CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 137, 11 June 1903, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The quarterly meeting of the Taranabi Chamber of Commerce w*s held on Wednesday feveniog. Present—Messrs Bewley (chairman), J. (J. George, W. J. Shaw, Goldwater, Brookirjg, Alexander, Samuel, Monte.th, Qulliam, Govet* 1 , Birty, Ambury, Burg.fg, Fmer, P<snn, Newman, A, E. A. Clarke, Morgan, The following members were elected: Messrs T, S. Weston, G. Gray t S. K. Richards, C. O. Hawke. Apalogies were giv*n for the absence | of Messrs King, Occk, Paul, Webster. The Ttlegraph Depirtuieut notified : that the ques'.ion of diract telephone : wire for country bureaux would receive ] attention. i Tne Chairman stated thit he hid I written to Messrs K. M. Smith atdj Jennings inviting < h*tr attendance thst ! jvening, more particularly with refer-j once to the unject of tho Moki-road,' bus he had received no reply, MOUNTAIN HOUiK, A let'er was real from Mr W. T. Jennings, M.H.R., stating that aitothe question of tha provision of a tuitab'e mountain hcu t e for toiris's, he was prepared io co-operate with the Ohainbar in their effjrta to that end. Mr Symes, M.H.8., also wrote in reply on the Bme subJ3ct. He rather favoured money being spent on roads than on tourist traffic. He suggested, however, that united notion should bo taken by all the chambers in tha district, The Chairman s'a<ed no reply had beea received from Mr B. M. Sm.tta. Mr Berry said he did not know why Mr Smith had not witten, but he was sure Mr Smith was heart and soul wi.h the Chamber in tha matter, and *ould do h ; s boat to further the object in view.

DECIMA.L SYSTEM, A httcr Wis read from ths President of the Djoimil A'soeutim, Lindon, isking for support ia tho work if reform in which the Association was engaged, and stating it was hopjd ths institution of metric weigh's and measures would ba the sieppin? stoao to decimal coin ige, He pouted out that she Caamber could become a member of the Association on payment of a subsor p'.ion of XI. -, The Ohai man expressed his sympathy with the movement, and as the Onambar was in fundi he m)?ed (hat it beome a member of the A-soc'ution. Mr A'exinder warmly 8 qmd'.d the motion, and expressed his heaity sympathy in the object sought to be attained.

Mr Samuel con>iderad that until the !nem u ers knew whtt the ru'es of the Association were it would not ba right ;o j in. Moreover, it wsa qu stion Ahici the peipta i-hould bo eduoated up to, and therefore he should vote igaicml the mo ion, The Ohdtmin explained that the rork of the lay in the direc ion of eduoa ing the people to the advantages of the system, Ii was not proposed to bring in the who'e djcimil "vysttftn at one swoop, but to s:art with wights snd meaeuies He bad urged the Eiucition Boards to take the up as part of t:e school curriculum,

Mr Govett was thoroughly in accord with the object of thi Association, but he depre<a"ed the Ohiinb r sptnding its funds for that purpose, Mr Ambury moved that further jonsideraion of the mitter be hsld over till nex*; masting, and tint in the mean'ime all papers in r.htion to the Association hi laid on the table for the use of members, The amendment was enrkd, OPAKU RESERVE.

A motion was pissad h-ar'.i'y endorsing the resolutions in the circular of 3ht March, issued by the Kducition Hoard, rehiivo to sscu.-ing for Paranaki children the b=n fh of the revenues of oh j Opiku Reserve f r higher eduction.

PfIEFEaESTfAL TARIFF. Mr F.asereaid the Colonial Secreary hid mide oni of the mo it important p op.8(ls that had been brought forwatd in the last 60 year. - , and one which had a v.-ry strong bearing on t'aranakj, which was a food produciag : is;rict. Under these oircums'ances, he considered the Oham'ier should have a Vvice in the nutter. He need not iwell on the details of the projaot or its bearings on the district, as all that could be ea'd on ths matter h;d b„>en io ably set before the people of Taranaki by the two newspapers of the town. He moved, " That, as tbe prosperity of Taranaki is dependent on its position as a contributor to the food applies of the United Kingdom, this Chauib- r is of opinion that Mr Chamberlain's suggestion to give a preferential tariff to food producers within the Empire is worthy of the warmest support, and that a taiifi fr.med on these proposals will lead to the mutual ben ft; <nd consolidation of the States of the Empire."

.after soma discussion the motion wap, at Mr Samuel's suggestion, altered to read as follows: "That the prosperity of Taranaki being mainly dependent on its contributions to the fojd supplies of the United Kingdom, this Oaamber warmly sympathises with tha suggestion of Mr Chamberlain to foster the trade of the Empire by a preferential taiifi." Tbe motion, as amended, was passed unanimously. HOKI AND OHURA ROADS. The Chairman and he had always I'ecegnhed the importance of the Mokiroid, which embraced a much larger ques'ion than that of the road itstlf, tor it meant bringing the trade of that Urge district to Taranaki or letting it be diverted to Wanganui. He moved that in order to promote the settlement of a very large area, a groat portion of which is stilt in the hands of the Government, the members for the Taranaki district be requested to jointly urge the Government as tj tbe desirability of completing the Moki and Ohura Roads with the least poasifah delay, He said he understood tbe sympathy of the settlers was in favour of trade with Taranaki, but at present there was a bar to this owing to a short: piece of road b.ing uuformed, and un- j less this was taken in hand at once by ' the Government the trade would go by way of the Wanganui River. Tha M ki-road would open up 200,000 and potsibly a mllion acres of and! would save settlers several miles in' getting to the Ohura-road. I Saveral members spoke s'rongly in favour of the motion, whioh was curied. j DSyOX STBBBT CROSSING:. I The Chairman drew attontpn to tbe necessity of again urging on the Gov- ! ernment the of diverting! the railway l.ne along the sea frout,' ! «o ai to avoid the danger of th i Devon- j street crossing, f poiutiog out that owing j to tbe iocreate 1 population and traffic the danger to life unl ino,<nveaience to ; business were greater than ever. The question, of the promotion of the oUff j

formed part of that cf divrtiog tha lino as the latter would end the former. He moved that owing to tha increased dinger to life and inconvenience to bu6in> ss it is urgently necessary that tha railway be divar'el from the centre of the town, and thit the Department bengainurgecl to carry out the diversion to the coastal r.ute and thit th>) member for the town be requested to take the nr.tter in hand. . Mr Alexander suggested an overhead lit.), but the idea met with no approval, After considerable discussion, in which members concurred on the need for the diversion, the motion was carried, The questions of direofc service with Sydney and the extension of the harbaur were daalt with, and a resolution was carried urging on the Harbour bour B>arJ the necessity of immediately extending the harbour to accommodate boats /if the required capacity.