CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Evening Star, Issue 8279, 26 July 1890, Page 3 (Supplement)

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The following is a fuller report of the conclusion of yesterday’s meeting of the Chamber;— ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The following officers were elected: — President, Mr J. M. Ritchie; vice-presi-dent, Mr T. R, Fisher ; committee —Messrs W. B. Bailer, J. M. Qallaway, W. Gow, J. T, Mackerras, A. S. Patterson, K. Ramsay, and Vt. C. Smith ; auditor, Mr John Davie, NEW MEMBER. Mr J. H. Stanley was elected a member •a the nomination of Mr Denniston. THH ENTRANCE FES. Mr Paterson said it was evident to the Committee that a number of gentlemen who might bo expected to join the Chamber eomplained of the entrance fee—not, as he understood it, so much in itself as from the foot that they had penalties to pay in connection with the previous Chamber of Commerce, and considerable payments to make, and therefore the entrance into this one ought to be free. He would move, on behalf of the old Committee—“ That clause 11 of the articles of association be altered by abolishing the words * tho entrance fee for uach now member, save as hereinafter provided, shall bo two guineas.’ ”

Mr Robert Wilson seconded the motion, and said that he would liko to see the merehanta more largely represented on the Committee. Mr Bboo thought there should be some information before the meeting as to how many, if any, members would be gained by the course proposed. Mr Ross had heard of more than one who would join if the fee were abolished. The Chairman said the secretary knew of three who had promised. Motion carried unanimously. Mr Gallaway pointed out that a special resolution in terms of the Companies Act would have to be passed before the motion eonld be given effect to, harbor improvement rate. The President said that the Harbor Board wished an expression of opinion reepeotir ; Mr Allen’s motion, which was : " That a Bill be introduced at the next session of Parliament authorising the Otago Harbor Board to increase tho harbor improvement rate to 4s per ton, and that the pilotage, port charges, and towage bo reduced to an amount equal te the revenue produced by increasing the harbor improvement rate by Is per ton, and such increase to be so applied ; and that the chairman of the Board, Mr A. H. Ross, M.H.R , bo requested to take charge of the Bill in Parliament,” The Committee, after discussing the matter, had come to the conclusion that they disapproved of tho proposed motion, inasmuch as they could not support any additional rating powers by the Harbor Board. The discussion and suggestion were referred to the annual meeting, and if thought desirable he would put the resolution of the Committee before the meeting as a motion. The whole point seemed to be that Mr Allen bad an idea it would be for the benefit of the port if tho dues on shipping were lightened and the dues on goods increased. That was a matter of opinion. The main point was that they were asked to give their approval to the Harbor Board being granted authority to increase their rates —to give them extra rating po W ers—because though it was mentioned that there was to be a reduction in the dues on shipping, that could not be included in the Bill. No doubt the Board would, if they could, reduce the dues on shipping, but in the meantime the Chamber were asked to signify their approval of an increase in tho dues on goods. It seemed to him that this ought to be put more distinctly before the Chamber ; and if so, the whole question of finance would be brought np in its scope. He moved—" That this Chamber cannot support any additional rating power by the Harbor Board, and does not see that Mr Allen’s motion in that Board is such as 4o commend itself to them.” Mr Ramsay seconded the motion. They might fairly assume that Dunedin was the heaviest taxed port in the colony so far as goods were concerned. He believed that even with the present rates the trade of the port had already been considerably prejudiced, and he was certain that with an increase of the rate on goods the prejudice would be intensified. As far as the coastal trade was concerned, he believed it had been pretty well put out of existence, mainly through the dues that had to be paid here and also those paid at the different coastal ports on export*. Of course the railways got that, and they perhaps ought not to •omplain. With regard to exports, he supposed that if power were given to the Board to increase their dues xports would bo included, and that would considerably affect the trade all along the Southern line, At present people at Clinton, by sending their goods to the Bluff for shipment, saved la per ton, and on wool they saved 6d a bale. He was perfectly well aware of the necessity of tho Harbor Board obtaining increased revenue, but it could not be got from tho proposed source unless they wanted to simply destroy the trade of the port. The only way that he could see out of the difficulty, so that this port could hold its own with tho other ports of the colony, was that a rating district should be proclaimed. Further, if they agreed to give the Harbor Board power to increase the dues on goods and take themoffshippiog, what would they do ? If the Board got hold of the money he did not believe that they would maks a reduction in the dues on goods.—(Laughter.) But even if they felt morally bound to do so, he did not think that would induce one ship to oome to the port more than oame now. Mr Denniston said it had been alleged that tho effect of the adoption of Mr Allen’s motion would be to equalise the rates at the ports, but be had satisfied himself that the rates at Port Chalmers were exactly equal to those charged at the other ports of the colony. This proposed extra shilling would bo levied on everything that came into port, whether from British ports, from Australia, or from tho East. The proposed Bill was to give the Board power to levy an additional shilling on everything that eroased the wharf, and therefore they would be paying very dear, indeed, with their additional imports for any fanciful relief that would be granted to British ships. He found that an analysis he had made of some accounts for dues he bad recently paid the Harbor Board bore out, in his opinion, that the quantity of goods imported from British ports was a very small proportion of the general body of goods from other places He held an account in his hand which showed that daring a given time he received 668 tons from British ports, on which dues of LIOO 4s were paid, and during tho same period there were 1,342 tons from other ports, on which the dues were L2Ol 6s, Mr Bkoa said it was a matter of fact that when the Harbor Board raised their harbor dues on wool from 6d to Is a bale, the effect was to divert a good deal of the wool from this port. Wool that used to oome from Palmerston for shipment went to Oamaru, and a similar effect was noticed with Southern wool. If the rate were still further increased they would still further intensify the same mischief. Mr Reid had expected to hear some arguments for the decisions come to by the Committee, bat so far ho had heard none that were very convincing. There w»s not the least doubt that the Harbor Board must have revenue for carrying on works. He heard some round him saying with a smile that it would not bo a good thing to give the Board more funds to spend, and thought that sort of thing came with bad grace from those merchants who had in the past clamored for expenditure by the Board. So far as he understood the proposal of the Board, it was that they should reduce the present enormous charges upon ships and raise revenue by increasing the charge on gooes. It appeared to him that no fairer method •ould bo suggested, and no method that was more likely to be of benefit to the port. Mr Begg appeared in his arguments to confuse cause and effect. He could not see how members could be so blind os to say that it would injure the trade of the port to make it free to shipping. It was, perhaps, presumptuous for him, speaking before the agents of the large shipping companies, to say that the interests of the large shipping companies were not the interests of the importers j but speaking from the point of view of the producer, the exporter, and the importer, he held that no bettor scheme could be propounded than to pnt dues on the gpofip that were consumed by the people, and to let

the ships come ia as free as possible. In a matter of this sort he despised little details —there were great principles involved. He thought Mr Ramsay was certainly wrong in his assumption that the Harbor Board wished to increase dues on exports. The members of the Harbor Board, though they were not all Solomons—(laughter)—were not devoid of a little common sense, and he thought that Mr Allen was as anxious to see the trade of Port Chalmers developed as any member of the Chamber. They ought to give each ether credit for the best intentions, at all events. Mr Gow said it was evident that Mr Reid did not know exactly what he was speaking about. Some of them had heaid Mr Allen’s motion, and they had heard something from the lips of the chairman of the Harbor Board which set them thinking what would be the effect of the Bill; and it appeared that the effect would be much more far - reaching than appeared on the surface. They admitted that it was desirable the port should be as free as possible ; but Mr Cargill said they must see the Board would shortly want more revenue. Could that mean other than that it was tbo intention of the Board, on the plea of relieving the shipping, that so soon as the necessity for revenue again arose the burden should be reimposed on the shipping, and then they would be in the position of having tbo burdcu that now existed on shipping with a larger burden on the goods ? It was not right that they should support any proposal to give the Harbor Board power to increase the rates on goods when they could see clearly enough that ultimately there would be no decrease in the rates on shipping, and the Committee of the Chamber said that if further revenue was required by the Board it ought to be raised by a general rate over the district which benefited by the trade of the port. The President said that Mr Gow had accurately pointed out the considerations which weighed with the Committee in coming to the resolution they did. It was manifest that Mr Ramsay, with his steamers, and the speaker, as agent for the Shaw, Savill-Albion Company, and as a shareholder I in the Union Company, would be very glad indeed to get a few thousands off their ships and put on the goods, for the goods were nothing to thorn, but they had to look at the matter from a broader point of view. Mr Joel suggested that the reference to rating powers should be omitted from the resolution, because it was likely that the Board might have to rqiae fresh revenue. If the Chamber simply decided that they disapproved of the change of incidence they would do all that was required. The resolution was altered to meet Mr Joel’s objection by the insertion ot the words “in the manner proposed ” before the words “by the Harbor Board,” and it was then put and carried, Mr Reid being the only dissentient.