Chamber of Commerce Conference.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 164, 11 February 1902, Page 3

Chamber of Commerce Conference.

0 Wellington. February 7. The delegates to -thu chamber* of Commerce Conference were entertained at a banquet lasii uighf-. The Premier, in proposing " Trade and Conitaorc.l," advocated making a tariff agreement under which the country should give preference to articles of British manufacture. As showing tho necessity for commercial men to be on the al.;rt he said lie bad official information that orders had beer/, sent to this colony from Victoria to-send butter to South Africa, and the conditions were that the article must bo branded and packed* in boxes - identical with those from Victoria. Ho was glad to say, however, that these sharp dealers-' would' not; be allowed to evade tho law of,tho .colony as to the grading and loading of products. He stated thiitiihe value, of the import* for tho 10 months of- the. year was £9,527,368, and the exports £9,216,424. This was not satisfactory, but'there were two months yet to go, and thaae might show results that would redeem the situation to sotne extent, hut it was neit to an impossibility thai they, would put the colony' on the right Bide of the ledger by bringing the exports to- au excess of '£2,000,000 over the. imports. Haloes there was auch excess " rcclama'tions" took, place, and they had to send away ' gold to make Tip the deficiency. The revenue returns for the 10 months of the financial year wore £4,656,431, against £4,506,075 for the corresponding year, an increase

of over £150,000. It was a source of much gratification to bim to' mention that the trouble over the meat contracts for South Africa had ended satisfactorily. Ho bad received the following telegram from the Agent-_ General:—"Ttie Under-Secretary'for War states' that > an undertaking has been given by the contractor for the supply of meat to South Africa 'that suppliea shall oe obtained as far-as pJnible from Av&.ralia and,Mew Zei * land in presence to thoM from the i Argentina, " I haTe -had a personal , inftrview with, Mr Ward,; termMent Under- Secretary,-.w4 '"V d . Stanley, ridthe r Wßr Office has given u* a linlilar .assurance.", ,Tj» Governor brf (Mttraa ft «** j\ , ■ * ( v, ■',•*■■ , Vi- i-'v ,-& ■» l On.>V J& "

Mr John Duncan cordially thanked the Premier for what he had done in tha matter, and regarding the Premier's remarks on the exports of the colony said that the export of frozen meat and produce would be heavy during the closing months of the financial year. At the suggestion of the Premier, the Chambers of Commerce's motion on the subject cf preferential trade relations with the Mother Country is to be illuminated and entrusted co him to present to the King.