CANTERBURY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2746, 4 December 1894, Page 1

CANTERBURY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

At a meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce at Christchcurch on Friday the chairman in his usual quarterly address dealt with the subjects which had lately been considered by the committee. He said that as the management of the railways would pass under the control of the Government in January the committee considered this a favourable opportunity to press for a revision in classification and reduction in the rates hitherto charged to users of the railway in this district. The matter had been referred to the railway committee of the chamber, who had been requested to confer with the CanterProgressive Liberal Association and endeavour to secure the concessions for which the chamber had striven in the past. The chamber was endeavouring to arrange with other chambers iu the colony to jointly send one or more delegates for each island to a conference on international fteetrade to be held at Hobart iu February, but it was suggested that the New Zealand delegates, if sent, should not take part in the discussion on federation. He referred to the resolution regarding bimetalism passed by the chamber. It was hoped that the Governments of the Australian colonies and New Zealand would unite in urging the Imperial Government to arrange an international conference to discuss this imporatnt question. Referring to the Midland Railway he said that it was very much to be regretted that so many obstacles had been put in the way of tho completion of the line. It was expected that the Government would have exercised their whole influence to get this important work done, especially as no other public work was projected iu Canterbury. Unfortunately it was left an open question and local jealousies prevailed. The proposal recommended by tho committee of the House of Representatives to enable the company to proceed with the construction of the railway, was a reasonable attempt to compromise the differences between the Government and the company. It was to be hoped that a work so important to both tho East and West coasts of the island would not be indefinitely postponed, and that an arrangement might be arrived at which would do justice to the colony and to the company, which so far had done its work remarkably well. It was not creditable that they should now be left with wasted resources, an unfinished railway, anc\ a threatened lawsuit. It was reported that heavy shipments of fr : zeu meat from this colony, together with tho large export from Australia, might probably keep the Home markets more than supplied, and it was difficult to foresee how any very high prices could rule during the coming season. While this was to bo regretted, doubtless it would have a good effect in forcing frozen meat into consumption in quarters which it had not yet reached, and if tho high standard of quality hitherto shipped from Canterbury was maintained no doubt sufficiently good prices would he obtained to enable the trade to be carried on profitably.