CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, 17 July 1930, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

MEETING OP COUNCIL. A meeting of the Council of the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce was held last evening in the C.F.C.A. Board Room. Those present were'Messrs P. B. Foote (president), F. S. Shrimpton, W. T. Ritchie, J. M. McLeod. W. H. Orbell, A. P. Greenfield, j W. G. Irwin. J. H. Gilbert, Brittenden, I Marshall. C. R. Ingram, J. Cleland, J. Anstey, J. Meehan, W. I. Tait, J. M. ! Jenkins, S. H. Andrew and J. Leggott i (secretary). Hire Purchase System. The Marton Chamber wrote inviting the support of the South Canterbury Chamber in its protest in connection with the “Chattels Transfer Act, 1924.” Since the passing of the Act the hire purchase system had grown to such an extent that it had become alarming, and had had more far-reaching effects than was contemplated at the time the measure was introduced into Parliament. The Marton Chamber considered that some action by business people was now warranted, and it earnestly believed that the present unsatisfactory financial position of the | Dominion was due to a large extent to ! the extensive operations of the hire i purchase system. I It was decided to receive the comj munication. Telephone Extensions. } A letter received from the Chief Postmaster at Timaru, Mr C. R. ■ Ingram, with reference- to telephone i extensions in private houses, said that : he had made inquiries and found that I provision had already been made by the Telegraph Department at a charge of 10/- for each point, plus an annual rental. Portable extensions without bell equipment, with cord were provided for use in connection with jack equipment at £l/5/-. Mr Ritchie said that the charge for the suggested extensions was too much, and he was of opinion that the Telegraph Department must lose quite a lot of revenue by asking too much in the way of rentals. If the annual j charges for extensions were reduced to £l, he supposed the Department would get far more subscribers than they would under existing rates. The letter was received. Customs Duties. The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce wrote asking the Council to support a protest against a sliding scale of customs duties. It was pointed out that up until recently it had been laid down by the Controller of Customs that once a vessel arrives at any port in New Zealand importers could redeem goods at the customs rate in operation at that time. This / concession had been withdrawn, and this left importers in Dunedin in the position of having to pay a different rate from that paid by, say, Auckland importers by the time the vessel carrying the goods arrives in Dunedin. This was why the Dunedin Chamber had voiced their protest. It was decided to support the action

taken by the Dunedin Chamber. New Zealand Goods. The Invercargill . Chamber advised that it was proposed to hold a New 1 Zealand Industries Week in that city ( during the first week in September, | with the object of stimulating the manufacture of New Zealand made ! goods, which it was claimed would ! assist to solve the problem of un--1 employment. The Chambers’ influence among local manufacturers was asked for, with a view to assisting in making the project a success. On the suggestion of the president it was decided to send a copy of the communication to the manufacturing members of the Chamber. The Railways. The Auckland Chamber wrote asking support to a proposal that the New Zealand Railways be removed from political control and be placed under the jurisdiction of commissioners or a board of managers similar to a board of directors. This, it was contended, would go a long way towards placing the railways on a business footing, and would enable them to be managed as a business proposition. Mr Ritchie said the only place this had been done was Canada. There the railways were so run as to pay interest on capital expenditure, and the scheme had been so successful as to warrant the general manager’s I salary being raised considerably. This showed that the railways could be made to pay if the right man was placed in control. Mr Meehan said the commissioners had previously been tried in New Zealand, and had not been a success. Mr Irwin said the railways to-day were working under different conditions from those which had preciously existed, and had to meet closer competition. They should try and support the railways instead of talking about the appointment of commissioners. Mr Jenkins moved that the Auckland Chamber be supported, and this was seconded and agreed to. Transport Committee. The Transport Committee reported' that it had considered the two questions referred to it by the Council. The first related to local railage rates, with particular reference to the Christ- ! cliurch-Timaru and Timaru-Christ-I church rates. In view of the fact that the low rate from Christchurch to Timaru was in favour of local importers, and further, that exporters with any volume of trade to Christchurch had received similar concessions, they were of opinion that no action was necessary. The second question was the method adopted by the Department of charging goods from ship’s side to the goods shed on measurement instead of on weight. Consideration of this matter had been deferred pending the permanent appointment of the new stationmaster at Timaru, and would be reported on at a later meeting. The Timaru master carriers submitted a petition with reference to the condition of the road from the Strathallan Street crossing to the south end of the goods shed, and asked for the Chamber’s support. The Committee was unanimously in favour of the request, and at their invitation, Mr Benzoni, District Railway Engineer, Dunedin. visited Timaru, and received a deputation consisting of the Committee and representatives of the master ! carriers. After inspecting the road, Mr Benzoni undertook to go into the matter immediately, and the Committee felt sure that a marked improvement would be effected as the result of these representations. The report was received.