RAILAY ADVISORY BOARD

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 57, 1 December 1926, Page 3

RAILAY ADVISORY BOARD

AUCKLAND MEMBERSHIP NO .FINANCIAL HELP FROM DEPARTMENT Dominion Special. Auckland, November 30. A railway advisory board for the Auckland district was established to-day at a meeting convened by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. Cordial approval of the idea behind the creation of the boards, namely, the fostering ■ of co-operation between the Railway. Department and users of the railways, was expressed by delegates, who represented sawmilling, shipping, manufacturing, coal mining, distributing, farming, fruit growing, freezing and, commercial interests, in addition to local bodies. A sub-committee comprising the presidents of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, the Far-' mers! Union aud the Auckland Indus- • trial Association, was appointed to nominate' the first members of the board, which will draw up a constitution and rules. * , Mr. F. A. Tlellaby, president of the’ Chamber of Commerce, who presided, said that the Council of the Chamber had welcomed the proposal to set up. boards and had readily acceded to the' request of the Minister of Railways that it should take the initial steps in convening the conference. A point which had disturbed the committee set up to make arrangements for the conference had to do with finance. The. Chamber of .Commerce would not be able to place its organisation at the ■ disposal of the board, nor could it, provide funds, ■ and accordingly the point had been referred to the ActingMinister of Railways (Hon. F. J. Rolleston). In a reply received that day the Acting-Minister said that Mr. ; Coates had. had an idea' that chambers of commerce, with their. existing ' machinery, might undertake the ’ work of the board. It was not contemplated that' any expensive or- ' ganisation would be set up, or that • delegates from outside districts should ‘ be required to personally attend meet- ; ings of boards. The idea underlying ■ the' whole proposal was. that various interests should have a representative body through which they could place ■ their views and suggestions, and the chambers of commerce in-the centres, were considered to be the most satisfactory bodies to promote the scheme. The Acting Minister added that the Department was anxious to assist as much as possible in - the successful ’ launching of the proposal, but it was regretted that free passes to delegates ’ or other financial "assistance could not be granted. j Mr. Hellabv moved, “That the meeting express its appreciation of the action of the Railway Department in extending to citizens an inuvitatjon to set up an advisory board to co-operate with the Department in the adjustment of traffic problems as they arose, and that a" board for the Auckland district be established.” 1

The motion was carried. It was decided that the board should consist o£ thirteen members, the president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce for the time being to be chairman, and the following interests to be represented (—Suburban traffic, tourist traffic, farming (including fruitgrowers), live stock, coal mining, exporters, manufacturers, shipping, distributing merchants, the president of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce to represent South Auckland traffic, and the president of the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce to represent North Auckland traffic.

An amendment that the. Commercial Travellers’ Association should have direct representation on the board was defeated, the consensus of opinion being that the board must not be made unwieldy, and that the interests of travellers would be represented through the industries to which they were accredited. ’ -