TARANAKI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 50, 8 June 1910, Page 7

TARANAKI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report to be submitted to trie annual meeting on Friday evening next is as follows: Your council has the honor to submit its annual report and balance-sheet for the year ended March 31 last. The bal-ance-sheet shows a slightly improved position, the Chamber having at the end of the year an unexpended balance ol £32 Is lOd, as against £2B 10s lOd at the the beginning of the year. The members' subscriptions show an increase of £7 7s, while the expenses were slightly less than last year. Dicing the year there have been two quarterly and two special meetings of the Chamber, while the council lias held seven additional meetings. The matters chiefly engaging attention during the year have been the inward mail train service from Wellington, the freight charges on the breakwater! line, and the backblocks roads.

After many vain efforts the council succeeded in obtaining from tie Minister for Railways iii July last a concession on light goods carried on the breakwater line. Formerly these were charged on ship's measurment, that is, 40 feet to the ton, so that a case oft by 4ft by 2ft was charged as a ton, though the actual weight might not be more than lewt. In response to the representations ol the council the Minister placed this line on the same footing as other port lines, with the result that in no case is the charge calculated on more than double the actual weight, so that a package such as mentioned above would be charged as 2cwt. instead of a ton. This reform has relieved importers of fancy goods, millinery, light furniture, etc., very appreciably.

In the matter of the mail tram service, this Chamber was invited to attend a conference at Palmerston North in July last, to consider the question of a daily through service .between Napier and New Plymouth. The Chamber was not, however, represented at that conference. In response to a further communication from Palmerston North in September the Chamber agreed to co-oper-ate with Palmerston North in trying to get such a service, .provided the arrival of the train here was not made liter than 8.30 p.m. Before that resolution was conveyed to Palmerston, however, a protest was made by Mr. Newton King, and at his request a special meeting was called to re-consider the resolution, wish the result that it was decided to cooperate provided the time of arrival was not later than 8 .p.m. When it was announced in November that a new timetable was coming into force in which the time of arrival here was scheduled as 0.20 p.m., a special meeting of the uiiamber was at once convened, a protesting resolution was passed, and a deputation was appointed to wait on the Minister. That deputation went to Wellington in conjunction with other delegates from New Plymiutli aid Stratford, and ascertained that this Chamber had been represented as being in accord with other Chambers in desiring the new service irrespective of time of arrival here. The Minister's mind was disabused of this idea, but he stated that the new timetable was in print and must stand for a while, at the same time holding cat some hope that it would be altered again Ibefore long. On January 14 the council again urged the Department to revert to 8 p.m., and subsequently invited Stratford, Eltham, Inglewood and Waitara to join in a request for the restoration of the old timetable. Eventually, on April 1, the old time-table was restored and the traffic is now running more smoothly. In August last the Chamber wf-.s invited to joint an an association of New Zealand Chambers of Commerce. Rules and by-laws were submitted and there were gone into by your council, and several amendments suggested. Nothing further has since been heard of the matter from the Wellington (promoters.

The question of road works in the back-blocks has been repeatedly before your council, and resolutions have neen passed and sent on to the Ministers urging more activity. In September last the Minister for Roads, the Hon. M. McKenzie, was seen by Mr. Connett, and in reply to his enquiry the Ohura, Waitara-Te Kuiti, Tongaporutu-Mansa-roa, and Rawhitiroa roads were mentioned as the most important in Taranaki. Unfortunately, however, in spite of all our efforts, the work actually done during the past summer has 'been very disappointing. The Council endeavored to move the Telephone Department into giving 'New Plymouth a continued telephone service, (but there were difficulties in the way, and when the Department inaugurated a short Sunday service it was thought best to rest content with that for the present. The assistance of the Chamber having been asked to bring about a more satisfactory delivery of goods on the Strat-fond-Huiroa line the Railway Department was communicated with on the subject. It is understood that there is i less cause for complaint now. The Napier Chamber desired this Chamber's co-operation in obtaining an amendment in the law relating to debts [ recovery. The council, however, could i not see the necessity for such amendi ment, which, by the way, has not been ', passed. The Council passed a resolution protesting against the Customs primage duty, which was subsequently removed. Other matters which have occupied the attention of your council are: The Bankruptcy Act, private sidings, native land 'settlement, Bristol trade, through booking, differential railway rates,°deiay with coastal cargo, and Opunake railway, none of which, however, call for any comment here.