CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1394, 21 March 1912, Page 10

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

ANNUAL REPORT. The annual meeting of tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce is to bo held in tho Chamber on March 2(1. The report to be presented deals with a wide variety of subjects, from the trado of New Zealand down to tho giving of school-prizes for scholars attending primary schools. Regarding the mail services, the report says: —"Tho average time taken by mails from New Zealand to the United Kingdom by the various routes is as follows:—Vancouver, 31 days; .San Francisco, ,'tl days; Suez, 37 days. Tho suggestion that arrangements" be mado for tho Suez mail to lenvo Sydney on Mondays has not eventuated. The council is advised that tho suggested improvement is not feasible, as to bring it into operation would mean that other servicos would bo disorganised. "It is regrettable (says the report) that greater tiso is not made of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company's two lines between Sydney and Wellington Post Offices. Tho present practice is to send all messages via Pacific unless specific instructions to (lie contrary are given, and tho bulk of tho business goes via this route. Unless greater support is accorded to the Eastern Extension route, this company will possibly be compelled lo cease operations in New Zealand, and the facilities afforded by tho lines will bo lost to users. "Prom tho point of view of tho Harbour Board, the past year must bo regarded as both important and successful. Trado was uniformly good and revenue buoyant, record figures being reached in shipping tonnage, coastal and intercolonial exports, and general transhipments. "Hemp.—Tho year iias been one of low prices throughout. The average price c.i.f. London for good fair was ,£2O 55., and the local price paid to tho miller only ,£l7, as compared with £U and .£2O 15s. for 1010 respectively. Mills throughout tho Dominion except in the Wellington provinco closed down. The higher class of milling and the better nature of the flax swamps in this province have enabled millers to continue work, and, in most instances, make a margin of profit. Towards tho end of the year prices improved somewhat, and with good fair to-day at £18 10s. millers arc doing comparatively well. The high prico of tow to-day—X9 for second grade—is helping millers very materially. The output of hemp for the vear was* 17,437 tons, and tow 3000 tons, a falling off of 7706 tons and 2000 tons on hemp and tow respectively as compared with the previous year. "Wool—The local season has been a satisfactory one, so far as prices are concerned. The effects of the English railway strike wero still being felt in wool circles in November last, but the unexpected operations of American buyers on this market put up prices very materially. Thirty-seven thousand bales have been sold at the Wellington sales for the season, as against 43,000 bales tha previous year. It is early yet to say how tho shipments will compare with the previous season, but it looks as if there will bo n considerable shortage. For this province it is estimated there will bo nearly 20 000 bales (representing .£250,000 in value) short when'tho season's returns aro made up. This may be attributed to tho effect of tho cutting up of estates resulting in the increased uso of land for dairying, and a somewhat poor season for tho growth of staple. "Frozen meat.—The shipments of frozen meat during tho season 1910-1911 show a reduction in volume, largely due to the unfavourable climatic conditions which prevailed in the Dominion during tho summer months. Tho demand on the whole was satisfactory, but prices, owing to tho enforced marketing of British and Continental products through tho dry wenther, were on somewhat lower average. Efforts to increase business with European countries were continued with more or less succoss, but, except in Italy, agrarian interests are too strong to permit of any immediate advance in this direction. After Austria had taken 4000 tons the Protectionist party become, alarmed, and the concessions were withdrawn, and even shipments afloat had to bo diverted ekjwhcre. It is probably only a matter of (imo when restrictions will bo modified, but it must bo borne in mind that the principal product required is beef, which, so far as tho Dominion is concerned, is a diminishing quantity."