CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14483, 15 August 1917, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

s .ANNUAL 33EEETING. , (From "The Colonist,'' July 31st.)The annual meeting' of the ■ Nelson ■ Chamber of Commerce was held at .the Institute last evening. Tho president | (Mr C. R. Fell) occupied the chair, and i 1 there was a fair attendance of mem-j( bers. - , - ■ j i ,fhe balance-sheet; showed a credit! i balance of £9 10s Id. The subscrip-j tions collected totalled £47 15s 6d. Thc't expendituie included a grant of £lo { to the Advancement Society towards ; tho cost of- a ' booklet advertising the' 1 Nelson district. }i The president read the annual report. = j In moving the adoption of, the report j Mr Fell said that while the war was onl^ and money was not available for public j works, he did not think it right that ] the chamber should-take any steps in1] regard, to the extension of the railway, i but when money was available they 11 should renew their efforts. Regarding'] the .excess profits tax, he thought they < would agree that it worked most unfairly, .and it Avould only be proper for the .chamber to renew its ' protest '■ against the tax. He thought theyL should also protest against the excesj profits tax as it worked against jarid:; development companies. At the pre-;< f:ent time land sold during the year was! taSed. and he suggested that where the'j land had taken several years,to develop > the tax ■ should be assessed over that' period! He regretted that nothing had ! been clone in regard to settling re-: turned.' soldiers on the land m this dis-! triet. When he was in Muijchisoii some i time ago he was much interested in a'< poster advertising land for returned i soldiers, which Avas some of the * most ■ barren baok-blQcks land in the district. Personally, he would be sorry to see a goat, much loss returned soldiers, on this'laiid. In his opinion it would be absolutely imposKlble for a man to ' gain. a.living on it. Tho shipping problem was a serious "Me. and they were : faced with groat difficulties, but it be- , hoved everyone to go steadily until tho'.wiir was over, which he hoped would he soon. " ■ The motion for the adoption of tho , report was seconded by ilz- Travers, and « cariied. . j Officers AVPrfi olccted as "follows:—Pre-'i sidont, Mr C. R-. Fell (re-elected) ; vice- ' president, Mr W. ©. Travers (re-eJect-i: ocl) : committee, Messrs A. A. Lucas,!: J. H. Cock, C. Kinc, D. R. Edwards, ; T. A. H. Fidel, M.P:. H. R, Duncan,: W. W. Snodgrass, and P. Bond;' RaU- ' Avay ... and Land t Ti-affic Committeo, I Messrs F. G Gibbs (convpner), F. I. ! Ledcer, W. W. Siiodcrass, "P. Bond, T • A. H. Field. M.P., W. L. Kerr> R, B. \ Jackson, A. A. Lucas, and T. •■ Edwards; Shipping and Produce Com- j mittee. Messrs T. Neale (convener) H. \ C. Cock. W. Rocers. L.J. Frank, T. i Pettit. E. Hooper, J. C. Mercer, S.! Rirkpatrick, J. A. Mitchell, and T. i Edwards. Mr Neale, in proposing a hearty vote of thanks to Mr 'Fell for his services as president of the \ chamber, \ spoke of the able manner in which lie , I had carried out his duties. i I The motion %vas seconded by Mr-Snod--1 grass, and carried unanimously. ] The,president gave a resume of the * deliberations of the conference of the! Associated Chambers cf Commerce. j ! The president suggested that the! chamber might pass a resolution urging? the Government to remote the duty from fruit preserving and canning machinery. , ■ Mr "Kirkpatrick. said that this ma[chinery had been invented since the j tariff was framed. The president's suggestion was embodied in a motion, and carried unani-' mously. ' j ! Mr Gibbs suggested that the matter was of such importance that Mr Kir!c-: patrick should wait upon the Minister: and place his .views before him, f , Mr Edwards supported " the latter { i suggestion. * • j I" /It Avas left to the,council-of the.chain-1 . her to make arrangements for a ■depu'tn-'. tion from the canning and ]>rc;so)-vin/; .companies to wait-upon the" M.iin£tei\ j The matter of differentiation in raii--1 way freights on produce of {(k-:i! indu'r-i trips was referred to the Railway Cc:n mittee. " ' ' Mr Eirkpatriek mentioned ire; cr. r:;-' "ample that jam sent from this district to Hamilton was compelled .to pay a higher rate of freight .on tfie railway; from Auckland to Hamilton than jam manufactured in Auckland, because the latter was classed as a "local" Indus-1 try. He contended that this differcn-' tiition operated. unfairly. ! ! Some discussion took place in regard! Ito the shipping merger of the P. and O j | and Union Companies, and Mr J. R.! Cock said that he believed the merger' I would result in greater facilities for; reaching the outside world than the Union Steam Ship Company could have offered. He belieA^ed that the merger; would be of great benefit to the colony, ■ | and/would proA'e a strong factor in com- | bating alien shipping after the Avar. | | On "the motion of Mr F. G. Gibbs, it was resolved that this chamber con-! sider x that no action should be taken ji by th^ Government in' reference to tho! sninping merger between the P. and O. [ arid Union Companies, as such merger * may be of great benefit to the country": •after the Avar by combating alien ship-! ping combinations. : A letter was received from the In-! dust-rial Association of Canterbury,; suagp.stmg that, in view of the early:' culling up of the Second Division, the; Government should establish' local "fry-! ing-out camps," so that a man called!, up would be absolutely sure that whenii sent to Trenthair. he would not be re-? turned as medically unfit. On Mr Edwards'a motion, it was resolved that j i the chamber has no'recommendation to. moke. Some members referred .to £he import- ', ance of the development of the iron de-! ■ posits at' Parapara, but no resolution • was passed. Mr Nnale pugaested that the build- ] ings ncr-uoipd by the cable staff at Cable U Bay 'miV.-Tit b-> usod as a. -Rnnatiu-ium for retnnirri •jP'-ifiJiovc; ■ { Mr St!.-•.]</-ass s*ir! (!;-t Sir James Allen hf6 yi.-'-.f^rT C~bh Ray. and hadi' infoi-mpd him that 'there mich't be somp-i. thing; in the suggpstion. Pie said the'i matter was not in his department, but'i he -would consult the Minister of Pub- ; lie Health. * < It was resfiJ-od to make-represcnta- 1 tions to thp Minister of Public Health ] on this matter. -I