CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4430, 21 June 1922, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

MONTHLY MEETING. The usual meeting of the above was held last evening and was presided over by the president, Mr, E. W. Porritt: Present: Messrs P. E. Brenan, W. Marshall, L. Cassrels, W. Johnstone, Rev. Enticott, G. P. de Castro, R. Whitten, and the secretary, Mr. J. Couper. WAR MEMORIAL. An invitation was received from the Wharepoa War Memonial Committee to the unveiling of the war memorial on Sunday next, RESIGNATION. Mr. W M. Cullen’s resignation was received with regret. BUILDING SOCIETY. The following letter was read from the secretary of the Auckland Cooperative Terminating Building Society : s "Mr. Millen passed on your letter of. the 6th inst. to me, and 1 brought it before the Board at its meeting this week. lam authorised to inform you that this Society could not make a special ararngement with Paeroa, to form a society in your town, or to give it a special group for itself, but new groups are being formed all the time, and shares can be taken in any one of these, en bloc or otherwise. If you decide to start a. society at Paeroa I have the authority of the Board to send you a book of rules, and other literature on t,he subject. Mr. Miller, when he is next in Paeroa, can give you any further information you may require. Thinking it may be of help to you I enclose a book ofj rules now.” The president said that this letter put a different complexion on tne whole matter. They had been led to believe that a special group could be taken up by the town. He thought that the only way now was to fall back on the original proposal. Mr. W. Marshall thought that a conference should be held between the provisional directors of the proposed Paeroa Building Society and the executive of the Chamber, with a view to discussing the whole matter. He moved to that effect, the meeting to take place on Wednesday, 28th inst., at 8 p.m. The motion was carried.

POSTAL MATTERS. A number of matters in connection with the mail and post office were referred to the president to interview the postmaster on. In presenting his report he said he had interviewed the postmaster as to the various matters brought forward by the Chamber. The first was the time of. closing of mail for registered letters and parcels. This had been extended in the afternoon by half an hour, and now closes at 4 o’clock. Mr. Marshall said that as the registration for the morning closes at 9, the hour the post office opens, it was impossible to get a registered letter by the early mail unless posted the night previous. He thought that there should be some alteration ie dosing of mail at 4.30 p.m. Mr. Porritt said that between June 7 and 10 there had only been seven letters posted between the hours pf 430 and 5 p.m. ’ Mr. Marshall pointed out that that was no criterion because people wou’d not post the letters, knowing they would not go by the mail. If it was an urgent letter it was posted on the train. Another member mentioned that the fiist train to leave the town was after half-past ten, and it seemed absurd to think tiha.t the registered mail required to close so early as it did. The president said that the mall contractor had to be at the station ten mintues before the arrival of the first train, and this made the matter somewhat difficult. Closing at 4.30 only gave three-quarters of an hour to make up the mails and get them to the station. The postmaster had told him that the time of closing cannot be extended, otherwise mail could not be got to the train in time. Opening of> other window at counter : In reply to this, the postmaster said he would keep a watch on the counter to see if it was required. To put an extra man on the counter at elever, o’clock would mean taking one off the sorting of the mails, and so delay delivery into the letter-boxes and making up local delivery. The ■morning mail was the heaviest incoming mail of the day, as mails Prom all around arrived then. He would open the extra window a!. 3 p.m-, when the school children are getting the mails, so as to avoid any congestion, and give it a trial to see how it worked.

RESIDENT CORONER. Mr. P. E. Brenan said that there had been considerable inconvenience and delay experienced through not having a resident coroner. Just recently in a drowning a'ccidept the body was brought to the morgue o'i a Saturday morning, and the coroner’s inquest was not held until Sunday afternoon. He moved th,at the matter of the need of a coroner be brought under the notice of the Justice Department in view of the fact that Paeroa was the centre of a big and growing district and also the expense of getting the coroner from Waihi and the difficulty of getting into communication with him. Mr. Marshall thought that as Paeroa was the centre for the Public Works Department in the district, an;’ the fact that twice this year there had been considerable difficulty in getting into communication with the coroner, the matter should be urged by the Chamber. He seconded the proposition. The president said that Paeroa was a most central place for a resident coroner, and he quite agreed that strong representation should be made to have one. The motion was carried, and it was decided to bring the matter under the notice of the meeting of justices on Monday next. WHARVES ON WAIHOU. Mr. P. E. Brenan brought before the meeting the attitude the Thames Harbour Board had taken up in attempting to get control of. the wharves on the Waihou River. He thought that the Chamber and Borough and the residents of the locality should

strongly oppose any move of the Board to get control. The president read the resolutions of the Harbour Board, and correspondence already published, and was of opinion that the Chamber should take some action. Mr. Brenan moved that the Chamber strenuously oppose any attempt of the Thames Harbour Board in obtaining control of . the Waihou River and wharves, and request the co-operation of the local bodies, including the boroughs of Waihi, Te Aroha, Morrinsville, Paeroa, and counties of Ohinemuri and Piako, apd the mining companies in objection to such control. AMENDMENT OF RULES. An alteration was made to the rules enabling nominations for officers of the Chamber to be made' at the annual meeting instead of. .seven days prior to the meeting. BALANCE-SHEET. Mr. Marshall inquired if the bal-ance-sheet had yet been certified to. The president said that the books were now in the auditor’s hands.