CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2381, 18 November 1870, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce took place at the City Council Chambers this afternoon ; Mr George Turnbull was in the chair. The report of the committee is a very lengthy document. The committee state that as yet no further steps have been taken towards facilitating the discharge of cargoes at this port ; no one has been willing to lease the Jetty Sheds, in order that they might be made Queen’s warehouses, but it is hoped that, in the event of the jotti s being leased, the proposals of the Secretary for Customs, which would prevent much of the delay now caused, may he carried out. *s to the collection of jetty dues, the Chamber decided almost unanimously in favor of the proposal that the dues should be charged on registered tonnage, and be collected fr-rathe shipowner, by which method the present c >st of collection would be almost who ly save I. Bur, for ro .sons which the com oi'tee U not acqudned wi;h. ibe Gov, rnment has up to the present time thought it advisable to suspend the operation of the proclamation referred to. Passing reference is made to the new rules in Bankruptcy, which it is hoped will secure uniformity of practise and render it le-s easy for persons who have been trading in a reckless or dishonest manner to obtain certificates of discharge ; and to the present condition of our mail communication with Great Britain, which is a source of such constantly recurring annoyance to business men, that some energetic steps ought to be taken to enforce the attention of the Government to the subject. The privilege of allowing private boxes at the Post Office to remain open until 10 p. m , having been withdrawn in consequence of the unsuitable arrangements for boxes now existing, the committee r- - gret that care w.s no: taken to dispose the boxes so that they should, as in other towns, be accessible at all hours. The c- mmittee has pleasure in reporting that many of the competition papers for the gold medal given by the Ohara her to the High School, were very creditable to the competitors, and exhibited a higher standard of results than those put in when the medal was first competed for. In consequence of the New Post Office building being handed over for University purposes, negotiations for the use of the south-west angle for purposes of a Merchants’ and Farmers’ Exchange have been put a stop to ; but it has been suggested that the University Council will not be unwilling to listen to a similar proposal, the building being much larger than will bo required for University purposes for a long time to come. We give in extenao that portion of the report referribg to TRADE OF THE POET. The imports and Customs revenue at this port having shown a considerable filling off during the quarter ending June 30th of this year, th Committee has caus d a cartful examination of the trade returns of the port for the Inst three years to be made, with the view of ascertaining whether the falling oil referred to is to he looked upon as exceptional, or as indicative of a general retrogression. An examination of the statistics given below wi 1 show that, th-uigh the falling off in the Customs revenue during the winter months may have b en 'partly caused by the depressed condition of the Province, a considerable part of it was duo to the small imports of general merchandise during the quarter just referred to, a circumstance which appears to have been in a great measure accidental, the imports of the preceding quarter having been the largest on record.

A comparison of the imports of the past twelve months with those of the year ending 30th September, 1868, shows a falling-oil' in the declared values amounting to LOS. 103. This reduction does not equal the total fall-ing-off upon a few articles which are now produced in the province instead of being imported. In the case of those articles our supplies of which must necessarily come from without, there has on the average been no falling-off in our imports, but rather the contrary, and in many instances the tables show decided increases. This is still more notably the case in the comparison between the past year and that immediately preceding it. In those cases in which home productions are superseding the imported articles, there has been a progressive decrease in tho declared value of imports. In most other oases in which the imports of 1869 were less than those of IS6B, the past year shows an increase. In those articles which may be grouped under tho general term soft goods, and which form near y onefourth in value of our ordinary imports, there has been a progressive increase during the three years over which tho following taldes extend. Imports of iron, ironmongery, hardware, &c., show a falling'off in 1869 more than recovered on the average in tho past year, except in the items fencing wire and galvanised iron. Under other heads of imports we find that out of 119 there are 67 in which the past year shows an increase over that ending 30th September, 1869, and

43 in which it 'exceeds the preceding year. In fact, although the June quarter of 1870 exhibits exceptionally small figures in the • way of both imports and Customs revenue, the two preceding quarters were much ab >ve the average, and the total for the year is three per cent, larger than for that immediately preceding. As regards revenue, if wc add to that actually collected the sum of 1/2,208 which has been foregone during the past twelve months as a bonus on local distillation of spirits, the falling-off is le-s than two per cent, from that of the previous year, and only one-half per cent from that of the year ending 30th Septemb r, 1868. Turning to the table which shows the deliveries out of bond for home consumption, during the past three years, of spirits, sugar, and tea, ' we find that whilst there has been a very slight faliing-off in the case of spirit*, the consumption of tea and sugar has steadily increased. There is, however, in ali cases whore the actual consumption is fairly indicated by the Custom HonSs statistics, a manifest falling-off during the last half-year, rather greater in proportion than the usual difference between the summer and winter months.

The export returns show a steady increase in the totals from year to year, but considerable fluctuation in the amounts of minor exports. The export of grain during the past twelve months hj is been very much less than during the preceding year, and such shipments as were made belong chiefly to the first quartt-r of the year, viz . that ending December 31st, 18C9. On the other hand, tallow figures during the past year for the first time as an export of any importance. The increased shipments of fl -x also assist to compensate for the falling-off ingrain, though it is to be feared that the value shown in the Customs entries is in excess of that which will be realised. In wool there continues to be a steady increase, whilst the export of gold remains about the same. The number of miners’ rights issued in the Province for the year ending 30th September last, was 5,430. Dividing the export of the year by that number, wc obtain a quotient of rather more than 28ozs as the average annual earnings per man of the mining population. Estimated at L 3 15s per ounce, this amounts to LlO5. Although this is far above the reported average of other gold-producing countries, it by no means represents the whole income of the mining p ipulation, of whom many are occupied during a portion of their time in farming pursuits.

though these tables show that there has been a steady increase in the productive power and consumption of the community, and, therefore, that the population and in?.terial wealth of the Province have increased during the oast throe years, there can, unfortunately, be no doui-t that, just; now, the commerce of Otago, as of the Colon geuer. ally, is in anything but a flo fishing condition. Nor is the prospect before us at pre« s-nt very reassuring Reduced values of wool and fiax, increasing stringency in the money market of the world, and the restrictions to commerce caused by the war between France and Germany, taken in connection with the inability of the Colony to prosecute at present urgently needed public works — all these things will, your Committee fear, prevent any improvement in the state of trade for some time to come. There are also copious statistical tables compiled by Mr J. 8. Webb, which we have not time to notice. The Treasurer’s account showed a balance in hand of L 5 15s 7d. An interesting statement was made by Mr Geo ge M 1 Lean on the St Francisco route, in which he gave reasons for preferring the Suez route, and recommended steps being taken to have European letters transmitted via Melbourne. Mr E. B. Cargill was elected Chairman, and Mr Walcott Vice-Chair-man.