CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

Grey River Argus, 23 October 1930, Page 6

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

DOMINION CONFERENCE Review of Economic Situation BY HON. P. A. DE LA PERELLE. (Per Press Association.) THE HERMITAGE. October 22. The annual conference of rhe Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand opened at tihe Hermitage, Mount Ccok, to-day. Thirty two delegates were present, representing! twenty-seven Chambers of Commerce.! They were presided over by Mr P. P.l Agar, of Christchurch. Officially cpening the confcroneo,| Mr I*. A. de In Porn 11? (Minister ofl Internal Affairs) apolog'.scd fur the| absence of the Art ing-Prime Minister (Mr Ransom). and assured the confer-' cnee that the Government would give* very careful attention, to remits wh«chj concern, d Iho ’Government. He- :is-| sured t.'ie conference ihot it was thel earnest, desire of the Government to I co-opera.te with Chambers of C'om-1 merco and other organisations in any" measures calculated to advance the prosper ty of the country in any way.' Hi* was sure the delegates agree* that, unsatisfactory as the position? might be in. some respects, the re-k turns i f tin* six trading hanks in New! Zealand for the months of July,! August and September showed Itiia-t ( 1 h.v finum ial position was sound amis slitisfactuiy. When they took, into ac-t count the present worldwide d<‘pres- « <»ij and the decline in the prices of. tie- principial exports, the position S)' far as the banking rcA utils wore an index, was not one that called fori ala.'ruL As delegates were aware, the/ Government, met its own position by. a drastic rurta.il menit of «xpond>ture,| and by the imposition of adcMionnl taxation. Thu revenue fell by £500)060 for the first half of the present financial year,, but they had re-’ dticrd the expenditure by £600.00(> i for the same period! as compared with the previous year. A certain amount of revenue' had to be found each year, and. as taxation in the' long l run was borne by local production, ‘t followed that its proportion:, v efi’c on indutry could only be ameliorated -I's' in-j [creased production. The amount re-« quared in taxation was then spread over a groat volume of production, and! the effect o n the individual was less marked. T’flie. question arose as Ho how ■ nercas ■<! production could he i brought, about. One means of iwllioying this was by directing consumption towards goods which we ourselves produce. ) Touching on the desirability or it her wise of giving preference to New Zealand goods, the Minster said that he felt we- were under no particular obligation to foreign countries especially where the foreign countru*.* did not provide .good markets for our produce. 'lhe time m.ig'ht not be far dis- ’ tant when there would require io be , greater trade reciprocity between the countries c-ompr'sin<»- the British Commonwealth., and greater unity of ar ) lion on the part of that Commonwealth as ia whole i u its competition with other producing countries. The Minister said he was aware ;that Chambers of Commerce were somewhat concerned, in regard to the Board of Trade Act. The point of vow of the Chambers was app|reciatcl bv the Government, and it intemlJ ('d fully to consider ihe question before next, session s legislati' e pi'.’ > I'ramnm was arranged. lie would be

[pleased to give earnest attention. >n !I collaboration with the Prime M nistor land Sir Thomas Sidey. to. the request jihat certain provisions of th e Act be | repealed, and others modified. [ Mr Agar delivered -a. lengthy presi- ( dential address, in the course of j-wlhiehi he sit'd he believed that it was I the maldistribution of gold, together Witli the inflation of eui'ieney in some I eountries.. which had created the position. That, eon currently with the

j mi.; ound problem, was an interna- I ; tional one, and could only be solved/ by a conference of those countresl whose currency was based <>n the gol ■ s'tandard. I ; Ml- Agar dealt with and detailed the] i position of the farmers and went oui to refer to secondary and primary in | dustries stating that tariffs and pro i I led ions must be. considered from ihe| I point of view of the lability of community as a whole to bear them, rather than from the more popular I viewpoint lhat the Dominion would like its own secondary industries. I i The speaker went on to refer to| fapital and 1 about’, ami concluded _ J by stating that it was not to political) J action tlhey must look for the tut uro. but to the' elfml.-i, of the ndividualist. i CONSIDERATION OF REMITS. i I' r ‘ ] Mr K. A. Williams for the Malto I Chamber, submitted the following re] niit in regard t<» the Chattels Tirana | | fer Act. That owing to the preferenc | • given certain traders under Section| ,57 of ihe Chattels Transfer Act 1924. j 1 epresentia'tions be made to the Go- F f vemment to amend it, making it co-’-u ? ; pulsory for all hi’re purchase agree | | jnents to be. registered. Mr \\ illiam.4 Uaid that his Chamber urged compul-j j sory registration and not abolition o • I the system. This was done to. overcomes j the difficulty of a notorious custom, or| usage, associateil) with the system.. The Ala.rton Chamber was of thOj earnest opi that one of the clause > of th ( . present financial depressionj i wn s the expensive and increasing uses I of the hirt' purchase system. Mr Bavinj / Premici of N.S.W., proposes to place j i a moratorium on all hire purchase i ] agreements, because he considered b ilh.y were a contributing factor to the! f‘ nancial stringency in his State. | Mr 11. Tolley (Feilding) seconded ■ A similar remit, from Palmerston | North waw withdrawn in favour of I Marton. A remit from Masterton: “That for every motor car sold On the time payment plan, an instrummt should be registered, ’’ was allowed to ,go> forward. : Mr A. F. Wright (Christchurch),

and Mr I‘. W. Horner (Hawera) urge'* 1 the Conference not to pass rem; t lightly us the remedy suggested in the remit would htU’dly bo a,j effective cure of the evil. The iMarlon remit was negatived by a. large majority. Tim Mastertou remit. was carried by nineteen votes to, ?event ten. . Mr A. 11. Allen (Dunedin) then! I moved that* in the event of a K owner retaking possession of a, chattel, the. subject of a hire-purchase agreement.l 1 w'thin two calendar months of bailee) bmng adjudged bankrupt, or assigning his estate for the benefit of credaors.) the of lic,ia I assignee, or t-rus’tee for j the benefit of creditor, as the easel may l)i\. shall have the right (to be exercise'.-‘.I within one calendar month after snclh a<ljudgment, or assignment),' to acqui re such chattel from the I (owner upon payment of the ballancc. then remaining unpaid iji respect of I such chattel. Air I'. B. Foote (South Canterbury) [seeonided the remit, which wa.s ! adopted. .Mr A- G. Seed (Wellington) moved;. '“That this Conference* while appre.ciating the,' extension by New Zea-’ JJand banks i n recent years of metroIpulitan free exchange areas, iis of the lo]»nion that the areas should he still I further extended. ’ ’ I Mr D. J. McCowmi (Wellington; the Tpm.’t-, which was aoiopt- ’ ed, J WHEAT AND FLOUR DUTIES, r j THE HIGH TARIFF L’PHELD. * (Per Press Association.) I HERMITAGE, October 22. £ The Confenonce of the Associated • Chambers of (Jonference debated for

over three hours the following remit from Auckland: “That there should be iji extension of th? existing agreements regarding wheal and flour, and 1 that the duty on British Empire wheat mid Hour should be substantially re i vised downward, and Ihe sliding scale! be abolished.’' Tie /emit, was lost by a* big ma ! .jority. REDUCING OF COSTS. WORKERS MAY BE “PLUCKED.” (Per Press Association.) THE HERMITAGE, October 22. At the Conference of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, Mr Norton Frances (Christchurch) moved: —‘‘That the Executive be authorised to call a conference if asked to consider a request from the Government for the calling of a conferetu”? representativeof ihe labour, farming, commercial, industrial, iinaiicial and economic interests for Ihe purpose of freely discussing ihe present economic, position with the object of endeavouring to promote the prosperity of the Dominion by suggesting a scheme whereby (a) the cost of government; and (b) taxation and the costs of production may be reduced without lowering the workers’ standard of living. ! Mr J. C. Begg (Dunedin; suggested that the words “without lowering tlu) workers’ standard of living” be deleted, and that the following be substituted: “With the least possible prejudice to tlx* workers’ standard of living. ’ ’ , This alteration was agreed to. The remit was then carried. Ot her 'important remits carried were |as follows: — From the Canterbury Chamber:— “That this Conference is of opinion

that there has been a tendency, for legislation to be presented to Parliament in the dying hours of the session without an opportunity being given to the public to consider or make representation in regard thereto.” From Te Awamutu:—“That the time has arrived when the Govern.hient should curtail the setting up of Commissions. ’ ’