CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIV, Issue 12882, 24 September 1909, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

ANNUAL REPORT. Following; is the report to be prc&entod at the annual meeting of the Wunganui Chamber of Commerce this evening:--Gentlemen, — I have the nouour to submit to you my report o: tne working of thu Chamber for the rast your In doing so i wish to congratulate- ilia. Chamber on the substantial interest that has been apparent during that period, ill any and every thing affecting the' development and welfare ot cur district 'and the Dominion. ' • v Before proe«;ding further I must make respectful reference to the loss this district has sustained, by the death of the late Mr A. E. Remington, M.P., for Eangitikei. The deceased gentleman was everi«?ady to co-operate, with our own representative in the furtherance of our projects. I am surs that, quite independent of party "politics, ever/ member of this Cha'j bor joins with me in regretting his lOISB. W2 have been yery much indebted, during the year, to our representative, Mr. J. T. Ilogan, M.P., who has given great assistance in all cur undertakings. He nus bad an intelligent grip of every, question that ras arisen and his services have been of great value to us. Our membership during the year has increas3d from 136 t<y 146, which is sati?- \ factory proof that the value of our effartu is recognised and that our citizens do ackrowledge their own responsibilities to share in the work. Since the. last annual meeting there have been, ten general, one public, and eight council meeting;? held, all of which have been so well attended, that as you are aware, We found, the office too small to accommodate us, and. were iortunate through 1 the courtesy of His Worship the Mayor (Mr C. E. Mackay) in securing the use of the Borough Council Chambers, -*for which concession our best thanks are due. The financial position of the Chamber slnw«s that our, revenuo has be'en equal to the expenditure. The balance to, credit at the beginning of the year was J826 11s sd, while our present balance is £17 10s sd. Following is a general outline of the various matters that have demanded the attention and occupied the time of the Chamber : — Native Land Court Sittings; Presidential Native Judge for this district; Maori Camp on Foreshore; Native Surveys; Bankruptcy Laws; Boading Waimarino South; Eoading right bank Wanganui Eiver; Boading lelt bank Wanganui River; Eailway, Ohakune to Baeuhi; Railway Survey Wanganui to Eaetini; Mail Trains; Paparara Road; Kai lwi Eidge Road; Scenic Beserves; Improvement Cattle Trucks; ''Herald" Advertising Booklet; Lightering Direct Shipments; Compulsory Military Training; Wanganui Gaol Abolition; Grading Station tor Wanganui; Retaining Stamp Office; vJovernmmt Valuations. In addition to the foregoing, numerous other matters have been dealt with. SeVeral deputations have waited on Ministers and the authorities in connection with those have shown great zeal and public spirit by personal sacrifice. We have to be thankful for tho many good things we have been able to accomplish, and to determine to push on with what still remains to be done to make our town and district all that it is capable of. In a country like thi9 there will never be '•nothing to do" for a Chamber of Commerce. Every year wilt bring its work, as each fresh development will only open our eyes to higher and gr-eater possibilities. I therefore hope that the enthusaism of' members will not flag, but that each and tveiy one will make it his duty to "keep the Sag flying"— the flag "Excelsior.'' A conference of kindred Chambers was held in Wellington, at which we were ably represented by Mr E. A. Campbell, to whom, on this account, our thanks are specially due. Although the past year has not been as pi'oductive as itd immediate predecessors in good financial and business results, yet it is a matter for joyful congratulations that the falling-off has. not been nearly s» cala,mito\t6 as was fe-ared and prophesied by many business men. Our people have riLcadily' and bravely faced tho position, and have as a rule withstood the shock of the storm. Some, no doubt, 'have lost a spar or two, but I venture to hope they will keep up their courage and will succeed in steering their good ship safely, liven now the atmosphere is clearing and the wonderful resources of our Dominion will make themselves felt. As a cork under outside pressure may be sunk, but will quickly rise on removal of the cause, so will New Zealand right itsolf when the troubles of other places which have pressed on us will have r-as^ed away. Tt is to bo regretted that the price of Ivi— ■>" in?at has fallen to such a low level and I am sure my fellow members lament with me the falling-o^ 1 in the profits of our local company. The Wanganui Meat Freezing 1 Company has been a great rsower for good in this district, and the management has been excellent. I therefor? trust tliat. for the <?ake of the Company, as well rs the district, their n.cxt returns will iii'ow a grand improvement, and tho enter1 visinnr shareholders be amply rewarded for their perseverance. It is not needful ■flint I should £0 into details with rerrarrl to cur various products land their present market values. The newspapers of the il iv keep you well informed, and the cora■aiativo tables hereto attached will sup'ly von with what further information 1 von may require in that regard. During the year a splendid lot of back country has been taken un by a <?ood cla«^ 'if sotiJers who have been making great ".orts in the fallin- of bush, grassing, etc. Wl'on the moncv market eases, wliioh —Ml ro doubt be very soon, there will bs thousands of acres (that were til] now unite unproductive) ready for stock and the output of our district will be very •mieh increased. The business of the Wanganui Post Office has considerably inri cased in every department. The savings Kink returns 'show to the orpr^t of d~. po-itors an increase of =818,000. Tho volume of businces done has warranted the erection of a fine two fltorey building at Aramoho and the citizens of that suburb are justly proud of their new Post Office. From a purely local itoint of view we have made great progress since my last rerort. Some fine brick shops have been crrctcd iv our main streets, and numbers of pretty residence,? havp made their appearance in every direction. At the rivi3"nt time a frontage totalling' 103 feet, now occupied i»y wooden buildings is to ho built on in brick, while other imnrovcnipnts are Broken of all round. Onr rj"ctric tram service has proved a .surprise to a f*reat many, and if not cmita "ivin.<j, at least inspires confident that r.nv necessary rate will b? ouite within the 'itnit of what we can afford to pay for a magnificent convenience. The strengthening of the town bridge is approaching completion. , It has taken a Ion? time, and we have to thank the officer in charge of the work for having' minimised the inconvenience to- our people.

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Indeed, it might be said that, excepting a few hours occasionally, the traffic Las been uninterrupted. ( The completion of the fine vharf sheds was hailed with welcome by our importers. Large as they are, the accommodation is at times fully taxed, which justifies the action of this Chamber in regard thereto. It is regrettable that the protection of the Eivor Bank on the Taylorville side has never been even commenced. The river is gradually encroaching, and it only requires a good fresh to Ltrike a soft vein or seam in the formation, and •the whole road will be in the riv... l* appears to me that it would, oe a good thing if those undertaking such a trust and so neglecting their duties were made personally responsible for any damage resulting. We may feel assured they would not be so callous to their own interests. Our Harbour Board and its engineer, Mr Howorth, are to be, congratulated upon , the success of their works as far as they ' have gone, and as they are straining every nerve to push forward with their scheme/ we may confidently hope to have in the near future a grand and permanent improvement in our harbour. . The benefits derived are very noticeable even now. We never have a boat stuck in the channel nowadays, and the melancholy site of four or five vessels constituing what . was, known as the "Mud Bank Fleet" is a matter of history. During the year the energies of the River Trust have been expended in the upper reaches of the river below TaumaVunui, and much needful work has been accomplished, as also the necessary maintenance work below Pipiriki. The completion of the Main' Trunk railway has Deon an important factor, in reducing the volume of traffic and carriage of goods upstream, while from Taumarunui downwards a considerable quantity of cargo is distributed to the various new settlements abutting the river. A large number of tourists still continue to patronise the down trip. The river is now in excellent * order, and the expenditure has been fully justified. ' Having in my last report dealt very fully with general matters, it is unneces- " sary for me to enlarge now upon similar grounds, and so I will content myself with directing your attention to the various statistics attached thereto. These statistics have been kindly supplied by various officials with the usual courtesy, and they are entitled to outf best thanks. In conclusion, gentlemen, allow me once again to urge the necessity of continued zeal and endeavour. Eemember that in this age it is impossible to remain still. If yon do not move forward, you must go back. Wanganui is possessed of "all the best gifts of creation, and it is for the inhabitants to recognise that they are the stewards responsible for its development and progress. Gentlemen,* I thank you sincerely fpr the respect and confidence you have bestowed on me during my two years' presidency. ' It has been a great pleasure to me to work with you. I offer my special thanks to our ton. secretary, Mr J. L. Stevenson, who is indefatigable in the work of this Chamber. To my successor I extend my best wishes for a pleasant and useful term oi office, and assurance of my co-operation whenever I can be of service. Finally, I would express my best wishes for the continued prosperity and happi- . ness of the Empire, especially of the Dominion and district. J. H. KEESING, ________________ President.