CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12145, 29 August 1908, Page 8

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

I c The Wanganui Chamber of Commerce . Jbeld * their annual meeting in the j Borough Council Chambers last evening. 1 .Mr J. ■H. Keesing (President) presided ' .over an attendance of 26 members. \ .; MINUTES. .. / The minutes of the last annual and J t ±he last monthly meetings were read l -and confirmed. "/ £ ELECTION OR-MEMBERS. -1 Mr J. H. Bumet moved the follow- ' j'ng motion, of which he had given notice: —" That the • names: of all proposed 3 new members be first submitted to the ( -Council, and if approved by them tx> ] be open for election by ballot at the next general election."—The motion ] was seconded by Mr Caiman, but was ' Jost by 13 to 11. - ANNUAL REPORT. The President read his annual report , -as follows; — •-■ . ! ..Gentlemen, In : presenting to you ;my report of .. .the transactions of the past year I must ; .offer my sincere congratulations to the ' , Chamber on the great success that has I -attended its efforts in many of its ! .undertakings. .-. ■ ■•'■■ j; This Chamber being a body without! .legalised authority or power may perhaps be -best described as a vigilance | .committee and as such may justly claim i to' have been of sufficient service to the' -community of Wanganui and district to \ .at least justify its existence. I A great deal of our usefulness has >been due to the kindly and sympathetic -relations existing between us and the various local bodies, namely:' The Bor- J .ough Council, Harbour Board, River. Trust, Wanganui -County Council, and Waitotara County Council, all of which j -it has been our office during the past .year to approach or meet in conference. Our thanks are also due to Mr. J. T. .Hogan, M.P. who has at all times displayed the imost loyal devotion to the; interests of the town, and district, and materially assisted us in our endeav- j •ours. Last, but not least I must must express my keen appreciation of the court- ; esy extended by our public' officials in' . -every department. have been' .pleased to furnish us with information -and assistance whenever consistent with bheir duties and to them we are indebted for a"great amount of our success. It^ is satisfactory to note that the „ interest iri our work is evidenced by the increase of members which at the be-! of the year numbered one hun-1 dred and eleven, and has now reached <one hundred and thirty-six. We have - also Added to our honorary members', rlist the Mayors of Eastbrook and Taihape -and the Chairman of the Gonville Town Board, Waimarino County Council, Rae- • -tihi Progressive Association and Taihape -Chamber of Commerce. This additjon I consider to be a wise • innovation, for as the town and district are dependent upon each other for prosj>erity, union and harmony among bhe settlers should be fostered at every _point. In this respect we are exceedingly fortunate in that our Parlraanen--tary Representative works in concert with the representatives of the districts , most in touch with us, namely: Messrs. JRemington, Jennings,Byrnes and Major, and their unity has. been and may be -expected to be productive of great bene--fits. I wish here to express the opinion .that it' is the duty of every business .man and every property' holder in the district" to become a member of this -Chamber, for as he 'share© equally with /-others in the benefits secured, he should if he cannot attend meetings, at least -support" its efforts by his membership .and the small subscription annually qo!~ Jected. Our finances at the beginning of the jrear showed a credit balance ot £19 3s. 'jd, } while at present we have a credit of £26 11s. sd. The only unusual expenditure has been £2 10s. voted for a writing _prize and £8 Bs. for a map of the dis- " trict'. Although our balance slightly improved, I should like to see~a larger .sum in- hand. Hitherto members of -deputations visiting Wellington or elsewhere have had to pay their own expenses, which I consider unbecoming. A. community li.>.e ours suould -be satis.iied to accept, nee, tnu yeiV.ces or unvoted citizens, \utjout rcJJuli'u.l^ Li_, i . -to use their own iiH>ney ii^uxs. u.iere*>ts. Moreoyer it would'be vveli'.h^-we couUl ■ .encourage, by awarding pri^os, .the attainment or excellence m commercial .education. Durii-'g. the year there-have "been held 14 mecuigs ot the- Uaamber and the Jarge acceiidances have been s further -jevidenco of the increased interest being • taken in our operations. The principal mattes which have eri,gaged the aLCcimon of the Chamber -during the year have been the following:— More direct railway connection with -Main Trunk Lino. Improvement St. John's Railway -Station. Mail Trains to come into Wanganui instead of passing through Arauioiio, -tailing which ; arranging for special -carriages, to avoid inconvenience of Wanganui passengers having to cnange ;.at Arainoho. Increased votes for and more speedy -construction of I'arapara Road, River Jtload; Ahu Ahu Road, Kai Iwi Koatl. Construction 'of. road towards Raura_kia Town side of River. Additional Express Train between. Wellington and Wanganui. 'Railway connecting Ohakune and Raetihi. Wanganui Bridge and prj^fcion ot -road at Taylorville end of Hfdge. Reading the Waimarino"South. Continuous Telephone Service. Factories Act to fix unalterably the -Statutory Holidays. Increased facilities at Wellington ioi .transhipment of goods to Wanganui.* Scenery Preservation. Wharf Shed accommodation. Improved sheep trucks. Lightening of direct shipments oi ..-.merchandise to Wanganui. Importation of Oregon Pine. Public notification immediately on ..arrival in Wellington of Sydney mails. Encouraged and assisted Wanganui JBerald with pamphlet advertising Wan,,ganui. Secured enlarged specially marked map of District In addition to the above the Ohambei has busied itself with a large numbei of minor matters affecting the interests v.of the town and district. It is unnecessary for me to now refei lin detail to the varying success met witl .in respect of the matters above scheduled. I may -say that what we havt "been able to accomplish during the pasi year should be very gratifying and encouraging to the Chamber. A considerable, number of our mem"bers accompanied by Messrs. Hogan, Remington, Jennings and Major M.P, .rand Mr. Reaney, Government Roads Engineer, chartered' a steamer and made an excursion up the River as far as IMatahiwi. Having landed there and gained some knowledge of the nature oi the country and the locality of a roadj leading thence to the Ohutu Block, wt again enibarked and steamed' down to "Te Tuhi, which nas been co energeti cally pushed on by Mr. Iteaney, for thf opening up of the Ahu Ahu country. "This excursion, besides.being most enjoyable was very instructive to a large number of our party, whose knowledge'oi 'the significance of the "Back Blocks" was very limited. The Ahu Ahu Road extending some eleven miles in length "lias been . put through in about 14 months, and when the nature of the ---country is considered we must recognise "the energy, zeal, and ability displayed

>y the engineer, Mr. Reaney, who is mleed the right man in the right place. Another excursion was made, to Tailape and Raetihi, when your members vere accompanied by Messrs. Hogan itid Jennings, Ms.P. Apologies for lnavoidable absence were received from Messrs. Remington and Major M;6.P. Miia trip was productive of a vast inaount of good. Our inland cousins showed as well as expressed keen appreciation of our visit and extended to js a cordial welcome. .We held conferences with the principal settlers of both places, the result af which • was the establishment of a perfect understanding and the recognition on all sides that we should .work together for the welfare of the District and the Town and port of Wanganui. I trust the hanmony which now exists will be maintained for all time. " During the early part of the year business generally continued as it has been for a number of years past, on a yery satisfactory scale. The latter part has, however, been marked by signs of trouble in the financial atmosphere. This no doubt is chiefly due primarily to the financial-crisis-in America-and other principal causes, namely the fall in the price of wool and the excessive ad' vances made by the banks and large firms against the clips and shipments i*f produce, and also on the security of freeholds and leaseholds on a basis of somewhat inflated values. The keen competition among financial institutions has brought what should be legitimate business almost to the level of mining speculation, for at the slightest rise in _ the price of wool, butter or meat, an increased value is put upon the land, further .'advances*-'axe made, and if discretion is not used a crash must occur when prices of our products resume their normal condition. It is to be hoped that the banks will seriously consider the probable consequences be fore carrying too far the "tight fisted" policy they have started, ( which if continued must be productive of ruin and distress throughout the country. A little judicious nursing during the per iod of low prices will save our good settlers, and maintain that prosperity, which with, wise management should never be absent from this glorious Dominion. The slight depression experienced at present, I feel sure is of a very tempo?ary nature. This is always a dull time of the year, and the general outlook is equally as, if not more, brilliant than ever. The Government are doing excellent work in roading and opening the country which is being taken up by first-class settlers. The increase in the area of land which is now productive :s greater in proportion than the increase of population and from an internal aspect the prospects are more encouraging than ever in the history of the Dominion. The great outside influences to which we are subject, viz; the fluctuation of prices ruling in the world's- markets should be provided for in-a more solid business like manner. Advances on produce and "on farm lands should be estimated Tutb more regards to normal conditions and then any surprises or unexpected results will be all in the direction of a profit. The Main -Trunk Line ■is fast approaching completion and the Government has already sent trains from Wellington right, through to Auckland, rhis great work has taken years to complete, and the community ard to be congratulated on its accomplishment It is gratifying to know that the Government are continuing their progressive policy, and that, from a large loan floated they intend dedicating the sum of £100,000 to roading the back i blocks, while the remainder will be deI voted to the construction of other necessary public works. I do not propose to weary you by , reading the statistics which with the i tind assistance of the various officials have been prepared by our painstaking Secretary,/for j. L , Stevenson. They will be printed in connection with this report and circulated among the members. I must however, refer to what may be considered a few of the most import-r.t features therein contained, -that, r, those more immediately affectm.r • • own town and district. I ;.:uikyou will-admit, when you hare "•u.jied the statistics that on the whole avo have every reason to feel gratified with the progress made during the past as w<jll as with the indications of future prosperity Our principal impprts via the harbour show an increase of general -merchandise ■d* per cent and coal 12£: per-cent, while the exports show an- increase of timber 25 per cent, mutton 2 sper cent, lamb 5 per cent, beef 33 per cent," crat s of meat 115 per icent. The quantity of wool shipped from the Dominion during the year amounted to something less than that of 1907.. The unfortunate decline in values affected us very adversely. On wool alone the fall from 'ast year's prices means a difference to ™ Dommion of something like £2,500,----000, while the reduced prices of pelts has been a loss to this district alone of some £7000, and seriously affected the value of sheep. * However, at the present time the tone of the' market is much improved, and although the rise in price is not great every thing appears more promising. Fortunately the value of frozen meat although not high hai remained fairly steady, and has realised welL right through the season. Our dairy produce' has been realising rnonomenal prices, and the outlook for ■the. coming season is very bright. _ The agricultural returns show a slight falling off in area in our district and upder cultivation for grain. :": The number of sheep carried in the countries between Clifton towards the North. and Manawatu in the! South shows an increase of 201,058, of which tt is very,pleasing to.be able to state nearly half viz.: 98,556 have been added /to our own, and the adjoining countries, including ■ Waitotara, Waitnarino, and Rartgitikei. , The Post Office Savings Bank may foe taken as a fair, index to the condition of our people, and this aspect is most encouraging. The last returns showed for the year in the number of accounts :an increase of 1593, and in the amount ■'■ f;?the ex-edit of depositers an increase of ■piUi-'2?' Th* "totals showing; that [ 17,023 depositors held a credit Balance of £571,860, and that during the year . the substantial sum of £1,002,832' had . been deposited.in the Bank. ,As further evidence of the increasing importance of our town and district the . postal end telegraph returns are very L pronounced. The letters- packages, _ papers, etc., passed through the post 4 exceeded in number those of the pre- ! vious year by 310,000, and the tele- ' grams increased by 74,550. Tho. telephone exchange at Marcii last had & list of 681 subscribers an .increase' of 152 in one year. ' Now, with regard to our" local-affairs 'I # think I may say, without being considered too optimistic, that our beautiful t«wn has a glorious future before it. Our back country is Being opened up ! and immediately brought into profit. The town itself in keeping pace with the ' progressive times and shows improve- * ment at every point. In our business ' blocks we have fine new brick' buildings taking the place of the wooden 1 structures that have done duty in the past. In the residential quarters of the borough, and for a radius of li ' miles from the* post'office, scores upon : scores of pretty comfortable homes havo recently made their appearance. At the present time large number of residences as well aa good solid brick business premises are in course of erection. > and bear testimony to the prosperity of i all classes of the community, and their confidence in the future of Wansanui.

Dur electric tramway system is far :m the road to completion, and it is expected that the cars will be in full T iwing by the beginning of December. '.£ I think I am right in saying that in F no other place equal in size to Wanhas such a system been established, and this 6po!*ks volumes for the V determined energy of our community. S1 It can hardly be expected that the "y trams will pay during the first few years "V but the attendant convenience and com- y fort to our people justify a certain y amount of expenditure, and I am sure we all hope they will not prove to be \> too expensive a luxury. The town bridge which has been a source of anxiety for some time past, jj is. with the assistance of the Government, about to be strengthened. I confidently hope that the various responsible bodies interested in the welfare of the town and district, will without delay agree on the best means of getting the River Bank at Taylorville protected, and join in pushing on with that very necessary work. The wharf shed extension now in course of construction will be a great boon to importers. The great risks which are by them incurred for want of shed accommodation for their goods, will shortly be an item of past history. - Tha Harbour Board has prepared plans for the extension of the. Town Wharf by the addition of 500 feet, and also a new wharf at Castlecliff. The great future that awaits Wanganui, when, direct Home shipping can cross the bar of our harbour, cannot be eati- - mated. The tremendous area of splendid surrounding ■ country the settlers \ of which would find it to their advant- / age to deal through us, is capable of ' t supporting and maintaining' a seaport town equal to any in the Dominion. It is • satisfactory to know that our pro- ( senfc Harbour Board is. fully alive to the importance of that great question How best shall we get the results? With the means at hand the Board is doing excellently well. The dredge is proving itself equal to its work. It has completed a clear cut of 100 feet' in width, and lias advanced 3500 feet in length in the process of increasing that width to 200 feet, and is now engaged ' in increasing the same to double the width. A very satisfactory fact in this connection is that the channel once cut is maintaining itself j and there is no appearance of silting or deposit recurring. Amended hereto will be found a very interesting and satisfactory report kindly furnished by the Harbour Board's Engineer, Mr C. H. Howarth.The whole of -the preparatory work for prosecution of the ; Board's scheme for harbour improyemen|i has been accomplished., and tjie engineer is now ready to go straight aheady Now • that this scheme -is thoroughlymiderway let; us hope that the Board" will have the; united support of town alid eoirnfay, and that no • attempt will be made to interfere with, them or their plans. It .will not belong before the Engineer will have - sufficient work done to give further evidence by results, and we may be assured that the present members of the Board will be the first to de* clare it, if unexpected difficulties, arise at>d Jtheir confidence in. the scheme shaken. • During the year 555 vessels visited our port, and the lighters made 129' trips to 13 ocean steamers lying in the ■Roadstead.' ■-- ' >:.": ' — Iv referring to these statistics I cannot help drawing your attention to -the' facts' that the only direction in which we have made no advance is the ' communication wiUh Wellington by jeaj which is no better than it was before some of you were/born.It is quite time -an improvement: was imade inthis servicev t " - ; The River .Trust.have done a greatamount of good work, and-the traffic -has been Tiractically uninterrupted throughout the year. If they continue in the work as they are doing, it will : not "be long, before they, have the river ►under _ control sufficiently to make it keep its own channel clear; , ' ,-: -There x afe other important matters '~,tq;y. which.'■;l phould : like; t&f refer, "but . fear that fly-iliavV^tned''yyou-r. patience ".Ttfitrhthis 4eng4fiy^add!ress and report: -^HoVever ylwi'Avill 'allow me in conclusion to express "the; hpjpe that "during the coming -yea*.~-y oil: will" eonfiline to be aa zhalous in the interests "of tlie town-and district as you have An -the ; n^t. ll>jJTherie "are maiiy important iiiia^eraryet to be dealt with. ATraugieiheist^l'c; should; be made for direct snigments'of merchandise to1 be s light^reduifroinr the The .-. VVellingtoii-jWianganui^ ,-: steamship serservica: shoiridqbe .impjov^- . The Parapara 1 Ro^d should be finished aiid items of interest. Jitfeeuded to?.'".'■ ;', ■■ sioiis into^the.iback coiantry be Organised .by.this Chiaritlbier so that our residente may become .educated.. jn', the necessity of;wovkingtpwejtHerrfor itsdevelopment. Im^st jtooW my gratitude to the members of this Chamber -for the loyal support they have accorded, me, and:the courtesy I have rreceiyed during my ■ termtpf office,/;> I would also thank and commend our Secretary 3 Mr J.'.L.. Stevenson, who -is every ready to give his; time and. ; service in the intereste \bfVthe'..Chimber^ .\ ']■ ■■ : ' I trust that the Dominion .and this district, '•; an<l /Chamber, itore particularly will have a bright and prosperous year arid/ that nothing may. occur to mar. the, happihess' of '.'God's Own Country.'1' , -■"."•. .': ;' • '\ :.'.' s '')s. Hv KEESING, Chaiman. In seebnding the motion, Mr D. Mc-Earlane'-eulogised Mr Keesing, who, he said, ;was one of the 'most energetic and zealous presidieiits the Chamber had ever had. In refei-ring to the President's remarks anent the stringency of the money market, Mr McFarlane pointed out that trading on inflated values must stop some time or other, and while .t^e Chamber might give the banks a quie^i,hint, (members must not forget that the banks also had their' own"difficulties to contend with. Mr Gregor McGregor, referring to the opening up of native lands, complained of the inf requency of the Appellate Native Land Court sittings in Wanganui. He thought these should be fixed sittings, as the present system was retarding settlement. The motion was then put and carried. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: —President, Mr J. H. Keesing (re-elected); VicePresident, Mr T. B. Williams (re-elect-ed); secretary and treasurer, Mr J. L. Stevenson (re-elected); Council, Messrs W. Brown, D. McFarlane, Lloyd Jones, Ewen Campbell, C. Walker, Alfred Burnett and A. Robinson. PROTEST. The recent resolutions of Trades Unions askmg for the removal of Mr Justice Sim from the Arbitration Court were discussed, and it was resolved to express the Chamber's regret that the Unions should have taken up such an attitude. •Other minor matters were dealt with, and- the. meeting then adjourned.

c _ The expression " I will eat my hat" is likely to lose favour with those peos pie who always offer to perform somo wonderful feat in the event of their j pronounced opinions being proved mcc correct. Two gentlemen recently had a f dispute as to the amount of stripping I that had to be done after the milking j machine, and one of them offered to „ " drink all the strippings " left by the t " Lawrence-Kennedy-Gillies " machiue . on a dozen cows. The offer being ac- _ oepted, a teacup was secured, and found . ample to hold the stripings, which weib f as easily swallowed as the, bet was won r J. B. MacEwan and C, Ltd., sol .. agents, Roufch's. Buildings', Wellington.