HUNTLY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15025, 21 June 1912, Page 5

HUNTLY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

THE GRQWTH OF ■ THE TOWN. A SPECIAL meeting of tho Huntly Chamber of Commerce was held' on Monday evening, Mr. J. P. Bailey presiding over an attendance of 50. The chairman expressed his gratification at soeing so representative a gathering, and on behalf of tho Chamber welcomed the visitors, among whom was Mr. R. F. Bollard, M.P. He explained that the Chamber was instituted to promoto the progress of tho district as a whole, and deprel cated any approach to parochialism. "Urgent ! reforms were necessary, and the discussion of, and agitation for, these would give the members plenty to do and quite enough to think of. Mr. L. B. HarriSjfJun., proposed the toast of "The Houses of Parliament." "The Local Bodies" wag entrusted to Mr. W. H. Bailey. In responding Mr. R. Greenwell i for the Huntly Town Board,. and Mr. J. P. i Bailey for the Waikato County, reminded those _ present that they could only make ' such improvements as their funds allowed. , Both were emphatic in declaring that the Government should take over and maintain all arterial roads. [ Mr. Bollard, M.P., paid a tribute to the , excellent work done by Chambers of Commerce, and commended the excellent start, made by the local institution. Ho coupled : with the toast the name of the hon. presi- ! dent, Mr. W. J. Ralph. Mr. Ralph, who was received with groat applause, traced the growth of the town from 1869, when his father and his cider brother arrived, and built the first whare ort the river bank, near the site of the present post office. Ho and his younger brother arrived two years later, tho members of his ' family being the only Europeans in Huntly at a time when it had not even been given a name. Shortly after his parents had built a house, a Mr. Hendry arrived, and built what was known as Huntly'Lodge, & build- ■ ing that did duty for a post office and a post house in the old coaching days. Tho 'beginnings of commercial enterprise in which > knu-i gum played a large part, the pioneer- ■ I in-/ work of the. early arrivals, the river . traffic in its incipient stages, arid incidents and adventures among the Maoris were . lightly sketched, wlide the discovery of those rich seams of lignite with which Huntly was, ant! < is now, associated, was portrayed in a fascinating manner by th© speaker. * • ' Dr. .Macdiarmid, son., proposed "Kindred Institutions,", to which Mr. Hall, of To i Kowhata- replied. Mr. Thomas was responsible t for " Local Industries," the response . to which 'was done justice to bv Messrs ' , Fletcher, Greenwell, and Bailev. Songs and recitations -by .Messrs.. Cox, C Starr r Egdell. and Bartlett'contributed greatlr te ( the enjoyment of those present, "