The Evening Star TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1927. ADVANTAGE IN UNITY.

Evening Star, Issue 19666, 20 September 1927, Page 6

The Evening Star TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1927. ADVANTAGE IN UNITY.

The position in which the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce finds itself owing to the loss of a most valued secretary is causing attention to bo redirected to a question which has been often raised, hut never sufficiently explored. Dunedin has no Jack of publicspirited organisations which work tor the welfare of the city and province. There are the Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturers’ Association, the Importers and Shippers’ Association, and the Expansion League, as well as bodies which work for smaller but still important group interests, such as the Merchants’ Association, the Ironmongers’ Association, and others. Some business firms who may pay subscriptions to half a dozen such organisations, and public men who have seldom a night free from meetings, have reason to complain that there aro too many of them. They work without friction, but they work for the most part separately, and there is strength in unity. When the Now Zealand and South Seas Exhibition, which was a signal example of success achieved by all sections working as one, was approaching its close we urged that a first need was the devising of moans by which this concentration of effort for ths welfare of Dunedin and Otago should be continued. ,We pointed out that the Expansion League had done wonders with small resources, but neither its constitution nor its financial system was well adapted to give it the greatest strength. The Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturers’ Association, and other bodies fulfilled useful functions, but they tended to work very much within separate compartments. A central committee that might be formed from them, in which the City Council should be represented, should have real value for the community. But the Exhibition ended and nothing was done. Some months later the subject was revived by Mr E. M. Shortt in his retiring speech as president ol the Chamber of Commerce last year. Mr Shortt made such an impressive appeal for a change of system that we make no apology for reverting to it at some length. Referring to the four chief organisations which we have instanced, he expressed his opinion that it would bo in the best interests of the city and province if they were amalgamated to form one strong body, with a well-paid full-time secretary as chief executive officer. The firm of Barr, Hercus, and Co. has supplied a secretary to the Chamber of Commerce for more than thirty years, and the work has been always well done; but his work lias been purely secretarial—he has had no time for outside organisation. The chamber has no office of Us own, no library, and no proper board room, no facilities for visitors seeking information; it has been too much hampered- by lack of fluids. Mr Shortt suggested that if the amalgamation which ho proposed were agreed to the row body might be called, perhaps, the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Each of tlio present bodies would, then function in the form of a sectional committee, and on matters of general welfare their united representations would carry much greater weight than tho representations of any of them can have now. There were difficulties, he admitted, to bo overcome. “The manufacturers, for instance, will probably ask; Dow can we reconcile our views on tariff revision with the importers’ views on Freetrade? In such a case I should say tho chamber would not attempt to express any general opinion, but would simply bring forward the respective sectional reports without comment. If this wore done, neither party would bo any worse off than at present.” General advantages would lie in increased efficiency, increased flexibility, and an increased driving force for the pushing of plans whose desirableness could bo approved by all. Another advantage would be increased economy. Tho difficulty of different views being held by some who belong at present to different associations can be easily exaggerated. On more subjects there is present overlapping. Tho obstacle of different views was urged, at an earlier time, against the institution of even chambers of commerce themselves. When the Liverpool Chamber was formed seventyfive years ago tho objection was raised that “jt is impossible for gentlemen of different political opinions, having different commercial interests and different commercial views, to meet and act for a common object and a common good.” Now the system in Liverpool has been described as “Liverpool’s great commercial wheel, the individual trade association, whose main object is tho maintenance of regularity of practice and trade custom, honesty and legality of dealing, and the provision of reliable information—making for efficiency and smooth working in the trade itself—forming the spokes, ami the chambers of commerce, as the co-ordin-ating centre, the hub”’ It is a metaphor that should be kept in mind when changes aro considered in our local organisation. At a meeting of tho Chamber of Commerce last evening, called to deal with the vacancy in its secretaryship, it .was decided to ask executive members of all the interested associations to meet together to discuss the question of amalgamation with the chamber, so that disadvantages, common now to all of them, may be obviated. It would be too much to expect, probably, that a complete amalgamation can be made at once, but the plan does deserve the best consideration that can be given to it.