CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 285, 30 October 1934, Page 4

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

MEETING OF COMMITTEE.

The committee of the Feilding Chamber of Commerce met last night, Mr J. G. Eliott presiding. Also present were: Messrs D. Finlay, C. M. Sargisson, A J. Humphries, C. S. Jeffs, V, E. Smith, G. J. Fitzpatrick, (secretary), A. C. McCorkindale, J. fe. Tingey, C. Clark. C. E. Taylor (Mayor), and A. J. Ivellow. The Associated Chambers of Commerce wrote stating that it could not accept the committee’s offer of 2s Gd per member for affiliation with, the parent body, and asking for the full amount of 3s 9d per member to be forwarded. The associated chambers agreed to accept the 2s 6d per member on account, hue could not take that amount in full settlement of the chamber’s levy as had been offered. The chairman said the letter opened up the old controversy as to whether the chamber should be affiliated or not. In reply to a question, the secretary said the finances of the committee were not too good, and at present there was only about £8 in hand. Mr Ivellow thought it would he a pity if the chamber did not become affiliated with the main body for the reason that a great amount of work was done and the country chambers really paid a small amount compared with the city chambers in the way of subscriptions. Mr Tingey said he had changed his views since the matter was last discussed by the chamber and lie now thought ‘the chamber should affiliate. He moved that the' members be asked to pay the Is 3d difference between the 2s Gd agreed to by the chamber and the 3s 9d required by the parent body. Mr McCorkindale seconded the motion, agreeing that the work done by the main chamber was worthy of keeping in touch with.

Mr Jeffs suggested that matters in regard to payment remain as they were for the balance of this year, and to add the Is 3d to the annual subscriptions of 10s for next year. In the meantime the chamber should agree to affiliate. Air Fitzpatrick said the £ll os required could be paid provided an effort was made to collect subscriptions from members.

Following a further discussion, Mr Tingey withdrew his motion in favour of one moved by Air Jeffs that the levy of £ll os be paid, this being seconded by Air Taylor and carried.

IvOWHAI PARK PAVILION

The Feilding Cricket Association notified the chamber of its intention to raise £250 which, it was understood, would carry a £1 for £1 suhsdy from the Feilding Borough Council for the purpose of erecting a pavilion on Kowhai Park. The association stated that a queen carnival hail been suggested and it desired to know the mind of the business people of the town on the matter.

The chairman questioned whether the matter was one for the chamber, although he appreciated the fact that the association would naturally like to have the views of the business people on the project. Air Fitzpatrick (president of the Feilding Cricket Association) agreed that what the chairman had said in regard to the association wanting to have the views of the business people was correct. A queen carnival had been suggested, but with this the speaker was not wholly in accord. The association held to the view that the park was a public reserve and therefore the public should have a say in what, was to be done in the raising of tho money. Replying to AFr Humphries, Air Fitzpatrick said there was no doubt about the need of a pavilion on the park, and he went on to review the steps

that had been taken so far in the way of erecting a pavilion. Air Taylor explained that the Borough Council during his period in office had not taken a vote on the subject of a grant of £250 being made for a pavilion on the park, but lie knew that a tacit undertsaiiding existed with previous councils that £250 would be made available on a £1 for £1 subsidy. He could not commit the council by saying that the sum would be available before the association had made written application to it, but the matter had his personal sympathy for as a supporter of cricket lie realised the need for a pavilion. The raising of the money for the work was primarily a matter for the Cricket Association and kindred bodies interested in the park, and as these covered a wide sphere of the town and country ho suggested an effort be made to find 100 persons who would be willing to give £1 each and so make the amopnt to be found by the association a good deal less. Air Tingey said that while Mr Taylor’s suggestion was worthy of consideration, it had to be remembered that many of those interested in the welfare of cricket were already contributing to other sports bodies of which tliey were members, and a double call on them would be hard.

Air McCorkindale pointed out that the Feilding A. and P. Association were in need of a hall for home industries displays, and he wondered whether a building could not be erected oil the boundary of the racecourse property and the park and be of a design to serve both the needs of a pavilion and the hall desired by the A. and P. Association.

Air Smith urged that something he done in the interests of cricket, stating that the association had spent a good deal of money on the park in bringing it to its present fine state, and that towards the cost of this the public of Feilding had helped comparatively little. He was sorry to hear that the sum of £250 from the Borough Council was not actually earmarked for the purpose of a pavilion, but was pleased to hear that the matter had Air Taylor’s sympathy. Air Jeffs said he could not support the idea of a queen carnival, and he did not think the other retailers would either. Any effort in this direction he felt would lie better left until after the Christmas period. In a general discussion AH Smith stated that up to the time Air A. E. Sandford left Feilding, some three or four years ago, the association had spent £IOOO in improving the park. Replying to the points raised, AH Fitzpatrick said the discussion would lie useful to the Cricket Association and he was pleased to hear the views expressed by Air Jeffs as representing

a retail business. The speaker was quite in agreement with Air Jeffs’s suggestion that an evening carnival be held in January or February, recalling that it was out of a previous effort in this direction that the present night show of the Feilding A. and P. Association had arisen. Mr Fitzpatrick said he would have much pleasure in reporting the discussion of the chamber to the Cricket Association. It was decided to Hold the annual meeting of the chamber in November.