THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 1908. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 110, 26 November 1908, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. THURSDAY, NOV. 26, 1908. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

In another column appears a letter advocating the formation of a chamber of commerce for Te Kuiti. There is much to be said in favour of such a step, and the movement should not be confined to one particular centre, but adopted by every townddp in the district which possesses any possibilities of present or future public progress. Such bodies, which should be comprised of representative commercial men of all branches, are of the greatest benefit to any town. Their functions extend over a wide area, and by attending sedulously to the commercial interests they are necessarily benefitting the community at large. More particularly is it necessary to have some such public body in young and rising centres, the future of which depends so largely upon the efforts of the residents, and this necessity is intensified where no direct form of local government exists. Within the Waitomo County there are at present no local bodies for the townships, which for the time being prefer to have their local affairs administered by the County Council. However convenient and desirable this arrangement may be it leaves the townships without the necessary cohesion among the residents, which is so necessary for the satisfactory promotion of purely local affairs. ' The establishment of a Chamber of Commerce would fill the blank thus created, and by the time a direct local body, in the form of a Town Board or Borough Council, was created, the existence of the Chamber would pr )bably be justified by the increased commercial interests of the centres. As far as Te Kuiti is concerned there is ample scope for the suggested Chamber of Commerce. The things worth doing and awaiting development are to be seen on all hands. The future of the town is in the hands of the residents, and the adoption of a comprehensive and well-founded policy in commercial and local affairs is of pressing importance. Moreover, the example of older places with even less pretensions to importance is before us, and with every incentive to action it is to be hoped the commercial men, and others desirous for progress will give favourable consideration to a commonsense project.