CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Evening Star, Issue 17953, 26 April 1922, Page 3

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Mr C, S, Owen presided over a meeting of the council of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, hold on Monday evening. BRITISH TRADE. SHIP.

The Secretary reported that, at the instance of the executive, a _ camegram. had been despatched to the British Hade Shin, Ltd., at I/ondon requesting that the' trade ship’s Pacific itinerary include Port Chalmers. It was pointed out in the cable that Dunedin was one of tho largest manufacturing centres in tho dominion, and that it might _he possi ic to arrange for tho ship to visit the port free of dues. A letter had also been despatched, to tho High Commissioner pointing out the advantage to be gained by the Otago province by the ship visiting the port.—The Chairman said that tne trade ship would leave England in tho spring of 1925, and it was to be hoped that their efforts to induce the authorities to include the port of Otago in the vessel S itinerary would bo successful. H members had any suggestion to make to further the project, they should lose no time in putting thorn before tho executive. ' RAILWAY GRIEVANCES.

Correspondence was road by the secretary from tho Commercial Travellers and Warehousemen’s Association in regal cl to the “cuts” that had been made in the railway tirnc-tablo. _ Tho President and Vice-president (Mr T. W. Jones) reported upon a conference held with representatives of the association relative to calling a public meeting of protest. Messrs Owen and Jones said a. diffcrenco of opinion had arisen as to the method of procedure. The association representatives desired to call a mooting and obtain facts to them in protesting to the authorities. The chamber representatives considered that they should have something concrete to place before tho meeting. Meanwhile the executive of the Taxpayers’ Federation has been communicated with in order to see if definite facts ami figures could be obtained. A member suggested that economy was beginning at tho wrong end in curtailing the service. If they could obtain a return from some of tho larger country stations for the last ten’ years, he was under the impression that they would find 1 tho business had not increased appreciably, if at all, while tho staffs had been doubled. ft was de.cidcd to leave the matter in the hands of the executive to take any action that might be deemed l advisable on receipt of information from the Taxpayers’ Association.

PORT RAILWAY CHARGES. The President and Secretary reported on a deputation to the district traffic manager of railways (Mr Bowles) regarding the differential charges on goods railed from Port Chalmers to Dunedin ns compared with Lyttelton, Invercargill, and New Plymouth. Mr Bowles explained one ground of complaint satisfactorily, and l regarding the other promised to make inouiries and let the chamber know the result. A letter from the General Manager of Railways was regarded as unsatisfactory. It was decided to leave the whole question in the hands of the Imports Committee to act in conjunction with Mr H. C. Campbell on receipt of an answer from Mr Bowles.

LANDING CARGO AT PORT CHALMERS.

Mr W. Gow called attention to the disadvantages under which Dunedin merchants labored owing to ships being forced to land local cargo at Tort Chalmers. Time and again the chamber had brought under the notice of the shipping companies the question of ships berthing at Port Chalmers instead of craning up to Dunedin, thereby increasing the cost to consignee?. The latest case was that of tho Tainni, which went to Auckland from Wellington, and then loaded up at northern ports to such an extent that when she came to Port Chalmers her draught was too great to permit of her coining up to Dunedin. The ‘Evening Ftar ‘ had taken tho matter up, and an article- outlining the position was published on Saturday.' It was time, ho though.t, that the Dunedin merchants took a linn stand in the matter.

After some • discussion the subject was referred to the Imports Committee, with power to act.

FIRE PROTECTION AT WHARVES. A member again refornid to this subject. He considered 1 it a scandal that (lie City Council and i!u> Harbor Hoard should each endeavor to lima its .-.esponsiliility on to the shoulders u Ihe other body.

'1 he matter was referred In the executive, \vu!i power to endeavor to bring about an understanding by which the bodies interested would each hear a share of responsibility. M INOR BUSINESS. A letter was received from the Government Statistician notifying that, owing to the increased cost of producing copies of the ‘Tear Book’ and other publications, these con Id no longer be supplied to the chamber free, of charge. it was decided to subscribe for copies of the ’ A car Hook’ and monthly statistics. Mr H. 11. Alien, of Lcylaiei Motors, Ltd., was admitted as a member of the chamber.