CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.

Evening Star, Issue 14034, 15 April 1909, Page 7

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.

At yesterday'g-sitting-.of the Conferonce of Chambers of Commerce Mr lvettle, replyinjf'to Sir Joseph Ward's remarks at tho banquet on tlie previous night, said that tire Government could compote on more favorable terms than the private individual, and for this reason the mortgage, tax should lie removed. They'had, to'see that further capital did not leave, the country. The man who was .investing his money in niortgag/.s should- not have to pay a higher, tar, s<~g, "gjio man who invested his money-, jmsinoss. fir Joseph Ward had"sfcat;*ct,that the Government had only borrowed £100,001) from the public in New Zealand. During the last ten years the national debt had increased hy £20,000,000. How were they t;oi»y to get that back if more capital was not invested .in the country?' They had. to remove all obstacles against the investment of capital in this country. The penalty which capital had to bear should be removed. Mr D. ,J. Xathan said the great question, so far as he gathered from London advices, was not what the penal tax amounted to to-day. but what would it amount to in a few years' time. Regarding the Advances to Settlers Department, ho wished to say that tliey had nothing to object to in regard to the principle, but they desired to emphasise that the true object of that department was to give advances up to £SOO to small settlers, and not to come into oppositic.it to the loan companies. The matter of the discrimination in railway freights beweee. goods imported and. those produced in the Dominion was discussed, and referred to the Parliamentarv Committee. It was also resolved—"That it is desirable that shippers of grain and produce should be able to obtain Government certificates for accurate railway weights on payment of a fee not more than at present charged for the certificates which the Government now issue, and which are in many cases unreliable." It was decided that further representations be made to the Railway Department to ensure that railway empties «ere secured by the persons to whom they were consigned. It was agreed to reaffirm the trade terms in the wholesale grocery and hardware trade adopted between Chambers of Commerce in 1889, and to recommend the chambers to form subsections of the various trades for the purpose of securing uniformity of terms in each section.

I ho position' of the- Bankruptcy Act and its administration Was further reviewed, when the Committee, appointed submitted recommendations for the amendment of the law. Those were explained by Mr Myers (solicitor) and adopted by the Conference. The Committee, in framing the recommendations, expressed the opinion that the present bankruptcy system has been and is extremely unsatisfactory, and inmany respects defective, chiefly for the reasons: (a) That the estates'of bankrupts in many cases have been unduly sacrificed: (b) that there •is very frequently undue delay in the realisation of estates ; (c) meetings of creditors have not been called with sufficient frequency, and creditors have not had sufficient voice in the administration oi estates : (d) the above and other defects are inseparable from a system that is administered by officers who have not had a commercial training or who are not possessed of the required business knowledge and capacity. It was suggested that the scheme of administration should be amended on the following lines:—(a) That a system be provided for with one central control of all bankruptcy and insolvency business ; (y) that in lieu of administration Inofficial assignees and their deputies estates in bankruptcy should be administered by approved and registered trade assignees with statutory" powers, such assignees to be subject to the central control above mentioned. Numerous other proposals for amending the law were included in the recommendations. Mr Dugald M'Plierson (Dunedini read a lengthy paper on 'Ocean Mail .Services.' He argued that all the e.-sentials of a subsidised seiwice would be met bv one from New Zealand to Vancouver. thence across Canada and the Atlantic'to Great Britain. The agreement between the Canadian and Australian Governments, which provided for the steamer calling at Brisbane, was near its termination? and thtime was ripe for New Zealand to offer a substantial inducement to bring about the substitution of a New Zealand port for the port of Brisbane. After considerable discission, the following motion was carried _:--" That the Government be asked to subsidise the Vancouver route as a. mail service, so that New Zealand will have the firstjnwavd and the last outward port of call."' The following motion by Mr MCallum (Auckland) was'rejected :•• That this Conference urge the Government to tak" immediate steps to arrange for the reinstatement of a fast mail and passenger service between San Francisco and Nev Zealand, with Auckland as a port of call." THE BANKRUPTCY LAV. WELLINGTON. April 15. Tn reference to .the'criticisms by the Chambers of Commerce Conference on the bankruptcy law and its administration the Hon. Dr Findlay informed a ' Pen' reporter that ' for weeks past he had been receiving suggestions on the subject from various quarters. '■ I had been in communication with the Crown Law Office considering what suggestions should badopted. Already a good deal of material has been completed in preparation for draft amendments of the law to be submitted to Cabinet for consideration. The question of the administration of the Act is also being considered."