The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, MAY 27, 1915. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 215, 27 May 1915, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 1915. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(With which ia incorporated The Taihape Poat IH$ Waimarlno News.)

The Council of the Taihape Chamber of Commerce is to meet to-morrow evening to discuss what are termed anomalies in the present railway tariff; and so that the question may be handled on a broad public basis the Council has invited all residents of the town, whether they are members or not, to be present to furnish information and to assist in making intelligent amendment of cases that have already been brought forward. The present is a most opportune time for righting existing anomalies and for making amendments that would be helpful towards more rapid trausit of goods; suggestions might also be made of any extensions thought., desirable, as fhey -could be embodied in a revised tariff that is .now...uudor preparatioa by the Railway. Dopfctfcmoni.- -It-ia boped .that'the :busi»o«fl p*spw q-0 th« team will set aaMa

to-morrow evening for this meeting, as the railway questions coming forward' are sure to: have abme interest for them,. though it may ?not just, now be apparent. The Chamber of Commerce ia the Only organisation that ' the town has ; that acts as a vigilance committee in all matters affecting the welfare and genI eral progress of both town, and surrounding district, and it must be evident that if, in a year's work, it opens up communications that enable five more settlers to secure easy access to the place, business people benefit to the extent of that five's requirements. After dealing with matters affecting railway freights and timetable inconveniences, the meeting might profitably consider mail, parcel, and passenger connection between the town and many outlying settlement centres. Eoad communication of a regular and reliablecharacter is now, we think, almost imperative if the trade therefrom is to be kept from filtering into other channels. Evidence is not wanting that large firms in the four cities have been, and arc, urging the Government to make concessions, and to frame timetables and arrange mails that will favour their business ramifications into the most far-away backblocks. Without going further into this phase of opposition, that our business people all have to contend against, we are on perfectly safe ground in urging that we* should first give our utmost attention to completely capturing our territory and then set about consolidating it so- that" the assaults from extraneous sources cannot affect it much. A town's greatness is certainly controlled by the- use that is made of it, in a business way, by those living in the territory that surronuds it, and it is a natural' corol'-- ' lary that the more -successful we are in enlarging such territory and the'greater th'e faealities we provide for giving easy excess to out' shops and" stores, the greater must be the volume' of our turnover; the greater will be the 1 need' for building residential and' commercial extensions, and more rapid will' be the rise in the value of proporty. There ia now an opportunity that may not oc* cur again of assisting to link up a* large tract of territory, in which are 1 several important little centres, witli this town. Settlers held a meeting at Taoroa last Monday, the report of which our business community might ponder with considerable profit. These people are agitating to be linked up with this business centre both by road,' mail and telephone service. If their wants are met, they gecure conveniences of transit and communication, Tai hape gets the increased business that' must result therefrom. "What we have abovß stated is merely a view that most business people will take, and it is intended more as a reminder that anything else, that the present seems to bb the right time for giving that attention that will earn the thanks of settlers in a very large area of highly productive country, as well as a fillip to the trade and progress of the town. Many people may not so regard it, but it is a fact that our present business community are performing the all-important work of town-building, and in a few years hence there will not be w-anting evidence,, one way or the other, of how they have performed the task in which they pehaps became gradually involved. We hope our townspeople wift avail themselves erf the invitation given by the Council' of the Chamber of Commerce to lie present at to-morrow evening's: meeting and give*.their assistance in evolving the best solution of all questions submitted.