men ", to be a power in the community, believing that youth is a vital force for progress. He did well to plead for a leavening of youth in the national and local councils of the Dominion. Young men seldom have the opportunity, and few have the inclination, to train for public work, which in most cases must be unpaid or inade-quately-paid service given in their spare time. The Junior Chambers of Commerce ate not only summoning young men to this responsibility, but they are providing the means whereby they may fit themselves to carry it. Many of the members of the Canterbury Junior Chamber, though young, hold important commercial positions whieh in themselves provide the basic training for effective work on public and semipublie bodies. At their meetings they learn the rules of debate and procedure; their knowledge is broad-e-.ed by addresses on subjects of local, national, and international im-

portance. The value to Christchurch of the publicity booklet they prepared last year has been sufficiently emphasised; other equally commendI able activities have received less notice—their financing of the buildI ing of a new wing for the Glenelg I children’s health camp, their survey, now nearly complete, for the guidance of oversea industrialists and migrants who may be attracted to : Christchurch, their patriotic work during the war, and their welfare i work for youth organisations, to mention only a few. In these ac- : tivities they are not merely learning how to serve the community, but they are actually serving it exceedingly well.