The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN. THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1915. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; AND CRITICS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 April 1915, Page 2

The Chronicle PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN. THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 1915. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; AND CRITICS.

Levin Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual meeting next month. A lair proportion of the business men of the town are members of this body but very few of them are participants in it.s deliberations. As a matter of fact seldom are more than four* retailers to be seen at the monthly meetings, and the total attendances average 'from eight to ten members. Judged by the iccords of city Chambers of Commerce, such as Wellington's, this record is a high one. It is a matter of fact that the Wellington chambers muster less than Levin's does, on an average, although when any action detrimental to individual interests is contemplated by the railways on the Government or a municipality there is an immediate increase noticable in the attendances. Such an indication was seen in Levin some two years ago, apropos to certain railway freight charges that were foreshadowed ; and a like recrudescence of individual interest was evoked in Wellington apropos of helps and disabilities to business occasioned by the outbreak of the Continental war. This method of using Chambers of Commerce is fair enough, but it is not helpful to the towns and districts concerned ; what is needed is a sustained, active interest; an intelligent following and criticism of local events and

chamber propositions, and also an original suggestion occasionally for consideration of fellow members. To do all these things will he a more exacting task than that of staying away and criticising the chambers, but it will bo more helpful to the communities. It is the paucity of this spirit in a general sense that hampers the activities of bodies that could be made of especial service. We have no desire to give offence to anyone bv writing m this strain, and on the other band we have no apology to make. If the article results in a reawakening of interest in Levin Chamber of Commerce, and a representative attendance at that body's annual general meeting to be held in May. its f„ll purposes will have been served.