CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 163, 23 July 1901, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

MEASUitES BEFORE THE HOUSE.

Tie Auckland Chamber of Commerce Council met yesterday axterHoon to consider the report oi the committee on some of the proposed legislation at present before Parliament. There were present: Messrs D. K. Caldwell (president), M. Clark, ,W. Gunson, B. Kent, W. Philson, J. M. Mennie, Graves Aickin, F. G. Ewington, H. Campbell, Robertson. SITE FOR CHAMBER. Mr Kent reported that the commit»tee waited upon the Finance Committee of the Harbour Board with regard to the site for a Chamber of j Commerce. The committee of the Board pointed out that the arrangement entered into between the Harbour Board and the Chamber of Commerce, under which the former body offered to provide a site at a peppercorn rental, expired in 1899. The two sections which were then offered had since been sold. There were, however, two or three other sections which the Finance Committee invited the Chamber to apply for. They would be prepared to give the matter favourable consideration. The right thing to do would be to apply for sections 91 and 92, near. Hayman's, Customs-street. These sections were each 33ft by 100 ft.

Mr Aickin said the claim for a site had previously been fully admitted by the Board, so" the Board had a moral claim, if no other. It was resolved that the Finance Committee of the Chamber should, formally apply as suggested.

AUCTIONEERS BILL.

Mr Kent read a report of the committee upon the Land and Live Stock Auction Bill, which strongly condemned the proposal as "most mischievous." The report especially referred to the clause necessitating the auctioneer to name the last bidder, and pointed out that it was impossible to comply with such a law. The committee considered that no good could possibly come of it, and contended that it would be wrong to compel an auctioneer to reveal his knowledge to a room full of people, and would lead to men who became possessed of names of probable buyers and sellers trying to deprive the auctioneer of his commission. Thereport concluded:—"ln the opinion of the committee lhis Bill is absolutely unnecessary, and we believe that instead of preventing abuses it will develop far greater abuses than at present exist, and will tend to much dishonesty." The report was adopted, and it was decided to forward copies of the same to the Auckland members of the House. SHOP AND OFFICES BILL.

Mr Kent submitted the committee's report upon the Shop and Offices Bill, it commenced: "This is a very, important Bill, and contains many clauses gravely detrimental to the very classes it is intended to benefit, whilst in some cases employers of labour would be seriously and permanently injured if the Bill became law. Clause 2 states? '♦'No assistant shall work more than four hours continuously without an interval of at least an hour." The report pointed out that if this became law it would be impossible tor shops, to remain open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. unless tbey closed from 12 to 2. Clause 4 stipulates: "No work must Ibe done in or about a shop or its business between the hours of 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. the following day." The committee emphasised the fact that no provision is made lor chemists, butchers, bakers, and fishmongers. The committee considered the clause unworkabe, and that it should be expunged. Clause 2 also provided that an assistant should be deemed to be employed if he does any work in or about the shop, whether the occupier has assented thereto or not. The committee considered' that very unfair to employers. The report concludes:--"Clerks in offices, includinig bank clerks, will be seriously affected, and generally the Bill is one that ought never to have been drawn at all, and in its present shape is unworkable, unnecessary, and calculated to do very serious injury to all trades, industries, and professions." Mr Kent contended that it would be wrong to punish an employer because an assistant stayed an hour to clear up the work in his department. .The holidays asked for in the Bill, if granted, would not be equal to those already enjoyed, added to which it mdght cause employees to forfeit some of the privileges they now possess. There was no provision whatever in the Bill for chemists being open on Sunday, which was also a serious matter, and it was a grave thing to enact that no matter what accident happened after 6 p.m., a chemist should not supply medicine. Mr Clark moved the adoption of the tnpport. This was agreed to, and it •was resolved to forward copies to the Auckland members.

On the motion of Mr Philson, it was decided to telegraph to other chambers, asking them to protest against these measures. EIGHT HOURS BILL. Mr Kent submitted tine report upon this Bill as follows: —This is a Bill more particularly intended to apply to farm labourers and domestic servants. Clause 2 stipulates, amongst i other unreasonable things, that 48 hours per week shall be a week's work <m or about a farm, or eig-ht liours per day. Any man possessing even a slight knowledge of agriculture knows full well thai such clauses would be ruinous to the farming industry, and therefore cannot be given effect to by either male or female employees. Generally "the Bill is quite uncalled for and ought never to have been drawn at all. To; force such a Bill upon the country would be to paralyse agricultural interests, which are already sufficiently handicapped without having additional burdens placed upon them. toy such meddlesome and mischievous legislation. The President said agricultural interests could not stand extra strain put upon them. Mr Aicken said this was an absurd attempt, to make the eight hour system universal. If a farmer had bo get 4n his grain on account of the weatiher he could not be expected to pay overtime. ®uch Bills were really only ■playing to the gallery. Mr Philson said although the Bill was called an eight hours one it really provided for only 7J hours' day work (the whole wsek.^^ ,

The report was adopted, and copies ordered to be forwarded to Wellington.

STATE FIRE INSURANCE

Mr Ewington asked if the question of State lire insurance was to be considered.

Mr Kent said the Committee would •meet to discuss it shortly, and would report to the Council. Mr Ewingto-n said no part of recent legislation was fraught with such danger to the public as this proposal for State fire insurance. That was why he wished it discussed at once. Unless tiev aroused the people the Chamber could do little in the matter. He looked with grave alarm upon this attempt to force°this insurance scheme upon the people. Mr Campbell suggested they had better wait until the Finance Committee had reported upon the Bill. Mr Kent said it was one of the most scandalous Bills any Government had ever submitted.

Mr Campbell said the admirable leader in the "Auckland Star"—a paper with such a very large circulation— had no doubt prepared the public mind to discuss this Ball.

Mr Philson said there could be no objection to the first part of the Bill, empowering the Government to borrow money to start a tire insurance office. We're the measure confined to that he did not know that it would do any serious injury. The Government should not be condemned for doing in regard to fire insurance as it had already in respect to accident and life insurance. At the ?>' -gestion of the President Mr Philso* lid not comment further on the Bill, it being deemed advisable to wait until the Committee had reported. The President suggested that a meetiu«- of ah the members of the Chamber should be called to discuss the measure, as they had no doubt a number of gentlemen who thought they were at present paying too high insurance rates might wish to express an opinion before any resolution was arrived at in this matter. It would be rather unfair to have the discussion merely in the Council, which after all would only represent the feelings of a portion of the Chamber. Mr Ewington considered that tne more people who attended the greater •would be the condemnation of tne "Pill Mr Kent agreed witih Mr Ewington that the greater the attendance the greater would be the condemnation of such a proposal. It wis agreed that the Chamber should be called together to consider the report of the Committee on State fire insm-ance.