CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13910, 13 March 1909, Page 7

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

J (QUARTERLY MEETING. v At the quarterly meeting of, the^Taranakir Chamber of Commerce last, evening there were present: — Messrs T. C. Schnackenberg (president) in the chair,] W. J. Penny ft. C. Hughes, J. C. More} A. H. Steeds, C. H. Burgess, Firtti, D. K. Morrison, G. Ramson, T. C. List, F. S. Johns, S. Shaw. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs ,M. Fraser, A. H. Glasgow and A. H. | Arnold. < '

CONFERENCE OF CHAMBERS. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce invited the Taranaki Chamber to send delegates to a conference of Chambers of Commerce, to begin in Wellington on April 13. ,The number of delegates was not limited. A "very comprehensive list o£ subjects already set down for discussion was fbrwarded. It was decided to leave the appointment of a delegate or delegates to the Council. ! , BANKRUPTCY LAW. j In view of probable changes in^our bankruptcy law/ the Attorney-General i invited the Chamber to send suggestions ] that would be of assistance. Such suggestions, he said, would be carefully considered.

The matter was referred to the Council, with a request that it lay before th£ Attorney-General any recommenda-. tions it -saw fit to make. STRATFORD-ONGARUE RAILWAY.

%o Mr Fraser's notice "of motion : "That the Chamber confer with, the other" Taranaki Chambers, calling their -attention to the radical change thai; has taken place in regard to the throujjpi traffic from Auckland to\the South by the Main Trunk line, pointing out that Taranaki is now practically detached from, the central stream of communication, and that the time has come for us jjp stand together and demand of the Government the weighty necessity for urgently pushing on fche completion of the Stratford-Ongaure railway," Mr """Penh said he had been- given by Mr. Fraser authority to bring ~ the mo- , tioo, and ' deal - r with it as he thought fit. He^was inclined to vary x it.- Be^did norti $hin£>tl*e (Government could get a!qng v any ♦faster than it was doing now at *hi,send* A week ago there were 430' men on the work and 25 more to be added weekly As regards the other end, feeling-ran rather high as to the route* Mr Perm was personally of opinion that the Waitewnena route was rather the better. It would make a difference of seventeen miles to, the line between New! Plymouth. , anfl Auckland and ran through mtich better land. The land was nearly all Crown* land ,there was much coat along* the route, and much flat land. It would give a very good line to^Te Kuiti. On the other hand, the Hon. R. M'Kenzie liad said the Ongarue route had been authorised. But if a mistake had been^made it was time it was altered. The Ongarue route ran through much poor country.' % But there was no necessity to take part in the battle of routes. The other cud of the line 'need not be mentioned in the motion, it would" toS sufficient to < urge the Government to push on with the line^ It was possible ■ that the question •'of the junction had been settled by Cabinet this weak. Mr Burgess thought the motion left us where we weVe before 1

Mr Hughes thought tjiat, as tile Govvernment was doing its best, the motion could very well be dropped. It was like whipping a willing horse. 1 Mr Perm remarked that he felt inclined to withdraw the motion. . Mr List stated that, during 'the Pre- 1 mier's last visit to New Plymouth he had a conversation with Sir Joseph Ward, who assured him that the Government intended to press on . the work, and .make it" a really big work. When the Main Trunk line was completed) -said the Premier, more men would be put on the Stratford-Ongaruf railway. ".This had been » borne out. Mr List considered it was .quite jdle to • pass such a motion,. If the' Government slackfned, then the Chamber could aofy and act properly. Mr Perm then withdrew the motion. MOKAU-MOHAKATINO BLOCK. Mr --Is, Jacob, of Mokaif, asked the Chamber to impress upon the Government the necessity pf. opening up for settlement the Mokau-Mohakatino block. A Mr Hughes, detailing what Tiad taken place of late in the matter, said it was -Tiow before Parliament, and he thought the matter^ would be dealt wsh during: the ensuing session. ' life -moved : "That the Government ibe. respectfully requested to acquire the freehold and leasehold interests iri.,the Mokau-Mohaka-tino block and open the same for settlement." The motion was carried. AN INNOVATION. The Chairman brought up the ques*. tion of meeting the members of Parli? - ment before they went to Wellington for the session. The interests of Taranaki could ,be better served , if the Chamberr could meet them in a body. The present was a very opportune tinu* to institute * practice, as the person-

- nel of Taranaki's representation had 1 been so changed, and they appeared to ; be willing to listen to what people li#d - to say. >Mr Schackenberg thought the » annual meeting of the Chamber would [ be a very suitable opportunity to meet ; the members for the province. Ihe ; members of the Harbour Board could • also be invited. Perhaps the best form ; the meeting could take would be a din- \ ner. The needs of Taranaki were pro-. s bably known to the members, but they could be placed before them in a more \ concrete form. Mr Schnackenberg moved: ''That steps bo taken to meet 1 the members of Parliament for Taranaki before the next session." ' Mr Burgess seconded the motion pro ' , forma, but he was doubtful as to the '< manner in which matters could be placed before the members. 1 , Mr Schackenberg thought that th(* great need was to impress upon the members the necessity for seizing e-very-opportunity of placing before Parliament the need of opening up the \ast tracfc of idle country in the backblocks. There were other details, too, that could be placed before them. Mr Schnackenberg instanced the conferences held between the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the members of Parliament for that city. Mr Hughes also favoured tho motion. Details could be left to the Council. . After further discussion Mr Perm moved as an amendment: "That it be a recommendation to the Council that the twentieth anniversary of the Chamber be marked by holding a dinner in conjunction .with the next annual meeting to which the members of the^ Legislature for Taranaki be invited. The Chairman favoured the amendment. ' Ho had moved his motion only to open the matter for discussion. He would prefer to withdraw his motion in. favour of Mr Perm's. Mr Perm's motion was carried unanimously. RAILWAY WEIGH-BRIDGE. Mr Firth brought up the matter of the unsatisfactory weighbridge at the New Plymouth railway station. It was quite time that New Plymouth had a weighbridge adequate to the needs of the district. Last week the cargoes of two coal steamers were weighed on this weighbridge. One scaled ,40 tons over, and the other 17 tons short . Most of the trucks were built to carry 10 tons, but some held about 16 tbns. These were weighed' one end at a time ! A few days ago a 'truck weighed in this fashion was again weighed after two cartloads of coal had been taken out of itf^and it weighed two tons more than at first! Mr Perm pointed out that the matter -^iad been brought before 'the District Traffic Manager, who said this methbd of weighing was absolutely correct. Mr Morrison understood that there was not a weighbridge in the Dominion capable of weighing a long truck correctly. ' " It was decided to bring the matter'before the Minister for Railways at his forthcoming visit to New Plymouth.