CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

Northern Advocate, 29 October 1932, Page 2

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL MEETING

REMITS CONSIDERED,

(Per Press Association. —Copyright.) DUNEDIN, This Day,

The Deputy-Mayor, Mr F. W. Mitchell, in the absence of the Mayov, welcomed the delegates at the annual meeting of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, which was commenced yesterday. He said theirs was really a business-men’s parliament. Mr W. Machin, president, in reply, said that in the present economic condition of the Dominion they should not allow the value of men to be subordinated to the value of gold. Mr Machin read a cablegram from the Empire Federation of Chambers of Commerce, asking that the proposed visit of delegates to the New Zealand Conference next year be postponed. The request was agreed to. The first remit urged the Government to agree that all future construction work for the Public Works Department be carried out by contract, through public tenders, and that the department be reconstituted to make it'purely an advisory and supervisory body in connection with these works.

The remit was carried with practically no discussion. Mr A. F. Wright moved a remit protesting against Government trading ventures being accorded the protection of the Crown Suits Act, and asking that where the Crown was a litigant in respect of trading ventures, it should be bound by the same rules and laws as operated between subject and subject. The remit was adopted.

Mr I). G. McGowan' moved a vomit urging the Government to eliminate! unfair .State and public body competition with private enterprise in tradin'; activities, and the repeal of special legislation which curtailed and interfered with legitimate private trading. The remit was adopted. The conference reiterated previous decisions urging that land tax be abolished and that income tax bo substituted. It expressed appreciation of the intention of the Government to place a revised Gompanies Act on the' Statute Boole during the current session of Parliament.

The view was held that the operation of the Unemployment Act, 1030, and the amended acts of 10.°.] and 1932, should relieve local bodies of the responsibility of providing for relief of unemployment. A remit that the time had arrived when there should be a reduction in the number of members of Parliament was adopted.

The conference approved a new remit that tlie Government should delav no longer in setting up (lie promised commission to impure into Ihe whole system of local body administration.

Delegates were engaged throughout the afternoon on a discussion in committee on ‘‘money and prices in New Zealand. ’ ’