CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18760, 17 July 1935, Page 9

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

THE MONTHLY MEETING'

There were present at the monthly meeting of the Gisborne Chamber 01 Commerce council yesterday afternoon Messrs. L. T. Burtiard, president, If. H, DeCosta, .fames Chrisp, C. Tilleard Natuseh, P. Tolerlon, F. R. Ball, 11. K. Baker, 11. F. Forsier, F. Pj.. Wilson. E. T. Doddrell, T. Corson, V. K. Sanders, It. \V. .1. Edwards, X. !■'.. foneycliffe, S. 11. Phillips, T. (1. Law less, H. B. Willock, and W. Hamilton Irvine, hon. secretary. Referring to recent communications received from the Gisborne chamber. the Acting Prime Minister, Sir Alfred Ransom, telegraphed as under: "Your telegram received, and representations respecting Gisborne-Napier line noted 1 can assure you that the Government is fully aware of the whole of the circumstances, and that the matter is being considered in London by the Prime Mininster and the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coales.'' —The communication was received. The director of the meteorological branch of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research forwarded an assurance that Gisborne would be placed in its logical order in the 7 p.m. daily broadcast of meteorological data from 2YA as soon as the present supply of forms used for this, purpose is exhausted and a fresh supply printed.—The notice was received with expressions of dissatisfaction, the president remarking that it must be a simple matter to write in the particulars concerning Gisborne in its logical position. The Poverty Bay and Fast Coast Sheepowners' Union advised that Mr, J. C. Graham had been appointed to replace its former representative, Mr. J. B. Kells, on the. council of the cham-

ber. The loiter was received, 1 Information on a number of points m regard in (Jishorne's community lighting syslrm was requested from tin (iisborne chamber in a letter from the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce.I The hon. secretary stated that he had conferred with the secretary of the Poverty Bay Electric-Power Board and had obtained the desired information. The secretary of the Associated Chambers of Commerce, Wellington, forwarded 11 copy of a Idler received by his organisation from the Postmaster - General in reply In representations regarding the new scale of fijicgraph charges. The matter was now in (he hands of a sub-committee of Ilie execu--1 live, the covering letter stated, and a considered reply would be forwarded to (he Postmaster-General on the lines of the 1934 conference resolution, urging that the Hat rate system be reverted to. —The feature of the Postmaster-Gen-eral's letter was an intimation that traffic had increased materially under the new rates. Reference was made to the fact that the British PostmasterGeneral had inquired of the details of the New Zealand system immediately after its introduction. Mr. T. Corson remarked in the course of discussion that if the income from telegraph business had fallen as the result of tin l charge, the Government would not hesitate to drop back to the old rate. fie held that at present Wellington, being equidistant from either end of the islands, was enjoying an advantage at the expense of such cities as Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin, aim such towns as Gisborne. The president said that the increase, in volume of telegraph traffic was negligible, as against !an appreciable increase in the income .Mr. P.. F. Wilson held that the. new rates could not be objected to. as they were based on the same system as the telephone toll charges, lie thought that the new rates would prove of local advantage. "There are certainly two ways of looking at the matter."'commented the president, closing the discussion.