Chamber Of Commerce.

Northland Age, Volume 27, Issue 45, 9 November 1927, Page 4

Chamber Of Commerce.

General Meeting. A general meeting of members of the Kaitaia Chamber of Commerce was held last evening, Mr G Rickard, President, occupied the chair. There was a good attendance including Messrs D White, W H Wigley, G Hodgson, W R Grigg, A W Masters, R Dean, W Berridge, A M Shugar, T S Houston and F W Mitchell. Mr R Dean brought up the matter of little children being allowed to go round the town selling flowers and so on. There was a great temptation placed in the way ot these youngsters and it was a disgrace. He would even go further and ask the Town Board to refuse to permit sales of goods in the streets by anyone other than those arranged by those engaged in connection with hospitals or other charitable purposes. He moved a resolution asking the Town Board to refuse to permit sales in the street for anything other than charitable purposes unless a permit were issued. Mr. Wigley seconded the motion. Encroachment of the sand from the Ninety Mile Beach on to properties adjoint to the beach was a question brought up by Mr. A. W. Masters. He said that it was becoming a very grave menace, and unless something was done to check it before long it would come right across the swamp. He suggested that an effort should be made to collect lupin seeds and sow them in the winter time. The lupin was the plant that would stop the encroachment of the sand, which movad as great a distance as ten chains in a night. This was not the only point. Most of the country out there was . built up from sand and when the vegetation was killed by being covered by more sand it meant that the whole area would begin to move. Mr. Berridge said it was a question of getting the Government to protect the swamp which was valued at £8 an acre. Mr Shugar said the whole of St. Kilda, St. Clair and Musselburgh at South Dunedin had been saved from sand by the planting of lupins along the entire St. Clair Beach. Mr. Houston said the sand encroachment at Ahipara was a menace to the district. Messrs Masters, Lewis and himself had been experimenting with lupins and it had been a success. The question was to collect the seeds, as much as 5/- a sack had been paid to Natives for the collection of this seed but this year it was proposed to get the seeds in pods and to beat them in the sacks. If a proper system of planting had been undertaken fifteen years ago they would to-day have had a good protective bank. The Government’s system ot harvesting lupin seed at 15/- a day was not the proper way. The Native women collected at per sack and the seed worked Out at about 4d a lb. Mr. Masters said the seed should be collected by contract. Mr. Houston said no-one was allowed to go on to Government property and collect seed. Permission should be given to settlers to collect seed on the Government land. The Government should invite tenders for the collection of seed. Mr. Masters moved that the Government be asked to invite lenders for the collection of lupin seed. Mr. Houston seconded. He said this would enable private people to secure seed at a reasonable price.