THE COMMERCIAL YEAR.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12896, 30 August 1907, Page 6

THE COMMERCIAL YEAR.

The timo hes been when th© President of the Chamber of Commerce - , in presenting his annual address, has found it difficult to preserve the tone of optimism which is usually a marked feature of such utterances. No such difficulty, happily, has been experienced by recent Pxesident6, and Mr Staveley yesterday had the good fortune to be able to repeat the now familiar story of growing trade and prosperous times. No one in his" senses expects the present favourable conditions to last for ever, but for the present the commercial ■barometer gives no indication of change from the "Set Feir ,, which hae characterised it for so long. It is a condition which makes for contentment and satisfaction, but at the same tjme it would be foolish not to remember that it is not absolutely fixed. The trade and commerce of a district euoh as North" Canterbury touches many interests, and Mr Staveley found in the evento of the year plenty of matter for an addreee that suffered in no way by comparison with the deliverances of previous Presidents. The Chamber is a non-party body, but it was no breach of its traditional policy for its President to refer to the ill effects that would, follow the break-ing-up into small blocks of tlfe Urge pastoral properties which supply the merino ewee so necessary to the production of "Prime Canterbury." The same warning was uttered by Mr Gilbert Anderson some two or three years ago in Dunedin, and the need for reminding , the Legislature of the serious consequences of the " bursting-up , ' policy, so far es it

■fleets the merrno-ibreeding stations, ie greater to-day than it was then. With regard to oar frozen meat trade, Mr Staveley pointed out thet the prices obtained for Australian and North Island meat were approximating more closely than used to be the oase with those received for Canterbury, meat, a feet which.he evidently believes to be dv* to causes which can be removed by our farmers. The returns from the chief producing industries last year were satisfactory on the whole, though the grain harvest was , seriously affected by the dry eeaeon. The full effect of the remarkably dry ■winter hae yet to be seen but there are good grounds for hoping that it will not be nearly so serious as was feared, and with c continuance of good prices the farmer should have as sound reason to be satisfied with his lot as he has had during the past few years. "With regard to other matters, we are entirely in sympathy with Mr Staveley in his objection to the Harbour Boards Bill, in which it is proposed to do away with the representation of Chambers of Commerce on those Boards. As he said, it is difficult to think of »ny men being more fitted to sit on Harbour Boards than those having large commercial and shipping interests. We trust the Chamber's protest against this foolish provision will have its desired effect. We are glad to see that the Chamber has not abandoned its efforts to secure more equitable rates on the Port line, and congratulate it on-its support of the "All-Red" mail rout© via Vancouver. The gratification expressed at the letting of the contract for the Arthur's Pass tunnel was quite natural, considering how hard tho Chamber has worked for the completion of the Midland Railway, and the compliments paid to Mr .Quane, the indefatigable ohairman of the railway committee, were well deserved. The railway is the child of many Canterbury hopes, and es Mr Quane- showed, it hae had the hearty support and assistance of many of Canterbury's best men. If for no other reason, Mr Staveley'e year of office would be notable for the important step made towards the completion of this great undertaking.:"