CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19047, 18 December 1923, Page 4

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

A meeting of the council of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce was held last evening-. The president (Mr Peter Barr) occupied flic ehiar. Messrs F. M. Shortt, .7. 71. Waters, and W. Dow were appointed to the sub-commit-fee of the Exhibition directors, which is to recommend the names of those suitable" for the office of executive commissioners of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition. ENGLISH MAILS. A, letter was received from the first assistant-secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, replying to a communication from the chamber regarding the arrival in Dunedin of English mails immediately after and sometimes the day following tho departure of the outward mail. The writer said that the matter of providing a more suitable time-tahio with the object of enabling Dunedin business men and others to despatch pomptly replies to overseas correspondence would be given consideration before a new contract was entered into in connection with the conveyance of mails between Now Zealand and Great Britain. It was decided to acknowledge the letter, and to ask if the department would allow the council to see the new proposals before they were adopted. NEW POST OFFICE Mr W. B. Steele, secretary of the Otago Expansion League, wrote as follows: —“As your chamber, in conjunction with, my league took an active part in the deputation which waited upon the Prime Mimster durino- his last visit with a for a new post office wo would be gratified *o learn your opinion upon the present state of affairs. Tho sum of x/itO.JOO was pnted upon the Estimates ostensibly for the commencement of the work, but so far tho'i is no sign of action. I woi.ld he obli.ed if you would at your earliest cony i-u yice notify ms what your chamber’s opinion on .tho subject is, and if you would bo prepared to support our action if -ve called tmon tho Minister in Charge for an explanation of the delay and an outline of , the Government’s policy.” Tho Chairman said that, although £2O COO was placed on the Estimates for the purpose of building a now post office, tleie was no sign of anything being done—m fact, it looked as if they were going back, as he noticed that another Government department was now occupying the building. This rather looked as if the department was settling down again in the old post office instead of removing from it. They were quite at one with the league over the matter, but ho thought they could bettor achieve their purpose if each body sent a letter instead of a joint letter. It was decided to adopt the suggestion of the chairman and send a letter direct to the Minister in Charge from the chamber. SHUNTING TRAIN* AT RATTRAY STREET. W. Gow (secretary of the Otago Importers’ and Shippers’ Association' wrote as follows: “Some time ago the chamber interested _itself in regard to the harassing delay which constantly takes place in consequence of the shunting and passage of trains across Rattray street. At that time no success attended the effort to find a remedy. I am now instructed to again request the good offices of tho chamber with a view to once more urging upon the Railway Department the need for taking steps to mend matters. It is suggested that the difficulty could bo to a large extent overcome if arrangements were made for tho arrival and departure of goods trains direct to and from the yards south of Rattray street. Whether the department would agree to this we do not know, but the matter is of so gireat importance that some move should bo made.” Several members voiced their protest against the delays caused at the crossing,by shunting operations, and it was decided that the president and secretary draw’ up a letter for submission to the department. RAILWAY COMMUNICATION WITH INVERCARGILL. Mr H. C. Campbell spoke of the need of reinstating tho daily morning train to Invercargill. Ho said (hat the Invercargill people were also dissatisfied with the lack of railway facilities with Dunedin. It was pointed out that there was now a bettor service during the present holiday season. . . It was decided to refer the. matter to the Vigilance and Transport Committee to take action in conjunction with other local bodies. GENERAL. The Chairman and Messrs Waters and Shortt reported'briefly on the work dope at the recent conference of delegates from the associated .cba.mbers held at Auckland, A rote of thanks was unanimously passed to the desecrates for tho able manner in which they had represented the Dunedin Chamher at the conference. , A vote of thanks was also passed to. the Auckland Chamber for the many kindnesses they had shown to the Dunedin delegates who were present at the conference. The Chairman said that a letter had been received from the Wellington Chamber enclosing a copy of a press report of a meeting ot the chamber, at which comment Ayas made on tho inadequate manner in which the conference at- Auckland had been re ported. Ho did not think that he was biassed, and he was quite sure that if the conference had been held in Dunedin quite good reports would have been published, by tho newspapers.—(A member: They did it last time.) Mr Bair said that the reports at Dunedin the previous year were of such a nature that they were able to reprint them as they were published in the newspapers. These reprints were sent all over New Zealand, to the members of ; the. chambers, and they gave a very good idea of the business which bad been transacted. When he had met tho secretary in Wellington on his return from Auckland he had found it quite impossible to do anything of the sort with the newspaper reprints of the conference in Auckland, because tho reports were extremely brief and inadequate. He thought that this inadequacy was to bo regretted. With that exception the delegates were .well satisfied with their treatment in Auckland.—-Mr Campbell remarked that they had no Times or Stars through New Zealand. —Mr Waterssaid that the men on tho Auckland papers had been . interviewed and. shown what had been done in other centres, but it, had had no effect; A special - reporter had-, however, been engaged to take the whole of tho proceedings. The I’sess Association work was quite inadequate. Mr Gow said that ho was making inquiries regarding the railway rales being cha'-god on go.:ds between Dunedin and Oarnaru and Timaru and Oarnaru. He said that a concession was being granted to the Timaru people which greatly favoured them as against Dunedin merchants. When lie had obtained all the facts on the question ho would place them before the Vigilance and Transport Committee. Tho Chairman said that as they were aware, Sir George Fenwick was leaving for the Old Country, partly on pleasure a,nd partly on business, on January 24. The position of Sir George in the community, ho thought they would agree, was quite an outstanding one. Ho had done a good deal for the chamber. He had been a president, of the chamber for one vear and a member right through its history. He suggested (bat under tho circumstances they might moot Sir George at a luncheon a few days before his departure.—(“Hear, hear.”).—The suggestion was unanimously approved, the date to be arranged later.