CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4413, 12 May 1922, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Sir, —It is gratifying to realise that at this late hour an interest is being manifested in the local Chamber of Commerce by those members who until quite .recently were conspicuous by their absence. The general body iand executive will doubtless-welcome the interest now being displayed by them as being very much; more beneficial than .their previous apathy. Incidentally, they will probably be'educated to the fact that th,e Chamber is a duly incorporated society, and •subject to the rules and regulations pertaining thereto, and, further., that the members had the rules before them for approval before registration.. Such being the case, your leader in Wednesday’s "Gazette” is totally uncalled for, and the public are led to believe that dissatisfaction exists among the members, and that the executive are not meeting with their support nor meriting their confidence. Possibly the few members recently in evidence are disappointed that the majority o>" the thinking members of the Chamber are not to be carried away by jheir verbosity, nor induced to become subservient to the Borough Council. And also the fact that their palpable attempt to discredit the president and executive commitee in their recent attempt at want of confidence motion met with such scant sympathy.; the very evident attempt to "clean up” the Chamber (if I may be pardoned for using such an expression), and their failure, have produced in them a partial state of coma, and the reaction has found, them temporarily incapable of further intelligent effort, apd they have been taken unawares and their possible plans nullified by the perfectly legal action of the executive in calling for nominations according to rue 23

To talk of forming a progressive body (?) is rather childish, and need not be seriously entertained. In conclusion, Sir, I would , remind you that the function of the press is to be impartial, and to fully ,andfairly state views for and against in any discussion at which you may be present. To do otherwise is- not in the best interests of the public or district, and I would suggest, if you report at all, you do so on the lines suggested. By so doing the public would have an opportunity of arriving at a correct understanding of the matters in hand and be quite capable of forming and acting upon their own judgment. JAMES T. BROWN. [Our correspondent has something to say on fairness and impartiality. He inferential]y accuses us of unfair reporting, but does not state any case wherein a fair and accurate report was not given. To make such accusations without a word or a line to substantiate them may be our correspondent’s idea about fairness anl impartiality, but it is not ours. As to the legality of the Chamber’s action, we did not question it. What we did say,, and wtyat we emphatically repeat, is that the .two chief positions were filled—quite legally—but without giving the general members adequate notice, or any notice at all, for that matter, that nominations were due. There will never be unity in the town while that sort of thing is go’ng on.—Ed. “Gazette/’]