CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Globe, Volume II, Issue 118, 16 October 1874, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The usual monthly meeting of the Chamber was held yesterday afternoon. Present : Messrs Nathan (chairman), Jenkins, Cuff, Dymock, Allan, Jameson, Klmll, Henderson, Stead, A. C. Wilson, Hassal, Aynsley, and Palmer.

The minutes of the preceding meeting having been read and confirmed,

The Chairman announced that the meeting would proceed to ballot for the new members, eight of whom had been proposed.

The ballot was then taken for the election of the following gentlemen :—Messrs Lee (Ward and Co.), Melville, Way, Thomas, J. Goss, C. Kiver, junr), E. W. Roper, and Meyers, which resulted in the election of those gentlemen.

The Chairman stated that in accordance with the resolution of the Chamber he had invested the sum of £2OO in the Provincial Loan and Investment Association for six months at a fixed deposit at 6 per cent, He might also state that the committee had found that it was inconvenient to hold a committee meeting on the same days as (he general meeting so that they had altered the general meeting date to the third Thursday in each month. Respecting the irregularities complained of by Mr Aynsley as to the public not being able to post letters for English mails, he had seen the Chief Postmaster, who had told him that the Department would arrange so that the public would be enabled to post letters up to within half an hour of the last train prior to the departure of the mail steamer. Respecting the opening of the Post-office on Sundays when the mail steamer was leaving Lyttelton on that day, he had received a letter on the subject from Wellington.

Mr Bird then read the letter as follows: “ General Post Office, Wellington. September 26th, 1874.

“ Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th instant, in which you inquire whether the department would arrange for the opening of the Post Office in Christchurch for the reception and forwarding of letters on Sundays on the occasion of Eng'ish or Australian mails leaving Lyttelton on those days. “2. As it appears to me improbable that English mails, as a rule, will leave Lyttelton on Sundays, and as I do not consider it desirable that the Post Offices should be open on those days for the despatch of Australian mails, I regret I am unable to give effect to the suggestions made by yon. “3. I desire to state, however, that until such time as the San Francisco service is reestablished, every facility will be afforded the public for forwarding replies ; and in the event of the steamer with the English mails leaving Lyttelton on a Sunday, the circumstance will receive special attention. “ I have the honor to be, sir, Y’our obedient servant, ‘•William H. Reynolds. “ The Chairman Chamber of Commerce, Christchurch.”

Mr Aynsley moved—“ That a cordial vote of thanks be given to the chairman for his action in the matter.

Mr Palmer seconded the motion, which was agreed to.

The Chairman said that their balance at the bank was now some £97, so that they were in a very favorable position financially.

Mr Stead moved—“ That the committee be requested to take immediate steps to have the arrival and departure of steamers at all the principal ports of New Zealand telegraphed daily to the Chamber.” He hardly thought that the motion required very much recommendation on his part, as he felt certain every commercial man would agree with him that it was a thing they ought to carry out. Mr Vogel had been asked to allow the Chamber to have the telegrams forwarded to them, but he could not see his way cleur to have it done.

Mr Allan seconded the motion. He thought that it would be a most desiiable thing if they could extend it so as to include all vessels over a certain tonnage. He noticed that in the Auckland papers the arrivals and departures were reported by telegram every morning, and he was inclined to think that the local journals did not deal with them and the public as generously as they might. The information was not only interesting to commercial men, but also to the general public.

Mr Jameson would move as an amendment —“ That the committee be requested to obtain information as to the cost of obtaining telegrams daily of t he arrivals and departures of sti amers and large vessels at and from all ports, and to report at next meeting.”

Mr Aynsley seconded the amendment. The motion was carried by the casting vote of the chairman.

After some discussion,

M r Stead moved as an amended resolution —“ That the words ‘if in their discretion the funds of the Chamber will admit of the expense,’ be added,” which was agreed to. Mr Cuff brought under the notice of the Chamber the working of the new regulation as to the charging of one week’s storage on all goods not removed in one hour. He had seen Mr Maude on the subject that day, and he had promised to see into the matter, therefore, he did not wish to bring a resolution before the Chamber, unless on a future occasion he might see it necessary to do so. He might say that, on one occasion, when a steamer had been detained by bad weather, storage had been charged at this end, and then at the other. Mr Aynsley quite agreed with what had fallen from Mr Cuff. It seemed to him that the Government were endeavoring to shut the merchants out from competing with other provinces in the export trade. ("Hear, hear.] This was not in accordance with the promises made to the deputation of the Chamber which had wmited on the Government, as the Government had simply expressed their wish to frame such regulations as would prevent the trucks being used for storage purposes.

After some further discussion, The chairman said that the matter would, of course, have to stand over until after Mr Maude had made enquiries. The meeting then adjourned.