CENTRAL CHAMBER COMMERCE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2269, 1 October 1914, Page 3

CENTRAL CHAMBER COMMERCE

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

BUSINESS QUESTIONS The Wellington Central Chamber of Commerco, which has completed tho irsfc year of its existence, held its annual meeting last night, the president [Mr: C. M. Luke) being in tho chair. The report of tho council aiid the statement of accounts were adopted. • In the course of his address, the president congratulated members on the siic:ess of tho lirst year's work, and ventured tho opink.,i that tho Chamber had ■ fully justified its existence as a, central body established to»further the interests of the city and the interests of the province as a whole. He wanted to state clearly that tho Chamber was not at all antagonistic to the parent'body in the city, but was rather supplementary lo it. The speaker reviewed the principal activities which had engaged tho attention of the Chamber during _tho year—tho question of an alteration being made-in the present conditionsof bills of lading: tho idea of a federation of chambors of commerce; tho question of a dock for Wellington; the matter'of the central railway station/ and tho advocacy of a goods-slied at To Aro; Mondayising holidays, British Consular agents' reports, trade with Home market cables, re-aiforestation of waste lands, costi of living, Panama Exposition, Amendment of Bankruptcy Act, freights on produce, and firo insurance premiums. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, in tho course of some remarks, expressed the opinion that although muclrhad' been done by different bodies in ; regard, to improving the system of bill:! of lading the question was such a big wie to tackle that lie thought nothing short of a congress of the chambers of commerce of tho world would be able to 'mako much progress against the great combine of shipping companies. Touching upon harbour matters, he described as out-of-dato the Wellington Harbour Board's system of dealing with transhipments, mid thought it was t.ime the board considered the question of establishing stale system of electric, ti'action for conveying goods from dock to dock. The Tp Aro, Railway Station was, he oonside<red, not a matter which could be settled. by a goneral manager of railways, even if he were tho best in the world. It was rather a matter for a Town Planning Board to bo considered .in conncction with the fixing of au industrial area for the City. In regard to the war, he suggested that for those who were not privileged to go to the front the next best thing was to stop at home and work hard, and first of all wo should. forgo all holidays, such,, for instance, as Dominion Day. Mr. 11. Hall, after a few remarks on the success of the year's Work, unveiled a framed sot of photographs -of members of the first council, which he had presented to tho chamber. . Mr. W. A. Bedddfy Canadian Trade Commissioner, then addressed tho chamber on. the subject! of 'Trade with Canada." ■ 1 . Mr. J. L. Arcus was reflected auditor. '( The election of the council for the ensuing year resulted in the return of the following:—Messrs. C. M. Luko, A. Leigh Hunt, Thomas Bush, Jauiea Keid, William Smith, Robert Hall, John Brodie, ,E. J. Eitzgibbon. H. G. Hill, H. A. Fox, L. ,11. Partridge, L. Ash-crcft-iSdwards, J. F. Atkins, and George Winder. At a subsequent meeting of the council,: Mr. Luke was re-elected president.