CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3676, 28 February 1899, Page 7

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

: annual ■ .Report,'' , rj;

The annual meeting of the Chamber ol Commerce is to bo held on Tuesday next. ‘ Wc make the following extracts from the annual report of the council: NORTH ISLAND TRUNK' RAILWAY. Expenditure on this lino during the past year has been over £42,000, which has necessarily been chiefly spent at tho southern’end, very little progress having been made on the northern section. At tho southern end, while 'tho_ ejection of tho formidable M;ikoTunc’ viaduct is being pushed'on, construction work .is being .continued to tho north, as far, a*, Taihapo, and ‘ when tho, viaduct is finished there will bo, at; least twenty, miles of lino heady for the laying eff rails. ;' " '■' ! , ■ The construction of the viaduct itself, which was unfortunately delayed ’ for so many years, is now being pushed on with tho utmost energy. The Government has had erected efficient workshops fitted with steam machinery and electric light, and the work is being carried on absolutely without cessation, three relays of men relieving each other through tho day and night. The piers to support the viaduct, which are quite complete,, are of such dimensions that the principal bases consist of four huge monoliths, weighing together over 10,000 tons, .while the total concrete used in tho work exceeds 12,000 tons. Practically the whole of the ironwork is on the ground, and its preparation has madematerial progress. Before long the work of erection is expected to begin. . The approaching session of the Legislature will probably witness a renewal of attempts to bring about a deviation in the route of the North Island Main Trunk Railway, as settled by Act of Parliament.' While freely admitting the right of each division of the colony to seek .for itself proper railway facilities, your council protests against the endeavour to subordinate the interests of the whole colony to the interests of any part, and trusts that the members for the district and the incoming council; will bo on the alert to frustrate any ' such attempt. ! WELLINGTON-WOODVILLE. The suggested deviation of the .portion of this line which crosses the Rimii(jaka ; Summit, to which allusion , was made in the last report of the Chamber, is under consideration. A trial survey qf the Upper Hutt-Woodside section is to have proved that a line can be made by way of the Hutt valley an;, the Tauherenikau valley which would shorten the distance hy seven miles, and which need have no grade steeper iffian one in sixty, y.'hile, many miles of the present line are oh an incline of one in thirty-five, and the grade is in some parts as steep as one in fifteen. _ Tho estimated cost of this deviation is the large sum of £300,000, but to those who have any; knowledge of the loss and inconvenience caused by the present steep, grades, both do-the.administration, of the railway and to those using it, it, appears probable, that;, even, this heavy expenditure may become a wise and profitable investment, as the saving to all concerned would be enormous. | THE HUTT LINE. i Another improvement in this ’ line which has been suggested is to straighten and .double the lines on the section from Wellington tot the Hutt. Part of the plan contemplated in this proposal is the reclamation of the part of the foreshore Skirted by the line. If this work would be as useful and ■ profitable as the estimates would indicate, there is no reason why it should not be carried, out. i The present system of-issuing tickets is Very inconvenient, owing to the short time during which the booking office is open before the departure of a train. It fa suggested that at, any principal station the booking office should he open all day.

j . WELLINGTON HARBOUR. I In. .the last report of me Chamber re ference was made to a comprehensive, scheme of additions to the facilities existing in this harbour, comprising the erection of new wharves -and- the enlargement of wharves and warehouses already provided. The scheme in question was adopted in its entirety "by the Harbour Board, and that body has since been siiccessful ih obtaining from the Cblonia Parliament the power to carry out the proposed works, and to raise the sum of £150,000 required to meet the expenditure involved. The Board is to be congratulated, also, upon the very satisfactory terms upon which it has succeeded in raising this sum locally, the loan hay-, ing been taken tip at par by a colonia’ company at ,4 per cent., the money,to be advanced from time to time as required by the Board. The new works are now in progress. The extension to the middle tee of the Queen’s Wharf .with the warehouse thereon is practically completed; •the plans for the Glasgow Wharf are prepared; and tenders will shortly be called for the preliminary work in connection with the reclamations required for that and the hew Te Aro Wharf.' The Harbour Board’ has also erected during the year a hew pumping station in connection with its extensive hydraulic plant, and is installing therein the necessary machinery. A GRAVING DOCK. The legislation referred to in tho preceding paragraph also helped forward thoproject for a graving dock for Wellington harbour by authorising and facilitating an arrangement between the municipal Council and the Wellington Harbour Board whereby a block of land, in which is included the site of the proposed dock, has been Vested in the latter body. There is good reason to anticipate that before the next annual meeting,of this Chambo, a commencement will have been mads with this important work. i . X’OBUIC BUILDINGS. During the past year the Chamber has again drawn the attention of the Government to the gross insufficiency of the accommodation provided in the Supremo Court building for the work of the departments that are compelled to make use of it. ' ’■ 1 . ■’ : 1 The acute inconvenience hbw entailed upon Judges, Magistrates, the officers of the Courts, law practitioners, and the public who have to attend the various sittings in a multiplicity of characters, has assumed the dimensions of a public scandal, which reflects tho highest discredit upon those responsible for its continuance. Attention has also been called to the necessity that exists for improved : Customhouse and Post Office accommodation. Tinder this heading it may be proper to refer to tho new Parliamentary buildings which are in course of erection. In common. with every colonist who takes an interest in the institutions of the country, your couticil is gratified to see steps taken, to make adequate provision for housing the very valuable collect ion of books comprising the Parliament Library. At the same time, vour council, desires to point out that the citizens of Wellington have no more snccial interest than have the residents of every other pari of the colony in public buildings such as_thc Parliament

Houses and the Government Printing Office; and that it is unjust to make tho erection of such buildings the plea for the refusal to remedy the crying deficiencies of more purely local buildings, as has been done. VANCOUVER LINE. On the occasion of the last annua! report, your council was able to congratulate members on tho establishment of a mail, cargo and passenger service connecting this colony with tho Dominion of Canada, and affording, in conjunction with the San Francisco service, a fortnightly mail to Europe. This service has proved a groat convenience to mercantile communities of the central and southern portion of New Zealand, while providing the opportunity of trade, relations with an important group of British colonies. It is with great regret that your council now learns that on account of a re-arrange-ment of the service, and in default of substantial support by New Zealand, the colony is likely to lose the advantage of this service. LIABILITY OF MINE-OWNERS. During the past year the attention of tho Chamber was called to the inequitable character of the law which, m the case of a fatal accident at a mine placed the ininc-owrier in the position of having to prove affirmatively the cause of the accident or pay damages. Your council therefore approached the Minister oi the department -on the Subject, and suggested, that there should ■be such an alteration in the law as, while safeguarding the interests of miners and thenfamilies, Would relievo mine-owners from this unjust position. Your council regrets to ■ say that in - spite of the assurance of tho Minister, the law has been fe-enacted in the same objectionable form.

i preferential customs duties. . , A suggestion was brought before Parliament last session by the Colonial TrealiureV for the : enactment of a law providing for an' abatement of 5 per cent, in our import duties on all goods of British origin. The suggestion met with so little favour in the dying hours of the session that it was not even formally proposed. You council would point out that such, a trivial concession would bo iitterly void of -any effect in any direction, hut they would be glad to see a much more liberal concession. steam traffic. i An event of some interest in the past year is the initiation of steam communication between the Eastern States of America and these ■ colonies. For years ihe trade has been carried on in sailing Vessels of a more or less sepond-rate icharacter, and c 1 h; ii n trod action of steam, eaiuio t. fail. to Jxave, a, stimulating effect upon the trade which will, no doubt, forbid a return to the oldfashioned methods of the past.