WAR AND BUSINESSES

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16355, 3 October 1917, Page 2

WAR AND BUSINESSES

MEETING IN WESLEY HALL. . 'i] OE TIMARU BUSINESS MEN. Following on the meeting held in Timaru a week ago by Mr J. A. Frostick, Canterbury Commissioner to the Efficiency Board, a meeting of Timaru business nrtqL'was held in AVesley Hall last night for the purpose of electing a Council of Advice to arrange for the carrying on of the businesses of Second Division Reservists who may be called upon to go to the war. The Mayor (Mr James Maling) presided, . and there were also on the platform Mr F. J. Rolleston, Mr E. G. Rawnsley, Mr G. T. Dawson, and Mr H. Scott (secretary to the Retailers' Association). The audience included three ladies.

The Mayor said that it was desirable that Timaru should do in this connec'tion what other centres were doing. The Council of Advice -would consist of ten -members, divided -into two to . represent commerce and /the professions, and five to represent trades and industries. .These committees would/ appoint sub-corn-■ -mittees, consisting of three members each, to work in unison- with, the Council and represent the different' cnllinsrs. Apart from assisting men, who would be called up for war t ser-' vice, there would be ' quite ,a lot to' do in the-way of working; for increased, national 'efficiency,' and 1 he' " thought they 'would do well if they did-'as Mr; Frostiofr .suggested - to;'.them.' Theyshould aim at reaching as high' a' state 1 of efficiency" as possible. 'ln regard' to'labour' Timaru/was not in a verysatisfactory position; many"men dad, not know .where' their next' day's' work, wag' to come'from, arid by organised' effort this state "of things -should be, remedied. .It' was', noif creditable" to! Timaru that such a state of things should exist, and they should' thing to remedy it,' as well' as assist those who were vgoing to the ,war.> (Applause.) " J -i . '' ; Mr Rolleston then,' moved that a Council of Advice, consisting of ten members, be set up, the-members to be appointed by a selection committee. The reason for the step, he said, was manifest,' The ideas which Mr Fros-' .tick" had l put_ before them last' week ivere of, very , considerable assistance and value. The Efficiency Board was" one of the best organisations which had been set up since war started; it had done and was doing excellent work, and they could not do better- in limaru than follow' its advice., "The Board had on it men 'who -were independent in every way,, and, possessed ' some of the best brains in the Do- ! mini on. p, was ,the , duty of all of ' them to do what they could in this time of national need, and any ideas which might emanate from Timaru would be passed on to the Canterbury Commissioner, who in turn would forward thenr to the Board in Wellington In Timaru they had their own local and particular problems, and ■3 Y^ re m a better Potion to deai with them than were politicians in Wellington, who could riot be so conversant with local, details. At sent New Zealand. was spending two millions a month on the war, and the people were going' on happily -and S»"y; but) this 'state of affairs could not go-on 'indefinitely."' A; time" of reckoning wouldjcpme in the not distant future, and_ they should prepare. \?L c & *, r ? sult of th& w ar mil: hons of pounds had been wasted' and' shves$ hves had sacrificed; we should have, started three years ago Jo get into a portion to make good ways m which -tihey set * about tins was by promoting anything which made.for national "efficiency, or for «*nomy; Mr Rolleston paid a compliment to Mr G. S- Cray £. ft maQ & 0 fh?, useful food for thought than any oth«r ,man in Timarumnce thei war. started, and said that they should ,act in terms of what Mr Cray had told he point ed out fta-t they 'were all partners & a great concern, and should pull together for the 'common -good. The problem was not a email-one, and.it was time they doing something practical towards its ' solution. 'lt was fill very well to be willing to spend %» last shilling belonging, to somebody else and ti>-be willing 'to allow others to shed their blood, to win the war, but those who remained at home " must prepare themselves for some real sucritico, though the most they could do would never equal the sacrifice of the men m tSie firing line. They should endeavour to discover something on the same principle as the Military" Service Act to press into useful service all who could not go to «bhe war. The '"time had gone bv for'.talking platitudes, and it had arrived for practical action. (Applause.) '

Mr Rawns/ey said- he was very pleased to support fcheiresolution. He'paid a compliment to Mr JFrostrick, who he, said had always beeu associated wi'oh success, and went on to show in various ways how efficiency committees could do useful service. Tho war was not going to last for ever, and when it was over they would'find themselves lip against big problems. It would" be impossible to shut out. 60 000,000 Ger-' mams and 40,000,000' Austrians 'f rom their commercial life, and they should set abou'D ap- vmg themselves witE all haste to the task of meeting their 'competition after (oh© , war.' The . speaker detailed different ways in which,' -improved efficiency had been or couTd be acquired, and mentioned a,s an "excellent thing the proposal of Mr R, H Rhodes tha-c we should raise our own seeds in ISew Zealand., He was sure this could be made a success, and it would obviate the necessity for sending thousands of pounds out of the Dominion annually for seed, while at •the same time it would provide more labour here. Our work on the wharves should also be better organised and permanent men employed for this purpose, it they had had a Dronea: scheme in operation for working the wharves' in the past in would probably have been the means of saving many ship®. , Theproposed Council of-Advice "would be willing to receive the best ideas of local people and these would be'forwarded to the Efficiency Board for consideration, the Board, in,turn handing them on to the Government after they had considered amTsifted' them (Applause.) Mr Dawson seconded the motion and spoko strongly in support of' fit. Conditions, he said, would) be much altered after the war, and v they must be prepared for them. He went on to show how the Council of "Advice and -'the committees would benefit the; individual. There would ba ,a variety -of ways m which assistance '"would' be required and' in union ,' there would be ■ strength. A' man in a particular branch of businesswould find a number- of .others, in similar businesses willing to help him out of any difficulty, and this' must make for efficiency as well as for the good of the individual. The men who wore left at home ought to do all m their power for those who were to make a great sacrifice by going to fight. Men were wanted who would work unselfishly for the general good, and this would be the aim of the rommittoeß a»d the Council of Advice.'" (Applause.) , - *

Mr Doyle complimented the previous ' speakers on the clear and effective way in which they had stated the position, and dwelt on the need for giving every possible assistance to the end: that the business man who was called up should not have to make a greater sacrifice than was absolutely unavoidable. He felt confident that the committees and the Council of Advice would do good work in this respect. There were snug little businesses in Timaru which could easily fall to pieces when the dominant head was away, iand it should be their aim to prevent all unavoidable hardship on reservists and their families. He thought too, that it would be a good thing for the Efficiency Boards to keep alive industries which, at the present time they classed as non-essential, as by so doing the country would be in, a better position to meet post-war Competition in trade. There were about 270 retailers in Timaru and about 150 of them were in the Second Division. Their businesses had been clnssed as non-essential but it would be disastrous and wholly inequitable to send those men to the war and make them lose their businesses as M-ell. The up • of Efficiency Committees was most essential in a .time like the nresent, and if they''all pulled their full weight, much good would be done for the nation as Well as the individual. (Applause.) i A discussion took plane as to the siV« ' of the Selection Committee tihat should bo set nn to i apnoint the "Council of I Advice. Eventually was decided to , set' up.a Selection Committee of six, -Mip following being anoointed to itThe Mayor, Messrs W G. Irwin, M -T. Davie, V. J. polleston, G. T. Dawson, and E G. "R-iwnslev. This closed tb« meeting, but th? Selection CoTnroitW afterwards met! "and discussed ~ various +o guide t.he''r nHimate'selection- of "the -jCouncil' of Advice. " <- -