KAITAIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Northland Age, Volume 14, Issue 31, 12 April 1917, Page 5

KAITAIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

A MEETING of the General Committee of the above Chamber was held in the Public Library on the 4th April. Colonel Bell, on behalf of the Executive submitted a report on the work done since the last meeting of the General Committee in November, as follows: —The Parliamentary Tour had been a great success, -and remarkable publicity was being given to the North by the Southern papers. Already over fifty columns ot leaders and feature articles had appeared, besides numerous photographs. A further result of the tour had been that the settlers themselves had now a clearer insight with the great responsibility of a great future before the Northern Territory, and the time honoured name of the “Poor North” had been killed forever. DEVELOPMENT BOARD

The scheme launched by the Chamber for the formation of a Development Board for our own country and the Empire, had already bourne good fruit. It had now been decided to set up an Imperial Development Board in Britain, amongst whose duties would be that of devising mean's to direct the Capital of our Empire towards Developmental works. No greater compliment could possibly have been paid to our Development Board scheme than the report and recommendation of the Dominions Royal Commission which lately sat in London.

TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Your Executive’s work in connection with the Establishment of a Technical High School at Kaitaia had advanced another step, and the school woufii eventually be an accomplished fact, The Board of Education were entirely in sympathy with the aspirations of the district in this matter. PUBLIC DOMAINS I he Kaitaia Public Domains and Reserves had been Gazetted and steps will be taken at once by your executive to set up a Domain Board. POSTAL AND TELEPHONIC During the past month your Executive had a Conference with t-he Chief Postmaster from Auckland with the result that a postal service has been established with Hokianga Via Herekino and Pillar Boxes are about to be erected at Forster’s Store and the Junction. The Department have not yet sanctioned the construction of the telephonic connecting link with Hokianga. Your Executive will not relax its effort until this is accomplished also. SAND ENCROACHMENT This matter has been persistently kept under the notice of the Government who have now appointed Mr J. B. Thompson, to report. KAITAIA SWAMP DRAINAGE Your Executive being disatisfied with the manner in which the work is being prosecuted, have requested the Engineer, Mr J. B. Thompson, to come up and meet them in Conference. This Mr Thompson has agreed to do. AUCKLAND RAILWAY LEAGUE Recently your President represented the Chamber at the Council meeting of the Auckland Railway League, where important questions effecting the Northern Main Trunk were discussed. NATIONAL SERVICE In January last your Executive discussed the question of National Service. Owing to the Executive being unable to agree, your President forwarded his proposals personally to the Government. An Efficiency Board has now been set up and National Service for all will undoubtedly be the law of the County in the near future. MARRIAGE BY PROXY AND ILLEGITIMACY These most important social questions were dealt with by your Executive recently when

your President’s proposals were approved. These approvals have now been sent to the Government; all Members of Parliament, Chambers of Commerce are all leading Provincial papers throughout the Dominion. KAITAIA TOWN The special rating area for Kaitaia has now been approved by the Mangonui County Council, who have agreed to make application for a loan for road and street formation. UTILISATION OF ALIENS

At a recent meeting your Executive put proposals before Mr Wilkinson, of the local Trustee Board for the Utalisation of Alien labor. These proposals were discussed at a Conference Public Bodies at Mangonui, where with slight alteration they were agreed to, and wired on to Wellington. GUM INDUSTRY Your Executive .also decided to recommend the Government to classify Gum as a particularly essential industry in the National Service scheme. This was also agreed to, by the Conference.

Mr W. Rose commenting on the presidents report expressed satisfaction that the Executive had invited Mr j. B. Thompson, to consult with them re Drainage matters. He thought that with a view of relieving the Awanui River it might be advisable to carry the flood water with the California River, otherwise the settlers along the lower reaches of the Awanui were in danger of being further damaged by floods. Referring to the Alien question Mr Rose urged that steps should be taken at once. Now that the Second Division were about to be called up serious trouble would arise unless the Alien question were settled. Feeling was already running high in the North and personally he felt very keenly the injustice of these men not being utalised for military purposes. Mr George Wilkinson of the Trustee Board introduced the question of Soldier Settlements and printed out that the Government Land Purchase Board had completely ignored North Auckland. He expressed the opinion that blocks of suitable land should be set aside in the North in order that soldiers might return to their own districts should they so desire. The settlements should be small and widely scattered so that the settler could obtain work outside during the process of breaking in his farm. The Trustee Board was desirous that the Public Bodies should submit lists of suitable land either Oruru, Native or privately owned, for consideration.

Colonel Bell expressed the opinion that there was no place in the Dominion where the soldier would have the same chance as in the North, and it was ridiculous bringing and placing the soldier on high priced land in the South when good land could be obtained here at half the cost. On this question the people would have to face the hands of the Government and this could be done through the North Auckland Development Board. Our great weakness at present was the National Government, largely composed of men who were hopelessly behind the people in advanced political and National thought. He commended to the notice of the Trustee Boards the excellent article by Mr Primrose McConnell, who recommended that the Government break in and grass the land by contract and charge the settler with the cost, paying it in interest and sinking fund. Under this system even the poor lands could be utalised by the small settler probably. Mr E. Saunders heartily concurred with the idea to open up Northern lands for soldiers. The Government by their past actions had displayed a complete want of knowledge of the possibilities of the North for land settlement, and this want of knowledge unfortunately extended to national questions whereas the President had said they were hopelessly behind the people. A general election might be unde-

sirable during the war. Until matters were remedied the great safeguard wasin the Public Organisations who were really leading the Government at the present time.

Mr W. R. Grigg, whilst fully in sympathy with settling soldiers Hhe North, feared that the proposal recently made to allow their relations to take up land for them prior to their return might cause, trouble. Would these relations * be allowed to hold the land in the case of the soldier being killed? He considered that everything possible should he done to prevent land aggregation. Colonel Bell moved. “That the Government be urged to take definite action with regard to the utalisation of Aliens at the earliest possible moment.” The motion was seconded by Mr E. Saunders and carried unanimously.

A long discussion ensued on a motion by Mr Forster. “That all Aliens of enemy Powers naturalised or otherwise he prevented from acquiring landuntilafterthe war.

This was seconded by Mr E. Samuel and supported by Messrs Wdkinson and Rose.

Colonel Bell pointed out that the motion infringed International Law, and should not be passed. Once letters of naturalisation were issued they even in times of war hold good during the good behaviour of the person naturalised. He suggested that before any steps were taken the opinion of the Solicitor General should he obtained. This suggestion was supported by Messrs Grigg, W. Campbell, A. Stevens and B. Morpeth and adopted.