OLDER THAN LONDON’S

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 993, 9 June 1930, Page 10

OLDER THAN LONDON’S

[AUCKLAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DISTINGUISHED PRESIDENTS Auckland's Chamber of Commerce is much older than London’s. This interesting statement was made by the secretary to the Auckland Chamber, Dr. E. P. Neale, in addressing the Rotary Club this afternoon on the history and the operations of chambers of commerce in many parts of the world. Dr. Neale referred particularly to the good fortune experienced by Auckland in having had a number of distinguished men among its presidents. Five had been knights—Sir John Logan Campbell, Sir James Gunson. Si** George Elliott, Sir George Fowlds and Sir Alfred Bankart. In tendering Dr. Neale the notary Club’s appreciation of his address, Mr. J. A. C. Allum said he hoped to see the Chambers of Commerce in New Zealand given the highly influential status obtaining to chambers in other countries. All commercial men, said Mr. Allum, must be convinced of the 1-ower wielded by such organisations. A great thing in their favour was their non-political principle. Opening his address. Dr. Neale remarked that two-thirds of the members of the Kotary Club were concerned the Auckland Chamber. In the club were no fewer than three past presidents and 20 members of councils of the Chamber. “NO NEW THING” Chambers of Commerce were no new thing. The first organisation described as a Chamber of Commerce, though there had been similar bodies previously, was formed in 1650 in Marseilles. Curiously enough the first British Chamber of Commerce was formed in 1768 in Jersey, in the Channel Islands. A month later, a Chamber was formed in New York, then in British territory. Glasgow’s Chamber of Commerce was begun in 1783, Manchester followed in 1794 and there were many others before London had a Chamber of Commerce in 1885. The first secretary to the London Chamber had been a resident of Auckland until several years ago, and Auckland had actually preceded London with a Chamber of Commerce by many years. The exact age of the Auckland Chamber was not known, because early records had been destroyed in a lire, but it was known that the Chamber was reorganised in Auckland as early as 1869. The men who attended the meeting called to resuscitate the organisation had decided that a Chamber was necessary "in view of the considerable advance of the Thames goldfields.” Among the topics discussed in the annual report of 3577 —many of the subjects were topical today—were the abolition of Provincial Governments, the Pacific mail services, "bankruptcy legislations, dock sites, the establishment of coastal shipping, the introduction of postal cards, goldfields, the openig of new gum-fields, the Western Springs water supply, land settlement, and the relations with the Maoris. An exhibition held at the suggestion of Mr. Bartholomew Kent had been responsible for a profit of £2,000, which, with money from reserves, had permitted the construction of the Chambers officesin Swanson Street. Dr. Neale mentioned the vast headquarters at Washington of 2,000 United States chambers, with a membership of nearly 1,000,000. An example of a highly departmentalised chamber was at San Francisco. The San Francisco Chamber watched for new industries and one of its achievements had been its organisation of the goodwill cruise in the Pacific of the Malolo. Chambers of Commerce in France had a degree of official status—some issued currency during the war. The idea of associated chambers in every country had resuflted in the operation of the International Chambers of Commerce, which already had done much to promote international rerelations.