CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 August 1930, Page 5

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday afternoon. Mr P. J. McLean presided, and Messrs J. W. Greenslade, A. M. Carroll, T. E. Coates, G. Clark, W. Norton, and the secretary, Mr M. Phil, lips, were also present. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs J. Ring, F. A. Kitchingham, A. Naylor, and W. B. Cunningham.

The Canterbury Automobile Association asked for the support of the Chamber in having the bush on the Coast Road to Westport, between Pororari River and Fox River proclaimed a. scenic reserve as it is regarded that this hush scenery is of great interest to tourists passing along the road.

The Chairman, remarked that the Greymouth Chamber had had the matter under consideration for the past two yeyars. Mr F. A. Kitchingham had gone very fully into the matter, and had done his utmost to impress upon, the Minister of Tourist and Scenic Reserves, the value of the bush on that particular stretch. He suggested that the Canterbury Automobile Association be asked to cooperate with the Chamber in the matter. —This was agreed. The Transport Committee of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce reported as follows on the Lewis Pass Road, which report had been adopted by the Canterbury Chamber:—The Committee is of opinion that the proposal for a road to the West Coast via the Lewis Saddle merits the sympathy of the Council, provided the construction shall in no way prejudice the maintenance, improvement and completion of the present route via Otira Gorge, involving the bridging of the Waimakariri river.

Mr Coates: Is it true that the road is under snow? The Chairman: No. there is no truth in that rumour, which has been contradicted since. The men are there working all the time. Mr Coates: Do you think we would have any chance of getting the Waimakariri bridged? The Chairman: We have been pressing for that, but it is a big job which will require skilled labour. Mr Coates: There will be no harm in forwarding a resolution on the matter, and I will move that the Government be urged to proceed with the improvement of the Waimakariri on the Arthur’s Pass route to Christchurch. This was seconded by the Chairman and carried.

RAILWAY MATTERS. The Railways District Traffic Manager advised in reference to the protest against the system of delivery of goods in truck loads. The letter stated that the present system of delivery of goods so far as full truck loads is concerned, is for the consignee to sign for the consignment and then the delivery. Goods such as chaff, hay, grain in full, truck loads, are not tallied by the Department as such consignments are invariably loaded by consignors and conveyed at owner’s risk. Should the consignment turn out short, however, there is no objection to the consignee qualifying his receipt accordingly, although this does not involve the Department in any liability. “With regard to the 40 bags of chaff referred to in your letter this consignment, not being a truck load, would be carried in a truck with other goods, being unloaded through the goods shed, and tallied by this Department staff. Ship’s goods are generally delivered over the floor of the goods shed and consignees sign for the actual quantity received at the time,” concluded the letter.

The Chairman: I will look into the matter, which is not at all satisfactory, the Department not .being responsible for shortage. It is contrary to fact, to say they are not loaded at the railway stations. Mr Carroll: They could easily get over that by saying' the trucks were loaded at Flag stations. The Auckland Qhamber of Commerce forwarded a. resolution which had been addressed to the Prime Min-

ister touching upon the Railway system of the Dominion, giving the considered opinion that the only means of sales solving the ? many difficulties which at present face the railway system and especially of converting it. into an effective service, paying its way on proper commercial lines, lies in the direction of at once divorcing it

from political control and interference, and placing control under a Commissioner or Board of Directors. This is

urged at present inasmuch as such a question appears to be outside the order of reference submitted to the Royal Commission on the Railways now sitting. The Chairman moved that the remit receive the approval and support of the Chamber. “It 'seems to me, that with one and a-quartpr millions lost there must be something radically wrong. They make railways Which do not pay for the axle grease. It is ridiculous,” he added. Mr Greenslade said it should he insisted that the construction of new lines be plac'cd outside political con- 1 trol. Once the Government, decide to go on with new works, the expense in the initial stages is so great that the line never pays. There was too much parochial feeling on matters which were not viewed from a national standpoint, or in the interest of the country. The whole system required reorganisation. If the motion from the Auckland Chamber did not apply to lines yet to be constructed, it was of no use whatsoever. It was not good policy to have political interest controlling the work of placing new lines.

The Chairman remarked that he understood the resolution to cover the building of further railways.

Mr Greenslade: Unless it. does, it is futile for’us to discuss it.

The Chairman: If in the first instance the Government or whoever is responsible overburden the capital expenditure the railway can never pay no matter who takes it on.

It was resolved to support the resolution from Auckland, and forward a similar one to the Prime Minister, pointing out the fallacy of taking over country for railway construction, where railways are not warranted. “I realise that I am touching on delicate ground, Mr Chairman, but I would suggest that a comparative statement be put before this Chamber, as to wharfage rates of Greymouth and in say 12 others ports in New Zealand.” said Mr Coates. “It seems a shame that wharfage rates almost compel us to send goods by the railway instead of over the bar.’ The Chairman agreed with Mr

.Coates’ remarks, saying that it ap- < peared to him that £1,250,000 was being lost by the Dominion through railway defects, and yet the railway was opposed to ports, to which the Government was greatly responsible in financing. It was a short shighted policy. It had been recently suggested that the Government should establish in financing. It was a short sighted but he was of the opinion that the shipping companies should do that themselves. He mentioned that the ship, Tees, was deserving of credit for trading between the Chatham Islands and New Zealand, and more attention should be given to shipping than to the railways, for with shipping foreign capital was coming into the Dominion, but with the railways capital was going out. He would ask the. secretary to the Grey Harbour Board to get particulars showing the comparative wharfage rates in Greymouth compared with other different ports of New Zealand. Mi- Coates: We will have to bring enough pressure and back up the establishment of sheds on the wharf. We may be able to help it along too.” BELL HILL ROAD.

! The Chairman said that he had been approached by the Grey County Engineer, Mr J. Higgins asking for the support of the Chamber in obtaining an additional grant from the Government for funds to enable the completion of the construction work on the Bell Hill road. The present available funds were almost depleted, and the County Council had made application for a further grant. If the grant was not forthcoming the 30 men employed on the work would have to be dismissed. The camp was established and the tools were there, while a stoppage would mean extra expenditure in re-establishing a camp. The road was opening up extra country, and work had been already cut

down to two and three days a. week so that the funds -would last longer. Mr Greenslade moved that the Chamber support the application for a further grant, and that a telegram be despatched to the Minister of Public Works and the member for the district, setting out the urgency of the request. To be followed later by a letter. This was seconded and carried. Mr Greenslade said that the mining regulation should be revised so as not to apply to first class and river-bed land. He said that there had been thousands of acres of the finest pastoral land turned over by mining op-

erations and spoilt. The time was opportune for assisting the farming industry -which would be lasting. Under the present mining regulation a conflict of titles to property was caused and a farmer was not able to borrow' on a freehold title. There was plenty of second and third class land available which would prove bountiful to the miner. He objected to firstclass land being made an eye-sore, for that is what it became after gold-min-ing. He moved that a resolution be forwarded to the Minister of Lands, and the Minister of Mines requesting a reclassification of land, and asking that the mining regulations be amended, consideration to lands being given from a national standpoint. Mr Norton seconded and the motion was carried.

TIMETABLE ALTERATIONS.

The Chairman said there was another matter on which he desired to enter a protest to the Minister of Railways. There had been some talk of an alteration to the Railway timetable which would affect the West Coast. The Chamber should protest against, the alteration being made without the matter being considered by them. If the train from Christchurch was to start earlier, then the train from Greymouth should start earlier also. He believed in protesting to the Head Office, not to the superintendent in Christchurch. Mr Coates: Why not be quite definite on the point. Let the Chamber protest, against the train service being started earlier from Christchurch. If there is a move to have it brought about, -we must nip it in the bud. Just because four people a week want to get to the glacier, oui’ -whole train service is upset. We should definitely protest against any suggestion to alter the time-table, and go straight to the fountain head—never mind the people in Christchurch. It was resolved to enter a protest to the Minister of Railways.