BUSINESS INTERESTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2936, 23 November 1916, Page 4

BUSINESS INTERESTS

It may be said without reflecting on the energetic few who have realised the importance of maintaining an organisation to watch over 'the interests of the business man that our chambers of commerce in the past have not been the force in the community they should have been. The late Mr. Seddon, when urged on one occasion to give effect to a certain proposal on the ground that it had the support of a number of chambers of commerce, scornfully remarked: "Chambers of commerce. What are they? Half a dozen men who represent nobody but themselves." _ The taunt at the time was not without some justification; many of the so-called-cham-bers of commerce having few members and little influence. In more recent times there has been greater activity shown in business circles in the direction of strengthening the organisation which concerns itself with the interests of the business and commercial community. There is, however, still ample room for improvement, and never was there greater need for activity in this direction than at the present time. The conference of delegates from the various chambers of the Dominion now sitting here represents interests which should powerfully influence the commercial j)olicy of the country. Its deliberations and representations should be a valuable nelp to Parliament when it comes to consider those measures which it will be necessary to pass to meet the changed conditions of trade competition arising out of the war. Such a body, too, should be able to speak authoritatively on all questions affecting trading and business interests in tneir special relation to local conditions. It must be obvious, however, that the greater the biify of business opinion there is behind the chambers of commerce the stronger the influence they must exercise, not only on Parliament, but in commercial circles generally. A special endeavour should, therei fore, be made to enlarge the membership of the different chambers, so as to embrace as far as possible all the commercial and business interests of the Dominion. It is so clearly to the advantage of those interests to make their organisation as complete as possible that were the matter presented in a proper light none but the most careless and thoughtless would hold aloof. In his interesting address at the'opening of the conference yesterday, the president (Mr. James Macintosh) outlined the range of subjects covered by the remits brought forward for consideration, and no one reading his remarks could fail to be impressed with the importance to all classes of the questions under review. This annual gathering of representative business men should be an event of outstanding interest in the life of the community, and the conditions arising out of the war have created for it a great opportunity to serve, not only tho special interests with which its members are. intimately associated,

but also as a guide and a stimulus to public opinion in ■ the tremendous commercial struggle which lies ahead of our Empire. It is plain from the remarks of the President and from the proceedings so far as they have already progressed that this year's conference is alive to its responsibilities in this direction.