CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5614, 27 March 1879, Page 3

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

- Tlio aanual meeting of this body was held yesterday. Mr. Krull (the chairman) pre•sided, and about thirty members were present, ..... t The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. ■ KBPOKT. The Secretary then read the annual report, as follows ; “At the termination of their period of office, your committee beg to submit their report on the transactions of the Chamber for the year : “Harbor Board.—The question of the creation of a Harbor Board for this port is undoubtedly the first in importance of the subjects that have occupied the attention of the Chamber during the past year. In fact it, is doubtful whether there is any other questionat tho present time of equal importance with this to the whole < orainunity of Wellington. During the late session of Parliament a strong feeling was expressed against granting to municipal bodies tho powers conferred by the; Harbors Act. This Chamber had previously - expressed a decided opinion to tho Same effect, : There are many proposals for the improvement of the harbor and port, such as a revision of ■ tho port charges, the construction of docks,, providing a steam tug, &0., which can only be appropriately dealt with by a Harbor Board, and your committee would urge upon the members that the progress of the place is being re- * tarded, and : its. interests injured, by the longcontinued delay iu the establishment of such a body. Your-committee recommend that the; Chamber; should' again take action with the; view of bringing about the immediate creation of a Harbor Board. ; “Harbor and. Wharf Accommodation^—• During tho past four years the urgent need of increase and improvement in' the harbor and ; wharf accommodation of. this port has occupied ; a prominent place iu the deliberations' of the ; Chamber, and in tbo annual reports of succes- i tive committees. Representations have fiom time to time been made,-and-numerous deputations have ■ waited upon the Government and the City iCouncii. in pursuance of this object. Hitherto the efforts of the Chamber have unfortunately been of little ■ avail, for although some improvements have during that period been effected in the Queen’s Wharf and tho accommodation,; thereon, tho constant increase in the requirements of the port more than counterbalance any :'suoh improvements, and leave >tha deficiency greater than it was at first. An Important addition : to the wharfage accommodation of the harbor is now about to bo provided by the construction of the Railway Wharf, for which tenders aro invited by the Government. •

“ Port Charges.—By a clause in the Harbors Act, 1878, compulsory pilotage is abolished in this port and in all ports -where the pilot establishments are under the control of the Government. ; .Vessels not using the services of a pilot are now entirely free of charge under this head at Wellington. “Te Aro Reclamation. —No progress has been made in this matter since the last annual report. The City Council have given notice of intention to introduce a private Bill next session to deal with the subject. “ Wellington and Mastorton Railway,—One of the most interesting events of the year under review is the opening of railway communication between Wellington and the Wairarapa. At the date of the last annual report this line was only in operation as far as Kaitoke, but not long afterwards the extension to Featherston was thrown open to traffic.- The Chamber voted a sum of £SO towards the expenses of a public celebration of this important event. In connection with this subject it may be mentioned that the present site of the Wellington terminus of this line is generally felt to be at an inconvenient distance from the business portion of the city. A deputation from this Chamber,'together with a deputation appointed at a public meeting of citizens, waited upon the Minister of Public Works to represent this view, and to urge that the terminus should be brought nearer to the centre of the town. Your committee regret that the Government did not see fit to comply fully with this request of the citizens of Wellington. It is, however, understood to be the intention of the Government to extend the line as far as the reserve at the rear of the Government offices, where a passenger station' is ,tb. bo placed. Great complaints are heard as to the slow rate of progress that is, being made in the. extension Of this line ' from, FeatHerston, to Mhstertun, arid looking to. the activityhnd’ energy displayed by theiPublic, Works Department in other parts of the colony,’, the complaints appear to' be' hot without reason. The official returns show the Wellington and Wairarapa Railway to.be one of the best paying lines in the colony, and there can be no .doubt that when open to Maaterton it will be still more remunerative. It is a source of pleasure to your committee to’ notice the successful and profitable working, of the great majority of the railway lines'in the colony, as shown by the published returns. V*, , . “ Direct .Steam Communication with’Great Britain,—Your committee ’notiqe with gratification the'despatch from London of the Stad Haarlem, a steamer of 2729 Tqhs, "with immigrants and cargo for New Zealand, as an experiment in the direction of direct steam; Communication between -Great 'Britain and the

colony. - “Sailors’ Home.’ —Thoattention of the Chamber having been .drawiTto the need that exists of. a-aailors’, home,for this port, your com-, mittoe has taken' a good deal of trouble" towards the attainment of this purpose. At the suggestion of this Chamber a. vote of £SOO yyqs, taken by. Government in,aidof, this object, at the'last srissioibf the. Legislature; arid your committee is glad to be able to report that the Government has further promised, during the approaching session,,- to : propose,a .grant -of.. about half,'a rood’ of land .in the!Thorndon jKeolamation as a site for the building. ■ ~, . “ The.iiehtrirs and' Creditors Act,-ISIS.—An! amendment oj this, Act was passed last sessiqn,. Sir which : pro,vision Vas.fnpade, araopg .other, things, to remedy' defects pointed out by this dWmh'ejv, She :‘Actjs.'.felt to be fjtillcapablerof<consic|erqble' improvement. ■, r s '. “Special Jurprs.r-Attbe suggestion of,' this Chamber, an. Act| Nyas,., also passed last’ ye,ar providing a spale, of, payment iov special, jurors in proportion to the {imp occupied, as, also , for, allowing! cases to be tried by .special, juries of smaller numbers than twelve, , ( ... “ Supreme’.Court f Buildings.—rTbe., insufii-. oiency.of the accommcdation.of tho, Supreme Court.buildings has been repeatedly brought under the notice of the Government by .this Chamber, and the Government is understood; to be preparing for the erection of new buildings on a site reserved for this purpose on the Thbrndon reclamation ; but tenders have not as yet been called for, although tho present building was sold in June last. “ Powder Magazine.—The necessity for the removal of the powder magazine to some less populous neighborhood has frequently been urged upon tho Government by this Chamber. The Government has promised that it should bo removed, but the Work has not yet been carried out,” .... , , “Drainage and ! Sewerage.—Ju the last, annual report reference .was made to the drainage, plans, then under consideration by. Mr. Clarke. A complete scheme was after-’ wards, submitted by that gentleman, and approved by the City Council, and it is understood that this plan is, with some modification, about to be carried out by:.the Corporation forthwith.

“New,South ‘Wales Exhibition.—At _ the request of the Government a special committee of this Chamber has been appointed as a local committee to assist the Eoyal Commission, appointed to promote the proper representation of the colony at the forthcoming exhibibition in Sydney. “ Library and Newspapers. A sum of money has been voted for the purchase of ,a few. useful books of reference for ’ the use of members, which a member of the committee, now on a visit to England, has kindly undertaken to procure.' The committee desire again to acknowledge the liberality of the proprietors Of the principal newspapers of New Zealand in supplying the Chamber with their respective papers free of > ■ j j. > ■ . ■ / ■ , ; « Members. —During the. year twenty-one new. members • have been admitted, and there oro five applicants for election to-day.. V Statistics.—Statistical tables will be found appended to.this report exhibiting : the results of i the ’trade pf, the r colony for the past three years.; Wellington continues to show:a steady progressive increase. . <• : . ■ : .i '! ‘ ■> i. ' .‘‘.Eupds.rr-The iuspal statements of receipts and expenditure for the,year will also befound appended to!the report.?’.’ ; . -c. r ; ■ ; Mr. Kapep said it was usual on supb occasions,as the, present-for the .retiring phairnian to offer some remarks on the proceedings ,<u the year. He certainly felt In a very-awkward position, .seeing that so little; good had. come from:the efforts of the Chamber; during the |

past year; for if the.report was read over carefully, it-would be seen that nothing had been done which could bo credited to the Chamber. The hsrbor and wharf accommodation remained in the same condition as it was two years ago,—they were in exactly the same position. So far back as June, 1877, they were of opinion that something should be done about tho reclamation from Mills’ to the second T, instead of the railway wharf"; but that action had unfortunately been opposed by pome members of the Chamber, though it had been the opinion of the majority that such reclamation would have been the best plan to advance their commercial interests. • However, from time to time it was that a Harbor Board would be created. They had now got one step nearer ; a committee of the City Council had been appointed to meet a committee of that Chamber, and it wa o to bo hoped that by their united action a Bill would lie passed. As he had said, the port had been stationary—no advance had been ma'Je 1,1 wharf accommodation, and nothing had been dond'to improve matters. Ho doubt the want of funds was a main cause of this. on the new office-bearers would devolve the duty of bringing this important matter to a conclusion. It was honed that they would get that benefit from the Harbor Board which was expected : and also that they would have increased wnarf. accommodation. They had the promise of tho

Government ; an additional £25,000 had been voted, the timber had been lying on the "round for two years, and tenders had been called for, but he did not know whether they had beoQ accepted- As to how far thin would relieve the present pressure on the wharf remained to be proved. Speaking of the railway, he (Mr. ICrull) thought it unfortunate the. Government had not seen fit to bring the; railway nearer to the city. This was a great’ want. Gentlemen would notice that; they; were promised a great many things,—they were promised a site for a passenger station., It was a great pity there was not a railway -wharf with” a general station, —only a .small passenger station was promised. He trusted the tenders for the railway wharf would be accepted, and that it would prove a ‘great .benefit. The reclamation to the second T -would have been l the best, and would have removed many of the just complaints which they had at present. As to tho Te Aro reclamation,:he trusted that the City Council and tho foreshore owners would come to some arrangement to get out of their difficulty, and that this :uaeful work w i 6uld be '/darned out.

The speaker could, congratulate the Chamber on the state of the Wellington and Wairarapa railway.. The district through which it passed was one of the best in the colony, and if the Hue was carried on to Masterton it would pay bettor sti)l, than fit did now. In the matter of railway progress'Wellington was treated like a stepson. ; by, the; Goyerument.v/The - railway was . not pushed on with ; that vigor which . the commercial importance of this-.city entitled it', to -.; demand. .They asked the Government to push it on, and they were met with the usual-conrtesy,. and" the usual promises. The subject of a Sailors’ Home had received the attention of the committee, but . the .matter progressed ,-slojvly. Captains Rose and, Williams -had taken an interest in the matter, and had tried to obtain a piece of land. The Government apparently intended to fix the home as far away from the centre of the city as possible. Speaking of the Debtors’ and Creditors’ Act, it did not work satisfactorily. He (Mr. Krull) wished that the Continental system could bo adopted, whereby

it was a misdemeanor for a tradesman not to keep a proper set of books. He- was told that such was contrary to -the principle of English /practice, but he thought that in the colonies some stringent Act should be passed. Another matter advocated by a conference of Chambers of Commerce on the Continent was the abolition of credit by retail dealers, and that the credit given- by the merchants should bo restricted to three or four months. He did not say that such a system could be brought about at once; but it would be a great thing if it could be adopted, and he thought if members were in favor of the principle it could eventually be made to work good. It would be safety to alb,. Referring to the Supreme, Court Mr. Krull said here was an instance of another promise of the Government. The land was sold in June last, but no steps had as yet been takentoput Wellington in a proper position as regards Court accommodation. Look all over New Zealand, there was scarcely a town but what bad better buildings for this purpose than Wellington. They should insist on having the buildings they were entitled to. So with a p’owder magazine—again- another promise. Now he would say emphatically it was a great shame that a powder magazine should be.permitted in their midst. It was much to be desired, .that .the drainage question should,.be. ■ finally 'set 'at rest, 'and that the work, the visability of which medical men so strongly urged, should be proceeded with; and that wa should derive the benefit therefrom which 'the doctors looked -for. 1 'lt was a pity "that there should be any "difference : about the details of the scheme. The" interest taken in England, America, and elsewhere in the forthcoming Australian Exhibition was rlhlly astonishing. He would urge on every member to do his utmost to try and bring about the exhibition of articles of interest to the’world at large. He thought the'Government were to be complimented for the manner in whioh tbey h'a'd taken up' this matter.' The number of members elected during the year showed well,..but the attendance of members at ; meetings of the Chamber and committee had i not been so large as he would' have liked to ! have seen. - i Members should take.’that Interest ! in the proceedings of the Chamber of, Com■meree which would make it powerful, as it i would beif.it werer-well-looked:after. /They ! would see by the newspapers that Wellington ; was holding its own in'progress, and r np, doubt 1 this :city,would, be ;to the fore, in spite of ;any adversities that might; crop up.;. In conj elusion, he thanked them for their, attention, | and .hoped tljerreport would fee, adopted; j (Ap- ! pinnae.j ,a- • : *• ' . '

THE -TELEGRAPH OFFICE. .-V/ g [ f. Mr. Buchanan wished to call attention to a matter which h’o thought worthy of the attention of the Chamber. ’ He! referred to' the question ;of telegraph ’ management. He" did riot’at all desire to oast the slightest reflection On, the wayjin which the Telegraphic Office was managed, but he did say that its capacity was taxed beyond its:powers of proper fulfilment. He thought tho:’Chamber should : take I the matter in hand arid get the state :of affairs remedied, i i Ordinary telegraphic measagqs tpok from twice to three times’ :as long in delivery, and . -were riot so 1 accurately delivered ;aa' they used ! .to be; so, that merchants were driven practically to the urgent system; If the present system as to the allocation of wires were continued then increased facilities should be given. He felt’a special inconvenience hitriself from the present state of things, and of course he spoke where the shoe pinched., Referring to the absence of finality in matters undertaken by the Chamber, he • would say that he thought good had resulted from its action. He had much pleasure in supporting the adoption of the report. The report was then adopted. . REFRACTORY SEAMEN.' ' Mr. ; Williams gave notice of motion for next meeting,—That a solicitor should be appointed to draft-an Act to enable agents to deal with runaway seamen after the ship had left, Mr. Levin was of opinion that it was not the province of the Chamber to appoint a solicitor for such a purpose. He suggested that Mr. Williams should be. appointed to’the commit- , tee, when ha could explain his views. The matter was left for the next committee to deal with. HARBOR’BOARD. ’ A letter, from the City Council was read, Baying the committee of the City Council would meet the committee of the Chamber on the,subject of tho proposed Harbor Board on Ist April. Subsequently, ■ _ Mr. Williams proposed the following resolution That the Chamber approves of the action of the committee with reference to the formation of a Harbor Board, and urge upon the new committee to take such action as they may think fit to promote the object iq view, and to act with the City Council in the inatter. —Carried. ■ ■ ■-

. ELECTION OP CHAIBJIEN. J Mr.” Levin proposed that Mr. Buchanan should be the chairman for the ensuing year. This was .'seconded by, 'Mr. L. Levt, and carried unanimously. ' . Mr. Buchanan returned thanks. He should do his best, but he must warn them that he would not be able to give so much attention to the duties as Mr. Krull, because he would be moving about. ’’ 1 ■ ■ ‘ ; Mr. Jonas Woodward was then elected'viceohairman.

During the scrutiny of the papers :for the election of the new committee, Mr., Woodward returned thanks for the honor done him." He had been taken so much by surprise in the first instance that he had not a word to say. ; . Mr. Hunter congratulated the'Chamber ou te’ election of Mr. Woodward to the position of vice-chairman., , He. took the opportunity; of regretting the inadvertent absence’ of Mr,;

Woodward's name from the committee during the past-year, Mr. Woodward had done good service in the pa«sfc, and, jhe £Mr. Hunter) looked to see Mr. Woodward in the premier position, in that Chamber in due course. : i - NEW MEMBERS. i The following new members were elected : — 1 Mr. James Blair (Lyon and H.- D., 'A, K/ W. Sievwright, and H. Millsi THE RETIRING CHAIRMAN. ’ : Mr. Levin, in proposing a vote of thanks to the retiring chairman, paid a high tribute to the energy and business habits of that gentleman. He had always done bis best to. promote : the interests of - the city , and cptamu-i nity, and his attention tad been constant. To him', they were indebted in a great, measure! for fcfie vitality, whicli the Chamber had shown during the past year, ,/ Mr. G. Hunter seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation. Mr. KrulL returned thanks briefly. ; He: didn’t think he deserved much thanks, ; but ! still he had done his best. •! THE'TE ABO RECLAMATION. ’ Mr. Dransitjeld, in referring to the paragraph in the report on this subject, said it; was a most important matter. Ke should be glad if the committee were instructed to give! ’ the: City Council its assistance. He pointed out that in the reclamation there would be three or .four wharves," which would provide for a large number of ships, and also the reclamation, from a sanitary point of view, would’ be important. He would suggest that the sub* ject should engage tlis attention of the committee on an early date. Mr. T. K. Maci'Onald moved, —That the Chamber recommend the committee to urge upon the City Council to forward the passing of a Bill for the Te’ Aro reclamation in the ensuing session of Parliament. ' 1 Mr. O’Neill seconded. : Mr. DransfiiJld thought the people should be supported by the Chamber, If the" Chamber could; help !.with its moral support he thought they would be doing good service. The motion was carried.- •- : ■■COMMITTEE; ' ' ‘/ y" The following ‘.committee was electe'd for the 'ensuing-year.:—Messrs. Thos.' Ancell, W. M.'Banaatyhe, J.:H. .Bethune, T. Buchanan, J. JDransfield, J. .R. .'George, -J. B; Harcourt, G. Hunter, F. A. Krull, W. H. Levin; L. Levy, J. i-E.i,Nathan, E. Pearce, H. Rose, J. S.- M. Thompson, G. E. Tolhurst, W, R. Williams, and J, Woodward. ■> - The proceedings then terminated;