BUSINESS INTERESTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 30, Issue 9, 7 December 1945, Page 5

BUSINESS INTERESTS

WHAKATANE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEW POST OFFICE PROSPECTS There, was a good attendance of members at the annual meeting of the Whakatane Chamber of Commerce on Thursday evening over which, the president Mr H. C. Warren, presided. The only matter arising from the correspondence was the question of the Main Highway course which the Chamber had taken up vigorously earlier in the present year. Touching on it the president said that the Main Highways Board and the Minister of Public Works both were now conversant with the wishes of the people of Whukatane in this. direction. It was nevertheless a subject which had still to be watched very carefully for it meant that if the State Highway was. to go via Edgecumbe While Pine. Bush and Taneatua Whakatane would not be 'mere,ly' by-passed but isolated. , The report and balance sheet details of which are published elsewhere were read and adopted. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: — President: Mr H. G. Warren. Vice-president: ■ Mr Rex Morpeth. Secretary and Treasurer: Mr C. W. Good. Executive Committee: Messrs C. F. Thomas } P. G. P. Dixon, H. Dainton F. M. Abbott R. Oxen- ? » ham D. Wilson. Auditor: Mr R. Mollgaard. Retailers Sub-Committee: Messrs C. S. C. F. Thomas, W. !R. F. M. Abbott E. Ramson P. G. Green ' ' ' and the president H. G. Warren. Introducing the question of the long-standing promise of the newPost Office for the town, the president said that it would ill become members to criticise the Government too much in view of the project having to take second place during the progress of the war. Now however fchat the men were coming home from the various w y ar zones and the country was settling back to norit was high time that agitation was recommenced and pressure was brought to bear on the authorities with a view 7 to hastening its construction. Mr C. F. Thomas outlined the efforts of the Chamber over the period in which he was president and warmly agreed that the time was ripe to make the greatest outcry possible. The secretarj- produced a plan of the proposed new office which-had been kindly loaneul by the P.W.D. for the purpose of submitting to the meeting. Mr A. J. Canning urged that no opposition either to site or plans should be raised in view of the possible risk ol' postponing the job again. 1 Mr Warren mentioned that there was only one feature against the site decided as far as> lie was concerned and that was that whatever the Main Highways, entrance to the town the Post Office would give a rear view. It would have been far more attractive to have the building face on. However the main objective was to achieve an efficient service. Mr Canning observed that the main thing which concerned him was that the staff in Whakatane had been forced to wor'k under shocking conditions. In spite of their cramped quarters they were being burdened with more and more responsibility in a Borough which in the past nine years had been increased by over a thousand. It was- decided to Avrite the P.W.D. again stressing the urgency of the new building.