NAPIER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4164, 26 November 1884, Page 3

NAPIER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The quarterly meeting of members was held at 2 p.m. to-day, Mr J. W. Neal in the chair, about fifteen members being present. QUARTERLY RErORT. The secretary read the quarterly report as follows : — Gentlemen, — Your Committee have pleasure in presenting their report for the quarter ending November, 1884. During the .-overal questions of paramount impou,:..::o to this town and district have engaged their attention, foremost amongst which must be placed that of the Napier Harbour Board Bill.—To the passage of this Bill through both Houses of Parliament during , the late session, your Committee have given their earnest support and co-operation, and having requisitioned the members of both Houses for the Hawke'a Bay districts to do so likewise, are pleased to bo able to recard their successful endeavours. With the modification in the method of voting, introduced by the Upper House, the bill passed in its original entirety, and your Committe have every confidence this modification -vvill not in the

least hinder an ultimately successful issue.''-

North Island Main Trunk Railway Line. —During the late session the central route for this lino connecting Auckland with Wellington having been adopted as the most feasible and inexpensive, your Committee desired the members for the district to request tho Government to sanction the survey of a branch line connecting our district with

it, which would render available for settlement a very large area of agricultural and pastoral land.

Tho Governmenthave agreed to do so as soon as the formation of the Main Trunk Line shall havo been completed as far as the probable junction of our branch line, and in the meantime havo ordered the preparation of a report on tho quality of the land likely to bo opened up by such a branch. A request

has also been made through the members for the district to ask Government sanction for the survey of a branch lino to connect Porangahau with Waipukurau, which, we regret, meantime has been refused on tho

score of excessive expense

Conference of United Chambers of Com-merce.-—Since last quarterly meeting a conference of the United Chambers of Con?tmorce of Now 'Zealand has been held in Wellington, at -which your duly appointed delegates, Messrs Tanner and Kinross, attended. The Questions set down for discussion covered broad ground, and wero of very great importance to the future welfare of our colony, and comprised:—Tho Management of N.Z. Railways; Bankruptcy aud Bills of Sale Acts ; Ocean Mail Service; Decimal System of Monies, Weights, and Measures ; Courts of Arbitration ; Rabbit Pest; Customs Tariff; Defence of New Zealand .Harbors ; Bills of Lading.

The printed report of the proceedings at the conference will be duly laid before you on receipt.

Morning Mail from Country Districts. — Your Committee have been successful in moving tho public authorities to grant a postal service by the morning train from Waipukurau and intermediate stations, the trading community having previously been much inconvenienced by the non-receipt of letters from these districts till tho arrival of the mid-day train.

Railway Time-table.— Your Committee through the members for the district havo also succeeded in obtaining a re-arrange-ment of tho railway time-table, which provides for a service as far as Tahoraite, and. which it trusts will suit the convenience of

the travelling public better than the on« previously in vogue. Customs Regulations.—Your Committee bave to report the success of representations made through the local collector to the Commissioner of Customs in Wellington, asking that tho same convenience for passing import entries as are granted in the case of direct steamers, should be extended to goods imported by sailing vessels to the larger N.Z ports, and transhipped by coastal steamers to Napier. This will save importers a deal of trouble,, annoyance, an__ expense, Generally the Customs d.'aties and regulations have had your Corninj.ttee's very careful consideration, but it was felt that owing to the Government's decision not to alter the Customs* duties dv .ring the late session, tho various* anomalifjs in the existing tariff should be. relegated for future consideration.

Fencing of Railway Lino.—-During tho quarter your Comjnitteo have represented to the Govern ment the; great danger of allowing the lino of railw ay to remain unfenced especially through the Bush sections where cattle und horsos havo so frequently strayed i ipon the line, with, the resuit that the mo> it dangerous parts are now being securely fenced.

Bankruptcy Act Amendment. -— Your Committee are pleased to report that several of the amendments suggested by this Chamber have Ijeen incorporated, but the committee are still -of opin/on that many clauses remain which render ti/io Act difficult to administer.

Imperial Federa+' 10U ._A letter from the London Chamb*-- L . 0 f Commerce on this subject was laid ' oc f ore your committ'-ee at its last meetir but it was f elt that tho subject s ''.ch a large one, involving L x> many interests, it would be better to . .vo it for discussion at this meeting, and "your committee beg now to call your attenI tion to it.

In conclusion your committee would', urge upon all members the desirability of in creasing the membership roll, and couth iently ask their assistance to this end, feelin.c- assured that the efforts of the Chamber for the furtherance of the welfare of tho community as a whole will meet with the appreciation and support it deserves. The Chairman said the report was sufficiently explanatory that he need malic no lengthened remarks. The question- of federation could bo better discussed on. the letter instead of the report. The urn aber of members at present was only sufficient to pay the expenses. The advantages and uses of the Chamber were worthy of better support. He moved the adoption of the report. Mr McLean said he would like to make a remark or two on matters of the United Chambers of Commerce conference and the Harbor Board. He said the chamber was asked to nominate a delegate, and elected two representative gentlemen. Mr Kinross was a merchant of high standing and well known throughout the colony. The Harbor Board Bill had to be discussed at the time oi the conference. Mr Wilson found himself pitted against Mr Kinross, and that he found greater weight was given to Mr Kinross than himself, aud then he blamed'the Chamber of Commerce for sending Mr. Kinross to Wellington. They all felt strong enough on the harbor question without having to resort to dodges to keep Mr. Kinross away. It was unfair of Mr. Wilson to throw the. blame on others for his own laches. If difficulties had arisen through ambiguities then Mr. Wilson was to blame. ■' Mr. Large : Not necessarily. Mr. McLean: That is my view. If the person who had charge of the bill was not responsible for the ambiguities he would like to know who was. The bill left the Lower House in a perfectly plain state, but such could not be said when it left the Upper House. The Chamber could not have refused to send Mr Kinross to

Wellington to deal with commercial matters, simply because he was opposed to the harbor.

Mr Large said many of the members were not responsible for Mr Kinross being sent to Wellington. If the members had known they would havo taken care to havo sent some one else. Mr Newton seconded the adoption ot the 10 The'Chairman said he was one of those who were prceent at the meeting which asked Mr Kinross to represent them m Wellington. If • the President wished to go to Wellington it was but right that the Chamber should have given him that opportunity. Tho report was adopted.

■ . FEDERATION. - The Secretary read the letter from the London Chamber of Commerce on Federation. The, Chairman said the subject was so largo that it seemed almost ridiculous for a small community like Napier to deal with it. Any direction towards federation should be with the Home country. Mr McLean said the London Chamber of Commerce was in the same difficulty as themselves, as the question was a new one and there wereno precedents. They wrote to them supposing the question was one of Imperial rather than Australasian federation, and the first point to consider was which they would choose. His view was that Australasian federation without Imperial federation was a'mistake.- If the Australasian colonies federated without Imperial federation there would be questions between the federated colonies and the old country, as well as questions affecting the colonies themselves. In an Australasian federation they would bo linked with five colonies, and the result would be that New Zealend would havo to pay the share of expense without getting any return. He then moved a series of resolutions dealing with the matter.

Mr Ormond thought it would be premature for the Chamber to pass any resolution on the subject then. The whole subject should have been discussed in Parliament, but it was left over till the end of the session, when there was only timo to discuss it in n. cursory way. If Parliament had had time to discuss tho subject, whatever would have been done would uot have been in a definite manner, but only done to show how the fceliug in the country on tho subject was." There wore two feelings on the same subject, tho ono that Australasian . federation was desirable; on the other hand it was felt by some that that would debar the consideration of the larger question of Imperial federation. Parliament had decline to come to any definite result on ; the question, except pay its share of the annexation of New Guinea. Our interests were much more with tho islands of Fiji and New Hebrides than with New Guinea, and yet even there were differences of opinion on that point. [Left sitting.]