CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7546, 21 September 1886, Page 3

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Monday, September 20.

The Chamber held its annual moetinS .at 2.30 p.m. Present— Messrs F. AY. Williams (in the chair), Irvine, Knowles, Lang, Lyndon, Oarr, Miller, Smith, Largo, Coleman, Hoadley, Stephens, Harding, Winter, Kinross, Sidey, and Kettle. ANNUAL REPORT. On this subject tho Chairman said that the exports showed a largo decrease in Value as compared with last year, the fact being that the estimate last year was greater than the actual result. A heavy fail had taken place in the two latter wool dales of last year and the two earlier sales of the present, but an improvement in prices had since taken place. The difference in value amounted to nearly £80,000. The Secretary then read the report, which was published in our issue of last Thursday, In moving the adoption of the report the Chairman mentioned that Napier stood third in the export of frozen meat, Wellington and Lytteiton standing yei-y little ahead; He suggested the advisability of curtailing llic tallies fdf the future. Thiiy wefe Very tfdilUldsdriitS tS prepare, and iri same i'espe'dts Wefe difly approximab: . .... , . . Mr Miller agreed with the cliairniari iri the laik-r suggestion; attd jijoved tliat tlie report be printed, {fenders to lie called for tlie work, — Agreed to; RAILWAY HEFOlili; A letter was read from tho Settlers' Association, Danovirke, suggesting the adoption of Mr Vaile's system on the •Napier line, or some material reduction in rates, and inviting tho co-operation and attendance of tho secretary of the Napier Chamber at a meeting to be held on the subject. — The writer had been notified that if aiiy pf the Chamber could attend, notiCe wdiild h& glvCti: Mil SMITH'S GRIEVANCE; A letter was read from Mr W. C:. Smith, M.H.11:, giving notice that he wtfiild bring before the Chamber the subject of fencing the Napier railway line. Mr Smith said that owing to a misunderstanding, neither the Minister for Public Works nor himself (Mr Sniith).hail been fairly treated by the Chamber. A mistake had occurred in a telegram giving £200,000 as the cost of fencing the Hawke's Bay lines, when that was the sum required for all the railways of the colony. (Mi' Smith read the brief report from tlie. HeKali), in wliitjil the" telegram .was Criticised tit a nlcetiiig of the Chamber.) Smriefliui was gtibd enough td mark tile paper and .send it to tile Minister for Public .W6rkS ty tlie Sariio iiiail wliicli conveyed the application:-' If the Chamber, of Coirimerce had wished to prevent'tlie fencing they could riot have taken a : ÜBtter course. They had no right to attack tlie Minister for Public Works without making sure of llleir , facts. When the application tfas made the Chamber, wrote to tlie members for the' . provincial district, asking them to. use iheir influence. To this letter he (Air ■Smith) replied, and this letter was published before it came before the Chamber, . and moreover was published as the indirect reply of the Minister for Public Works. It was not sent as a reply from the Minister, but simply as a courteous answer to the letter the Chamber had addressed to himself. As a matter of fact, the Minister's reply was actually on the road at the time his (Mr Smith's) letter was being criticised. As soon as the Minister got the letter he v gave instriictidns that tlje reply should he sent; .It had placed him .(Mr Smith) in art awkward position, and in fu.ture, iri a similar c'aso, all it would bp safe for him to do would be td acknowledge tllp letter. If the Chanlber had looked into the matter, they would have found that Hawke's Bay hdd. been favorably dealt with ; as, compared with other lines it had more than its share. And now irt the annual report the Chamhel', after having attacked tho Minister for Public Works, took credit to itself for getting the line fenced. When the' reply came from tho Minister, this also was handed to the Press before it came before the Chamber. He knew of no. other public body that treated its correspondence in this extraordinary manner. The Minister had acted most courteously arid fairly in the matter, and yet thoy had a member of the Chamber regretting that the Minister was not in a train that ran'off the line ! Mr Carr spoke of some posts that the Government ought to have bought. Now, it was Mr Carr who had advised the department not to buy those very posts. He protested on. behalf of his district against the action of the Chamber. He had brought the matter fully before tlie annual meeting because he thought an explanation was due. He had given notice' of this motion simply to put himself in order in making tins explanation. Mr' Carr. said Mr Smith had made a good deal of what he called an attack on the Ministor for Public Works. The attack was .merely imaginary ; in fact Mr Smith had merely taken the opportunity for an all-round slap at him (Mr Carr). The Chamber was not responsible for

paragraphs in the Press. Certainly no one in the Chamber had expressed any wish that tho Minister for Public Works had been in the train. Mr Smith had simply lectured the Chamber, and treated them like a lot of children.

At the suggestion of the chairman, Mr Smith asked and received permission to withdraw his motion.

Mr Stephen asked if it was customary to hand letters to the Press before they came before the Chamber.

The Chairman said lie was not aware that such had been tho practice. It would be a most improper thing to do. Mr Smith and several other members then left the meeting.