CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3687, 16 December 1874, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce waa held yesterday afternoon ; present—Messrs George Turnbull, R. fi. Martin, J. T. Mackerras, W. Hepburn, U 0. Beal, E. B. Cargill, Towsley, Geo. Brodrick. Wa.cott, McNeil, and J. Webb (secretary). The Committee submitted a report, from which we make a few extracts In presenting this annual report, the Committee regret that they are not able to announce the completion of the arrangements for securing premises for the Chamber suggested bv their predecessors in office. There has been during the past year a further diminution in the number of members of the Chamber, and the Balance Sheet exhibits a deficit in its funds. _ Ihe committee cannot but concur in the opinion expressed in last year’s report, that this want of interest in the Chamber, displayed by a large ‘section of the business community, is in a great measure owing to the want of a proper apart., ent for the meetings of the Chamber, and a reading room. The negotiation referred to in the last report fell through, and no suitable premises have since been available. THE BANKRUPTCY ACT. Last session your committee learnt with much regret that no new legislation on this I .?i? or , tant , Bu^ec t was to be expected. A f cfc , Amendment Act ” appears on the statute book for 1874, but its object is merely to repeal the 22nd clause of the Act of »Bb7, to substitute slightly altered provisions I™ of Provincial Trustees, cd£ P . owers of Ke S'strars and of Clerks of District L,oijrts, in regard to the con,of, statutory meetings of creditors. Ihe defects in the present law of insolvency, which have been so urgently stated to the Government year after year by every Chamber Rr, V°? lmerce m the Colony, remain unremedied, this is now rendered the more strange by the tact that for more than three years past the Government hab signified its acquiescence in

the request of the Chambers, and concurrence in the opinions expressed by them. The Bill which has been so often before Parliament, and has twice passed in the Upper House, embodies most of the suggestions for amendment of the present law which have emanated from this and other Chambers of Commerce ; and your committee think that some steps should be taken in good time before next session to urge upon the Government and upon individual members of the Assembly the necessity for its being passed.

OTHER MATTERS. The other matters touched on by the report were shipping telegrams, the Harbor Board, the mail service, and the tariff. Referring to the last, it was stated that the revenue returns for the past year show that the tariff of 1873 is, as was predicted, a heavier burden upon the imports of the Colony than that which it superseded. The wisdom of the change to ad valorem, duties has been thoroughly established by the experience of the past year, and the Committee “ earnestly deprecate” any further meddling with the tariff. The comparative returns of imports, exports. &c., exhibit very conspicuously the great activity of trade during the past year, and prove that Dunedin has decisively maintained its position as the first commercial port of the Colony. Messrs W. D. Wears, K. Ramsay, and M. Roberts were elected members; Mr E B Cargill, chairman ; Mi H. M'Neil, vicechairman ; and Messrs Beal, Brodrick, Low. Mackerras, Tewsley, and Walcott, committeemen. xi M ™ CaR , GILL , sai(l was not creditable that the Chamber should only muster twenty-six members, and unless they obtained inore general support from those supposed to be invested, it would be better to have no Chamber. The first duty of the newly-elected committee would be to see what steps might be taken towards resuscitating the Chamber and extending the membership. In order to do this, considerable importance attached to their having a proper room for the purposes of the Chamber --not only a place where they might hold their p, eetll ?" 9 ’ but where information such as a Chamber of Commerce might be expected to supply would be available. There should be a room where the leading wapers were filed, and telegraphic information posted up from time to time, as was the custom in all commercial cities. If they had such a room, a great deal more interest would be taken in the Chambei. Aot the least important of tho matters calling for careful watchfulness was the state of postal communication. The Chamber should look with great regret upon any movement cutting off or interfering with the Suez service. There had been a tendency to lay too much stress upon the _ advantages to be derived from the American service, and the commercial interests of the Colony at large had, to a great extent, been sacrificed by putting too much strain upon that one point, and by endeavoring to grasp an advantage by monopolising the line. He would be much better pleased if they worked m unison with other Colonies, taking only a fair share in what was to be done, and at the same time not relinquishing or setting aside the excellent mail communication they had in the Suez line until the route was weU established. Another matter the Chamber would have to take a little trouble about was with reference to the Customs arrangements for discharging ships in port. This was a very old story, and he was sorry to say that after so many yea. s agitating they did not seem to have made much progress. It was certainly past his comprehension that a rule found to work so perfectly well with reference to the large fleet of steamers visiting the port should not be applicable to sailing vessels also. He could not see why there should be continual complaints from the masters of sailing vessels that they have to wait for an indefinite number of days in order to get their entries passed. All 1 Urn bell s motion—“ That the new committee ami the secretary be requested to consider the question of providing special accommodation for the Chamber, where papers, telegrams, and other commercial information could be provided for the use of members : and also to report as to what other steps should be taken to increase the membership of the Chamber, with the view of endeavoring to raise it to the position of influence and importance which such a body in this commercial centre ought properly toioeenpy ; the Committee to report to a special meeting of the Chamber, to be held on luesday, 12th January next"—was carried.