TRADE AND THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2905, 18 October 1916, Page 7

TRADE AND THE WAR

CENTRAL CHAMBER OP COMMERCE

ANNUAL REPORT

; PtJor-to tho,annual'iiacotmg,of. the fltfeatral Chamber of "Commerce a 1 meetting of the Council was held at which Mr. 0. M. Luke presided.

Tho statement of finance showed cash at bank, £17 Bs. Id,; lottings due, £4 os. 6d.; subsoriptioris duo, £31 10s. Tho chairman reported tho fact that itho Commercial Dofence Fund, scheme |Wi»r now ready. This was an important trado proposal tiat had.been given jyffect to in other parts of the world, put ho thought that! this was tho first on whwh. jt had taken definite Whapo in 'Anstralasia.. Printed copies jof tho regulations, eto., wore placed fieforo munbars. Messrs. Niren and Co. wore olooted imemhers of the'Ohamßer. , TRK ANNUA i; MEETINQ. ' • In., moving tho adoption of the anittnaldriport. M.l M. Lukq, referring /to the war, s:iui it was grutifyinp to 1 see that the people wore prepared to touako any sacrifices to maintain our fideals. Ho thought that one of the tbest evidences of th»t was to be seen dn our wra community during tho last IfeHP days when long casualty lists had Bbeen received. Tkeao had deeply afUeoted. many, for a tetnpoj»ry season {only it was hoped, but there was in it jlall tiia cliaraoter imd manner in which ttho people had received tho sad tidings jot ihe dfiaHi of their sons at the front. ITiiis phase of the lvar njade it a 6oleimi land Hacred duty on the part of tffe ipeople, as a whole to do all in their Jkvwgi' in the interests of the Empire land "ffaU-belng of people generally. [(Applause.)

One subjeot referred to in-the annual Report, be said, was post-war conditions as applied to trade. At tile conference of Chamber's of Commerce, to bo meld bora next month, thaso matters jwould rooeivo close attention and consideration. The question of shipping and the shipping rates imposed, upon |tho community by war conditions'was a matter of first importance. Tho shipping companies'justified those rates by tho great wastago and high charges they had had to pay. To what point they would reach he could not say, ibut by raising' the rates to an oxtent almost prohibitive, the shipping ■companies were forcing the-community •and the Government to'consider the great question of shipping control generally. There were many objection s to sooiaJism as put forward on the streot ; corners, but the nationalisation of the great services by the Governments of the British Empiro and other nations was another matter, and if there wore so other solution, and if advantages were taken and impositions made that •were not reasonable, suoh questions must reoeive consideration by conferences of the chambers of' commerce of tho Empire.

Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, who sooondod the motion, referred to the unsatisfactory position of the mileage telephomo rates, and the need for reform in that direction. Mt. Hunt described' the latest rises in shipping freight rates a a exploitation that -would mean between '£4,000,000 and £5,000,000 for the shipping companies from the Dominion ■alone. Tho companies had attempted |to justify them by their tremendous -loss(H and the inoreasa in running exIpenses, but those were a fiea-bito com-i-pared with tho enormous amount of' [money thay were • making, enabling >them, after paying excess war profit Saxes, to pay as much as 40, '50, and fcO per cent, dividends. ' And not only (had they increased freights, but were demanding fiat they staul3 he prepaid. There were several-ways of checking suoh exploitation, either by Government control, Government ownership, or, better Still, by the producers combining/to run their own, steamers. 'It only required the securing of a small proportion of the export trade to influence rates, and the producers were Snow strong enough to do something of ' the kind. , • The Teport was adopted; : ELECTION OF OFFICERS The following members of the council were elected:—Messrs. C. M. Luke, J. ■ !F. Atkins, W. J. 'Gaudin, A. R. Hislop, H. Rogers, George Winder, A. L. Hunt, D, A. Edwarcte;. Robert Hall, S. H. Horner, W. Smith, Lionel Nelson, Thomas Forsyth, and W. B. Bennett. Mr. Arcus (of Gold and Atcus) was appointed honorary; auditor of the Chamber for the year.