CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1946, 20 May 1880, Page 3

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The quarterly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce was held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Present—Messrs Stead (in the chair), Taylor, Cunningham, Cameron, Ohrystal, Harley, Allan, Oonnal, McDougall, Wilson, Nathan, Cuff; Thomaon, Oaro, Beaumont, J. A. Bird (secretary), and Hon J. T. Peaeook. The president briefly recapitulated the -work done during the quarter. The question of the railway rates between Lyttelton and Christchurch had been brought before the Government, A Eoyal Commission on local industries had been holding sittings in Christchurcb, and the looal committee for seouring the representation of Canterbury at the Melbourne Exhibition had also been at work. A letter had been received from the Mayor of Christchurch urging upon the Chamber the necessity of taking some action with respect to the removal of the railway staff to Dunedin. He need hardly point out to members of the Chamber that they had done everything in their power to bring before the Government the injustice of the removal from Christchurch of the railway staff. They had written letters and waited upon the Minister for Public Works, so that the Chamber had done all they could in the matter, Mr Oaro, after speaking in reference to the removal of the Railway staff, moved —" That the members for the city of Christchurch be addressed on the subject of the removal of the staff of the railways, and that they_ be requested, during the ensuing session of Parliament, to urge the claims of this oity to tho retention of the headquarters of the Railway department of the Middle Island." Mr McDougall seconded the motion. Mr H. Tho-nson spoke very strongly against the removal of the staff to Dunedin from Chiistchurcb. There could not be a shadow of a doubt in the minds of unprejudiced persons that Christchurch was the centre of the Middle Island railway system, and, therefore, was entitled to claim to be the headquarters of the administration. He was afraid that the removal to Otago was due to the superior political -power exercised by it, as compared with Canterbury. For himßelf, he thought they should endeavor to enlist the feelings of the general public in any way they could, so as to show the GO' vernment how keenly the injustice done to Christchurch was felt.

Several other members spoke, urging that a petition should be prepared for signature, praying Parliament to take some action in the matter.

Mr Nathan gathered from the remarks made by several members who had spoken that it was their idea that the petition referred to as being desirable should come from the Chamber. Now he (Mr Nathan) said that he should prefer to see it come through the City Council. They were in receipt of a letter from the Mayor, urging them to take some steps towards bringing the matter under the notice of tho Government, and he thought they Bhould ask the Mayor and Counoil to take up the matter of the petition. Mr Connal thought that a petition such as that spoken of by Mr Nathan would have but little weight. He thought the resolution proposed by Mr Caro should be passed, and that tho members of the Assembly for Christchurch should be urged to bring the matter before the Parliament.

After some further discussion, the resolution as moved by Mr Caro was put and carried. The President said that he understood Mr Nathan intended to move a further resolution on the subject, and while he was preparing this he would read to the Chamber an extract from a letter sent to the Government with reference to the proposed removal of the railway staff as far back as September last :

Sir,—At the annual general meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce I was instructed to telegraph yon as follows : " I have the honor to inform you that at the annual general meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce I was instructed to telegraph you —' That this Chamber views with the greatest concern the efforts now being made by a section of the Dunedin community to remove the Commissioner of Railways from Christchurch to Dunedin. They respectfully urge that the enormous and increasing traffic, together with the pi'oper and efficient uianagement of the Middle Island Railways, demand the headquarters of tho chief of the department being retained here, where the bulk of the traffic is centred. They are also of opinion that immediate stens should be taken to complete and render efficient the Addington workshops." This, he thought, was a strong enough protest on the part of the Chamber, and would show the Mayor and City Council that the Chamber had not, as they seemed to suppose, been idle in the matter. Attached to tho letter was a number of returns showing the quantity and value of goods carried on the Canterbury section, as compared with that on the south side of the Waitaki. These figures, aB members were doubtless aware, proved most incontestable that both in quantity and value the goods carried on this section far exceeded that of the sections south of the Waitaki. Mr Allan said ho understood that the returns whiob. would be published shortly

would show that the Ohristohuroh seotion occupied even a more favorable position than shown by the tables quoted in the letter referred to by the President. Mr Nathan said ho would move—-'That the Mayor of Ohristohuroh be addressed on the eubjeot of hia communication with reference to the removal of the railway staff from Ohristohuroh, and be informed that this Chamber is of opinion that the position of our local members may be strengthened by a monster petition being got up on the subject, and respectfully suggest that the Municipal Council take the initiative in preparing the same with the view to its being presented to Parliament at the ensuing session." This, he thought, was the only way to make their grievances known publicly. It had been suggested that the Dunedin people might get up a counter petition, but the positions of the two cities were not analogous, because the railway staff had already been located in Ohrietohuroh, and therefore in justice Dunedin would have to show very much better reasons. At any rate, if the petition went up to the Assembly, it would show that they had justice on their side, and he trusted it would prevail. Mr Cameron seconded the motion. He felt perfectly satisfied that they, a* representing the commercial community, had a right to take the initiative in protesting against the removal from Ohristchurch of the head quarters of the railway staff. > Hon. J. T. Peacock could hardly agree with this resolution, as it was not wide enough. They were setting one town against another upon a question which was truly a general one, and not a matter between two towns. He could not see how a petition oould do any good, but if they got one it ehould come from : that Chamber. They had done all in their power. They had interviewed the Minister for Public Works, and had been told by him —whioh was a kind of put off—that he would do what was best for the general interests of the railways. He thought that the petition should not emanate from a body representing a smaller constituency than they did, on a question which was really a provincial one. Mr Nathan said he had moved his resolution because it seemed to be the wish of members that a petition should be got up. The Mayor was referred to because a letter had been sent from the City Council urging them to take up the matter. Mr Taylor said he objeoted to the Council taking up the petition, because he thought it should emanate from the Chamber as representing the whole province. If it did not, he thought it would lose weight. He thought they would be making a very great mistake if they sent to the City Council and asked them to prepare such a petition. The President said, that though personally he should like to see the heads of departments haok in Ohristchurch, he thon?ht the chamber had done all they oould do with dignity. They had addressed a lengthy letter in September last to Mr Maoandrew,' then Minister for Public Works, and they had also communicated with Sir George Grey, who was then their representative. They had also addressed the present Minister for Public Works, who had stated that no Btep would be be taken by him, except in the interests of the Bailway Department as a whole. The Minister had countermanded the removal of the staff, but since then they had been again ordered to proceed south. This being so, he took it that the Minister had considered the removal to be in the interests of the whole Eailway Department, though he, for himself, must say that he decidedly disagreed with it. The Chamber had been continually, he desired to point out, harping upon this matter in all shapes and forms, so that it wan not by any means a new question. Mr Nathan desired to ask the President whether he was correct in stating that Sir George Grey was the representative of Ohristchurch when the sub-oommittee of the chamber waited upon him ? He (Mr Nathan) was of opinion that it was duriDg the general election, and not after Sir George had been elected for Ohristchurch.

The president and other members also stated that the sub-committee waited on Sir George Grey a day or two after his election for Ohristohurch. The Hon. J. T. Peacook trusted that the Chamber would not pass such a resolution as the one now before them. They had heard something about lowering the dignity of the Chamber, but he thought that they would most decidedly be lowering their if they went to another body, suoh as the City Oouncil, and asked them to got up a petition of the character asked for in tbe resolution. He hoped, therefore, either that the resolution would be withdrawn or that the Chamber would not pass it. Mr Cunningham said he thought the petition spoken of would be of no use. What was it after all but a roll of paper which the members never read or oared about. He felt sure that if one of their members duriDg the next session was to give notice that on a certain night he would ask the Minister for Public Works why the railway staff had been removed to Dunedin, that they would be more likely to succeed. This would be far better and more dignified than asking another body to forward a petition which they did not think it was dignified to send through themselves. He certainly thought it should not come from the Chamber to ask another body to Bend up a petition. The motion was then put and negatived. This concluded the business.