CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1576, 20 November 1924, Page 5

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

monthly meeting.

■SEVERAL MATTERS OF INTEREST.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Te Awamutu Chamber of Commerce

■ was held in the Council Chambers Tuesday evening, the president.(Mr ' R. A. Coyne) occupying the chair. Also present were Messrs C. G. Downes, H. Andrew, S. Clark, H. T. Haselden, W. Culley, G. O. Jourdain, L. G. Armstrong. G. Spinley, C. F. Battson, and the secretary, Mr A. G. Warburton. The secretary, referring to the need for new members, said there were many business men in and around Te Awamutu who were not members of the Chamber. He urged members to make a special effort ito enrol new members. The secretary, Volunteer Fire Bri.gade, wrote thanking the Chamber for extending to the Brigade the privilege of honorary membership, and intimated that Captain H. T. Haselden would act as the Brigade’s 'delegate.— The President welcomed Mr Haselden. saying he hoped the two bodies would be able to work unitedly on any matters of community interest. The Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce •'advised that as it has already made representations to the Railway Department it does not feel disposed ho take any further action at present re the “limited” express servicer, and .-any variation of pressure might cause more harm than good.—Received. During the discussion it was mentioned that the northbound limited ■train, reaching Te Awamutu at about -8 a.m., would have proved a great convenience to this district. The hope was expressed that the department would yet accede to the representa-

tions. It was also mentioned that the two mixed passenger and goods trains leaving Te Awamutu at 7.45 a.m. for the south and at 8 a.m. for Frankton were very inconvenient, as the southbound train rarely left before ’the north train, thus causing confusion. It was suggested that both trains could be timed to leave at 8 p.m. However, it was felt that no good purpose would result from representations -along the lines suggested. The secretary, Te Awamutu-Ara-puni Development League, asked for the annual subscription, explaining that owing to the necessity of the League continuing to press for good communication between Arapuni and Te Awamutu, and in view ,of the early commencement of the main works and

consequent necessity for keeping Te Awamutu to the fore it is desired that the request receive early attention.—Deferred until next month’s .meeting. The general manager, N.Z. Railways, wrote as follows re the Chamber’s complaint as to the evening trains blocking the main Pirongia road for lengthy periods almost every evening: “With reference to your letter regarding the delay which is said to •occur to road traffic at Alexandra :Street crossing at Te Awamutu, while the 7.33 p.m. north bound train is at the station, I have to inform you that inquiries made show that the average time the crossing is blocked by the train is ten minutes, and this at a time when the crossing is little used by road traffic. In this connection I desire to point out that where level •crossings are situated in close proximity to stations it is not always possible to prevent causing a certain amount of inconvenience to road traffic while trains are being dealt with at the station. (Arrangements have, however. been made to alter the system of dealing with the train mentioned while at Te Awamutu, so that delay to street traffic will be reduced to a minimum, and I trust there will be no further cause for complaint in this direction.”'

Mr Andrew said that some improvement had certainly been effected. Though not yet entirely avoiding road ■blockage, it was evident that the railway authorities were endeavouring to avoid inconvenience. The Minister for Lands intimated that he had no w decided to sanction the Borough Council proceeding with the erection of its new fire brigade station adjoining the present Council Chambers.—Received with satisfaction, and the Minister is 'to be thanked for his prompt action. The President stated that so far he 1 Jhad not been able to arrange for a delegate to attend the Chambers of Commerce Association conference at ■Wanganui now in session. He had telegraphed asking the Wanganui

Chamber to arrange for a local 'delegate.—Approved. It was decided to make representations to the Department to provide some adequate warning signal at the Te Awamutu - Pirongia main road level crossing, pointing out that at present there is a grave danger to wheeled traffic through trees, banks and buildings obstructing 'the view of trains coming from the north. The secretary referred to the mail services and the closing times of mails in Te Awamutu being altered during fthe( summer holidays, when ■two Main Trunk trains are run with only short periods between. The practice in past summers has been to put • Te Awamutu mails' on the first train and incoming mails arrived by the second express. He moved that the Railway Department be asked to adhere to the regular timetable as regards mail carriage.—Mr Clark seconded and it was carried unanimously. Mr Spinley reported that the Swimming Baths Committee had that evening accepted a tender at £IO2B for the swimming baths, but that did r not include a building or even a fence.

Thus about £l5O was needed and he asked the Chamber, as representing the business interests, to use every effort to obtain more funds. The swimming baths constituted one more public asset to the town’s appointments, and thus the effort was a worthy one. Mr Armstrong explained that there is an art union now in progress, and while many people were purchasing tickets, and thus augmenting the funds for the he was sorry to say local people were buying other art union tickets, the money thus going out of the town. That was, he thought, a short-sighted policy, and he hoped the sellers of these “foreign” tickets would relinquish their activities. Loyal co-operation would assure the provision of baths creditable to the town. It may be that some people

thought '.he effort to provide public baths locally was premature, but he could not agree. He was confident the money would he forthcoming if ad co-operated. It was proposed to have the baths erected by Christmas Day. In consideration of the feelings of people conscientiously opposed to art unions, he would urge ticket sellers not to press them to buy; but he hoped those people would assist the cause by straight-out donations and thus bear their share of the cost of providing the baths. The President intimated that the Committee had the support of the Chamber, and he hoped the whole of the public of Te Awamutu would rally round the promoters and provide the necessary funds.