The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1915. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 191, 21 April 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1915. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

(With H ,inc prppj&tad The Tai- | hape Post .News.)

To those old settlors of Taihape pres'cnt at: the annual meeting of the Chatnher pf OomnidnTO- ,9 n . evening, who laid the foundations and strove _ hard to secure the primal conditions upon v/hich. to found a large community, and upon which the progress of such a community unquestionably depends, it must have been disappointing* and depressing to see what little interest later aiirvals in Taihape evince in the town’s future. It was indeed reoTottable to hear speakers at the .Stag dVtoilin* tlio a [trouble ami money they hint < <f

voted in agitating 'a.nd_ \roy xiisu.*! for all that tench* to n*sTk.« vhv in- : stitntion of. a large. cenU-p of pon|illation possible arid Its growth i and progress strrc s Avrth. only some ■' half-a-dozen noon present to hear and to tako part irk the Avoid: of the future. The first settlers have, given ns a town that any young i country in the. world might ’.veil ? feel proud of; are we who conic ITfion the stress of labour and pri1* v at ion. is over going to lot the )j ybn * 1 stagnate', or is it thought 1 fid ; uil there no longer exists an a | u.- d. to trouble abort the future 0 liKnn-olv not! Anything we can. dr <j that will cv-ale room for one ino----yn•sident in the town m-'-nns one ' u;o!'e custon-'u* for oar bur,in css ! p -a but f ve i ; r | ( • v.‘ V:'.*■■ our y ; - n '■■■■■'• have cr: Ire no-rv f I b \ ;■ : r • T;c 1 !\\ hi: ’• ,< •> fr ■, 1m' 1 i o w■ 1 •' ■ i.r-w v*■ / - ''■ a I h; i stage or dw-h J : n -o-< - : ■ A i'di ;; of 5 i f) lii.d ' e. i ■ py- r; ■ •■■■.. ■ :■ mav at pin- d ».v eventuate to do-

trimentally affect its pre-eminence in this wide yet in some respects uncertain district. Every man in the town ought to read the annual report presented by the President of the Chamber of Commerce (Mr. J. G. Oldham) on Monday’ evening, and ponder over the splendid achievements, in only a: year, but particularly we would direct their attention to the important work begun that, in the, be ß t interests of us all, needs bringing to a successful issue in the very near future. There is an old truism something about those; who help themselves, and we may be assured that if we do not help ourselves, other peoples in other settlements will help them s elve& to our detriment. Instead of having to adjourn Monday night’s meeting, either to get an attendance that would enable a strong body of officials to carry on the work, or to disband altogether, one would have thought that an organisation of such vital importance to our progress would have commanded the very best business talent the community can boast of to such an extent as would render the appointment of an executive a matter of the most careful selection. We are inclined to think, however, that the paucity of attendance wa s not attributable to want, of interest, hut rather to a hesitancy among onr more recently arrived business-men in going along without some sort of intimation that their presence was desirable, but it only requires one moment’s thought to realise what a mistaken notion this would bo. We need only reflect for one moment to realise that the Railway Department would not have provided the conveniences for our business were it not for the repeated importunitie ß of _ our Chamber of Commerce; additional rolling stock was urgently needed, additional mails were wanted, telephonic communication with small centres, postal boxes, and a host of, other things had become almost a necessity, hut would still have been nna Jtained were it not for the Chamber tof Commerce. But the step ; that will impress itself more on our business people, perhaps, than anything else is that which has culminated in the erection of freezing works. Surely a body that accomplished so much in so short a time ig too valuable an asset to the towm to let slip througn our fingers. We trust that every business-man in the town will decide that it is of vital importance he should attend the adjourned meeting on Monday week and save such an institution from sinking hlto oblivion.

The speech made by Mr Bennett at J the Chamber of Commerce meeting is i so much to th e point um{ discloses so much concern for what he Cof&?idßrs to be for the best interests of the town that in conjunction with th« going it is worth repeating. In seconding the adoption of the report Mr Bennett said h 0 felt that the public generally had not risen to the occasion and they did not seem to realise the ; value to the town of the Chamber. He i was one of the first who took an inter- 1 est in its formation and as it had ac- t cohiplished much good work h e could £ only conclude that the people’s indif- c ference was owing to their being sat- c isfied and too well off to care much + about th e future. This particular Chamber, at one time or another, h been the means of putting Taiha r the position it now occupied f .. A** pared with other towns along comit was purely through th fcfee, uue; this Chamber that it wa‘ -c ot most place; If was * d tefkinfe-a forespirit heard in th ‘ be vo3Ge of tlie