CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9095, 13 March 1901, Page 4

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

A general meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held in the Borough Council Chambers last evening. Present: Messrs. Morgan (in the chair), Whinray, Lunn, , Tfownley, Bone, Hennessy, Matthews, and Adoir. The Chairman said that within a couple of days of their last meeting, ha had met Mr Steele, oner- of those who had been instrumental in promoting the petition to the Postmaster-General for the establishment of a post office at Wharekopae. Mr Steele Drought him a copy of the petition, and told him that some 19 "or 20 people would be benefited by the matter. He had then instructed Mr Robinson to write in support of the petition. — The Chainnans action was endorsed. The Department oidLaads and Survey wrote acknowledging receipt of the letter from the Chamber concerning the Ngatapa stock track, and stating that the Chairman was under a misapprehension as to tha number of men employed. The Chief Surveyor said there were some 12 men at work employed there, including some Natives, who were irregularly employed on.thejarth.er end of >the work. The District Surveyor had been instructed- to push on with the work, and it was hoped that substantial prors would result.— Mr Whinray raid supposed the men were principally Natives. He had good authority for stating that at this end there were only three men employed. There were about eightr-vNatives employed, and he was afraid that there was not much being done. It seemed a pity to be hanging up such an important work, which had been started with good intent, and that it had been hanging fire this two years, at any rate. Mr Morgan, explained why he had called the meeting of the Chamber, in order that a programme of requirements might be drawn up. He presumed that this would be one /of the matters upon which Ministers, would be approached. — .Mr Whinray thought that the attention of Ministers might be drawn to the importance of the matter and to the large areas of land in the vicinity. The Hon. Jas. Carroll wrote promising to look into the matter of tie survey of the line to Te Karaka on his return to Wellington. From Mr Norman H. Shaw, seereta/ry of the Motu Settlers' Association, stafeing that he had forwarded a copy of Mr Proose's report to the Herald for pub-

cation, -with a request that it be handed r nto the Chamber of Commerce after- b 'ards, aaid thanking the Chamber for its j< o-operation with the Settlers Associa- t ion.— The report was laid on the table, A Ir Whim-ay remarking that they had t eiid it in the paper. .„..,. fc From Mr David Whyte, of Tiniroto, v tating that he had gone over the. Han- t aroa-Tiniroto roads, and had found li iiere were about two and a half miles- ] et to be made to effect a junction. If e his was completed,- the only hills of t ny note would be the Gentle Annie, a a eiy slight rise on the Waikaremoana t jad approaching Mr Watte', and ano- a ier omthe present road from Mr Eich- t rdson's to Tiniroto. The road along s lie side of the Hangaroa river is practi- t ally level, and would be a beautiful fc rive, through good' land and scenery, i nd Mr St. Ledger's house would be t bout the same distance, from Gisborne i aMr Lysnar's, of Parakanapa, minus t he high hills to be continually gone up ; <nd down. The portion of road from Mr 1 lama's corner to Mr Burgess's connects i rit-h the upper Hangaroa road that leads I o the Hangaroa village and Waikare- . noana. The upper Hangaroa road was I nade to Mr ~Tombleson's, but was surveyed as far as Mr Steele's run, thence to hi Tahora block. This, said, Mr Whyte, vill give you an idea of the importance >f this road being completed, and of the portion from Mr Harris's corner to Mr Burgess's metalled. If this was done it ►vould bring Tiniroto seven miles nearer Grisborne, "and cause an increase of population in the whole district.. Permit me also to state that the surveyors have not yet resumed work on the unfinished portion of the Napier-Gisbdrhe railway, survey from Mr St. Ledger's run ti Gisborne. Ido not think this matter should be allowed to rest one day longer." Mr Whinray said he understood that the road referred to opened up rather an important avCaue f or settlement, and shortened the distance to Tiniroto by seven miles. — Mr Townley said it shortened the distance, connecting Tiniroto with the Hangaroa road, and avoided the hills. It would be the main "road to Tiniroto. ,Mr Whyte also ered that the district in. question should be on the telephone line, and he said that v there was a lot of land in that direction to open up. — Mr Matthews: It will be the main road to Waikaremoana too. — Mr Townley said that if he mistook not, the County Council had since the last meeting of the Chamber received a grant for this road. — Mr Matthews : Yes, but they have only to spend 20 per jcent. before. March. Slst.— Mr Lunn: Ten per cent.— Mr Townley said that did not make much difference. They would get the money ultimately. — Mr Matthews: In the winter, when they can't work"! — In reply to the Chairman's querv, Mr Whinray supported laying this "matter before the Minister^; for "Lands.— Mr -Townley arged the completion of that link.— DT support of Mr Whinfky's estimate of the importance ; of [ the road, Mr .Matthews said that it led right into the Tahora block, up the Hangaroa river. — Mr Townley said it was a pity that they had not a County member present. — Mr Lunn suggested getting a map of the district from the Survey Department, which could, he understood, be obtained for ss.— Mr Matthews said a new one had just been issued. From the Associated Chambers of Commerce, forwarding the scheme of operations of the Association, and stating that fees would range from £5 to £15 per annum, possibly less. — The letter will 'be handed to the Committee for consideration and report. ' . L ; Speaking of the programme to be drawn up for the visit of Ministers, the Chairjnan asked what was the feeling of the meeting. Did members think the Chambe* should act mdepemdieWtly or join with other bodies in a united representation of the district's wants?— Mr Whinray favored united action, as their interests were identical. The Motu settlers had taken up an important subject in bringing tuider the notice of the public the importance of the timber industry. There had beefi a good of scepticism as to the asset up There, and although. Mr Prouse's was a very favorable report, it in no way ■ dealt with the subject in a 'comprehensive form. . As that gentleman stated, he had simply taken his views, and based his calculations, on the little bit of country he had travelled over, and from what he had seen from the vantage poinfo of "some hills he had. climbed. .There was* ll . l doubt that the residents and the public bodies of the district did not sufficient!} recognise the importance of the mattei yet. The Chamber should frame sonu very* strong representations oh the sub ject, now that there was a possibilitjj of Ministers paying them a visit. II would be a great incentive to the Government. As pointed out by Mr Prouse, although not given in the report presented that evening, in ' bis last statement in. the place,, there would be traf fie for a railway for the next ten years from the bush that he had viewed. Anyone who had any knowledge of New Zealand bush, and the terra incognita which extended beyond the Motu (Mi Prouse, of course, knew nothing of that] — there was an area beyond that . which had never been explored at all— would know the value 1 of; the resources that a railway would open up. In view oi the importance of a railway to present and. future settlement, they should urge the matter on the attention of the Minister. If it were not too late in the season, and the weather was favorable, toe Minister should be urged to go up there. The Minister for Lands was On agriculturist, and a man who knew something of land, and he could not help but be wonder-struck with' the fertility and importance of the district, and it would be an incentive to him to get the railway pushed on.— Mr Matthews said that he thought Ifaey were all pretty well agreed, at least those -who Tcnew anything about that locality, that there was a very great amount of timber in that district. He had been up there recently, right through as far as the Marigawarau block, on the other side of the Motu river, in connection with a lot of triangulation there of over 100,000 acres of country, and as to the existence ' of the timber there could not be th eslight est shadow of doubt about it. He thought it only fair to the Railway League, and in fairness to Messrs. Rees^and Criwford, who had been appointed to get information and draw up a report as to the timber in the Motu, to say that they had presented a report of a most exhaustive character concerning the large amount of timber that was mere, and was very valuable for milling purposes. It was one of the very strong points the Railway League made in impressing upon the Government the advisability of making this railway, the huge amount lof timber to be obtained in that district. He thought it only fair to give them, credit for having done so. Not only did Mr Prouse speak well of the timber," but Mr Tuck, a, Hawke's Bay sawmiller, who had been up there, said that, although the timber was much more scattered than, in Hawke's Bay, yet it was of such fine quality, and the trees were of such enormous length of trunk, and were so clear of branches, that they were much more valuable than the timber obtained in t£e bushes of Hawke's Bay. He favored an amalgamation of the deputations from all local bodies who might wish, to interview the Minister or Ministers. It would make the deputation a> strong one to take a few men out of each local body and from the Chamber. That would be better than having a large number . of small deputations to wait upon the Minister, which would probably tire him. As for the representations of the Chamber, they should- be the 'men most acquainted with the requirements which it would be their duty to urge.— Mr Whinray thought it a very good suggestion to narrow the deputation down m that way. He would move that a committee be appointed to draw up the programme, the committee to consist of the whoje of the Chamber, four to form a quorum. — The Chairman suggested that they should draw up the list that evening, and appoint a committee, to go through them, and to approach the other bodies on united action being taken. He understood that the Chamber was the first body to move in this matter.— Mr Townley said that he quite' agreed as to the importance of the railway. ■ Their most urgent want was to get the interior of their district opened up, and in order to do that they should bring under the notice of Ministers the necessity for the Motu district to be opened up by road or railway as soon as possible. The matter of railway connection Mr Duncan would no doubt refer to the Minister for Railways. Therefore, he thought that they had better confine their request to turn to getting all\ the consideration they could in this matter, by whatever means the Minister could suggest. If bhe whole thing were to wait till the railway were completed it meant some fears to wait. There were numbers of sections there to be let, and he thought ■hat, as the Minister for Lands was in ;harge of roads also, he was the man to iake this kind of thing to. The Chair- ■ >er should, he thought, confine its re- : luest to matters coming within the scope of its department. Then the Minster would be able to give them some - lefinite and practical information with I

espect to them. There was a danger in (ringing up too wide a range of subsets. Among the most important quesions was that of opening up the Motu. iany years ago Napier had been in much he same condition as they were. All its imber had been imported, and the bush ras rapidly being destroyed. Yet at he present time Napier was exporting arge quantities of timber to Gisbome. Chey had an excellent supply of timber rithin 45 miles of them, much closer ban the bush was to Napier, and it •ught to be opened up. The suggesion to draw up their requirements and appoint a sub-committee to wait on Minsters was a proper one. — Mr Matthews aid that a number of sections \r6uld >e to let in the Wharekopae and Ngaapa districts presently, and there was ome magnificent timber there. — MrHenlessy suggested that they appoint a lub-committee to consider thftu^ requkenente, and also to be a deputation from ,he Chamber to meet the Minister and 6 approach the other bodies . concernng united action. He proposed Messrs. Matthews, Whinxay, and the Chairman, )mitting Mr Townley, as he was sure to :>e on some of the other committees, and ivould be present to support. — The moion was carried. Mr Matthews urged that they should *rrange for the pushing on of the road into the Motu district, and Mr Whinray referred to a promise that had been made by the Hon. Mr Carroll that a Government geologist should report on the mineral and coal 1 possibilities of the district. They should not lose sight of that. There were important developments ahead of which they had taken little or no cognisance. This officer might report on the- coal prospects, oil deposits, and natural gas. Mr Townley said that he had been brought a sample of coal picked up on the Waikohu river. It was water-worn, and must have been washed down some distance. There must be some coal about, and the question was worthy of the attention of any expert. The country about ; Hutchison's was, he thought, 'as likely; a locality to get coal in as some of the places where they got it on the West Coast. He did not see why the Government should not try the prospects of the district in this respect, as it would be a capital thing for the district were payable quantities found. —Mr Matthews supported the proposal with a good deal of pleasure, as he had held the view for many years that there were coal deposits in the district, having mentionea it repeatedly during that period at meetings of the Chamber. Whether it was to be found in payable quantities remained to be seen.— Mr Whinray considered this would be a good way to ascertain, as the geologist was a Government. 1 officerMr .Wbjnray brought .up the matter of ihe necessity for tdebhonic connection with Tinirbtb arid-^Motu. In justice to suck' isolated districts, -such a convenience should be granted. It would also be an important factor in their de-velopment.-rTheT Chairman, said that, as they had a surplus of £40,000 .it was, worth haying some of it for this purpose.—Mr Whinray : \Four hundred pounds would do the lines to both places. —Mr Townley referred to Mr Carroll's statement made to the Chamber in December that in a question of this kind profits on the working should not be considered, as the telephone was J necessity in developing the outlying districts: It would be a good plan to send a letter on this matter to the Post-master-General, and also to, remind the member for the district of bis promise to assist, and of the views he had ex-pressed.—-The Chairman said that Mr D. Whyte wrote him urging the construction of the Tinirotp line, as it would assist the opening up of <*>me grand country, and would result in increased revenue to the Government, increased trade, and a benefit to local bodies. He held that telephones should be taken out of the arena of departmentalism, and should be nationalised in 'the true sense of the term. Local bodies should take the matter up and make it a plank in their platform.— After arranging thatth« Chairman should call 'the sub-committee together to formulate plans on a date which would suit>all parties, the meeting adjourned. . '