BUSINESS INTERESTS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 44, 20 August 1930, Page 4

BUSINESS INTERESTS

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES

A special meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce was held last evening to consider remits for presentation at the forthcoming annual meeting of the Associated Chambers of Commerce.

Mr. D. J. M'Gowan, president of the Wellington Chamber, said that the work of the conference of the associated bodies had proved most valuable to tho business ooinmunity. The executive, comprising. : representatives oil both Islands, met in Wellington" periodically and dealt with tho following-up t)f conference decisioua and any other subjects that may haves beqn remitted from the various chambers. Thus, the oxecutive acted as a clearing-house.

Mr. E. Salmond, chairman of the Central Committee of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, outlinod the past activities of the committee. The principal objective for several years past had. been to persevere in the effort to bring about the repeal of the Board of Trade Act, which was a war measure. That Act gave the Government extraordinary powers of inquiry into the affairs of business firms. The present Prime Minister agreed that the law should be j'emoved from the Statute Book. The 1928 Committee had been absorbed by the' Associated Chambers, and it had been decided also to absorb the ■ Taxpayers' Federation. It was intended to appoint a secretary with high qualifications. The Central Committee contemplated a budget of £2500, the fund to be contributed to by .business firms throughout the Dominion. The amounts to be collected from individual firms would, of course, be small.

A number of remits for consideration at the annual conference of the Associated Chambers were then dealt with.