CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXII, Issue 2790, 15 May 1911, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The annual meeting of the Paeroa Chamber of Commerce was held in the County Council Chambers on Friday night. Mr W. McWatters (president) was in the chair, and the other inempers present were Messrs Porritt, Nicholas, Adnams, Wbitten, Hanna, Gillman, Brunskill, Dixon, de Castro, Nathan, Towers, and Bromwich.

Apologies for absence were received from Messrs Roberts, Inglis, Hubbard, H. R. Bush, and R. T. Bush.

Prior to the annual meeting, the or^ dinary general meeting was held, when the minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, and the outward correspondence was read and approved. RESIGNATION. Mr Elias Martin forwarded his resignation from the Chamber of Commerce, owing to his departure from the district, and the resignation was accordingly accepted. NATIVE LANDS. A letter was received from the Minister tor Lands, inrepJy to the Chamber's application for the purchase of Native Lands at Tirohia. The reply was that the land could not be acquired compulsorily, and could only be purchased through the Native Land Purchase Board, to whom a copy of the Chamber's letter had been forwarded. The letter was "received," and consideration was poseponed to a later date. TELEPHONE EXCHANGE. A letter was received from the postmaster at Paeroa, stating that there was not at present a sufficient number of members of the Paeroa telephone exchange to extend the hours to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The President stated that the postmaster had informed him that there was one subscriber short of the required number, but that steps were being taken to obtain the necessary extra member so as' to have the hours extended. ANNUAL REPORT. * The annual report, as follows, was read > and was adopted on the motion of the President, seconded by Mr de Castro :— "In presenting this the first annual i report, the committee desires to congratulate the members on the interest taken in the Chamber since: its inception. Although working quietly and unostentatiously, we teel sure that some good has been and is being done, and that the institution of the Chamber is fully justified. Various matters have engaged the attention of members during the year and it may not be out of place to enumerate some of them and to report briefly on the success that has attended our efforts. Some of the more important are as follows i—Estabhsh- , ment of bacon factory in Paeroa; purchase by Government ot Native lands in the vicinity ot Paeroa for the i purpose of having same cut up for closer settlement; County representation as affecting the County in general and Paeroa riding in particular ; opening ot roads to Piako and Hauraki Plains; rating on unimproved values; establishment of swimming baths for Paeroa.

" With regard to Native lands considerable correspondence ensued with the department but nothing definite has yet been done in this connection and it remains with this Chamber to decide from time to time what further steps will be taken in regard to this important matter. In connection with swimming baths it is gratifying to be able to state that the County Council, on representations being made by this Chamber, and also by resolution passed by public meeting called to consider the matter, unanimously resolved to have a poll of ratepayers taken on this vital question, vital in the sense that it affects the health and well-being of the whole of the community. If the inhabitants of Paeroa realise their responsibility in this connection we feel sure that the poll will be overwhelmingly in favour of the scheme, and that before long the erection of this necessary adjunct to every town will be an accomplished fact.

" Various other matters of local interest, such as extra postal delivery on Wednesdays, appointment of Coroner and extra Js.P., and extension of hours during which telephone exchange should remain open, were dealt with, and in most cases favourable answers were received trom officers and officials to whom representations were made. The committee desires to place on record its high appreciation of the kindly and courteous manner in which suggestions from the Chamber were received by the various officials concerned.

"The Chamber regrets that the Ohinemuri County Council did not carry out the Chamber's recommendation regarding the representation oi the ridings on the Council, seeing that a large number of ratepayers man agricultural district now being " tacked" on to a mining township, where there is actually no community bl interest, they are practically disfranchised. > " With regard to the future, we feel that much remains to be done, and we would like to see a more active interest taken in the Chamber, and in local matters, by a larger proportion ot the populace ot Paeroa and surrounding districts. It is only by united and concerted action on the part of all our settlers and townsmen that the prosperity of our town and district can be advanced and maintained. We look forward hopefully to having the active and loyal ,