Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 234, 8 February 1894, Page 2

Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

(per press association). Wellington, February 7. The annual report of the "Wellington Chamber of Commerce refers to the action of the Government last session in connection with the Railway Commissioners, and then goes on as follows : — " While on this subject your Council cannot refrain from expressing its regret at the change that has recently been made in tho person el of the Board of Railway Commissioners. Whatever may be the abilities of the newly-appointed Commissioners, the service cannot but suffer through being deprived of the benefit of th<; great experience possessed by Messrs Maxwell and Hannay. The management of the Commissioners has been higlily satisfactory, as during the past five years, the term within which the Commissioners have controlled the railways, very extensive reductions have been made in the tariff, yet the lines haA'e steadily shown an increase in revenue." On the subject of the mail services the report says : — •' The political changes that have taken place in the United States of America give some ground for a revival of the long-deferred hope that commercial advantages would accrue to this colony from maintenance of the mail service via San Francisco. Hitherto the benefit of the service has been almost limited to the quick route 1 for English correspondence, but should success attend the present attempt to remove or reduce the high duties ruling in the United States on wool, hemp, kc, there would be every prospect of a profitable trade with that country. The complaint has been brought from San Francisco that higher rates on freights are oftener charged to New Zealand than to Sydney. This is extremely unfair towards New Zealand, which has contributed so heavily to the cost of this service, and the question deserves consideration. This Chamber has suggested to Government that in renewing this service, or in arranging for one via Vancouver, provision should be made to ensure that the same rates of freight should be charged to New Zealand as to Australia. The establishment of a mail service between the Australian colonies and England, via Vancouver, is extremely interesting to New Zealand, and a resolution of this Chamber has been submitted to Government suggesting that negotiations should be entered into with a view to subsidising the mail service, provided that Wellington be the first port of arrival and a port in New Zealand thft last point of departure." The report considers the new Bankruptcy Act works satisfactorily, but the Council regrets to notice an increasing tendency to private assignments, which, "while probably resulting in increased dividends, are for other reasons undesirable to the mercantile community. The report also refers to the necessity for a different form of bill of lading for English steamers trading to the colonies, and acknowledges the readiness with which Government legislated to enforce the secure packing of arsenic imported into the Colony.