DUNEDIN DAY BY DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4425, 3 August 1901, Page 6

DUNEDIN DAY BY DAY.

Special to the “Times.” DUNEDIN, August 2. Mr Justice Williams was able to attend at the Court to-day, and held a sitting in Chambers. One of the mo, tions before him was to authorise payment for extra clerical assistance in the Ward Farmers’ Association liquidation and to authorise th° expenses of the liquidator. His Honor decided to ask for an alhdavit showing the items of travelling e x P e nses charged. Captain Chatfield, before leaying the Royal yacht Ophir at Adelaide, was thanked by the Duke of Cornwall for his services as pilot, and presented with a silver card-tray bearing medallion portraits of the Duke and Duchess, and a suitable inscription. A consignment of 2300 tons of oats for the Cape is lying in a warehouse at Port Chalmers awaiting a steamer. At the annual meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Mr D. E. Theomin, the president, said : —The Otago Harbour Board is now doing yeoman’s servic© in the interest of th e province, although its efforts are not sufficiently appreciated outside of the city. Its gross increase of revenue for the, year 1900 is £4072, with an increase of expenditure on works of £2946, the Board showing the substantial total credit balance ,of £13,639. It received dues on 9000 more tons of general imports than in 1899, an advance of 8,1 per cent., and on an additional two and a quarter million feet of timber, an increase of 27£ per cent. The most notice, able increases in the exports are: Grajn, 1700 tons, and cheese and butter 5400 tons, an advance hV the latter from 4500 to 9900 tons. Frozen meat shows a falling-off of 25,480 carcases. This, however, is probably accounted for byq the drain on our flocks in the interests of “prime Canterbury.” The Board has not been neglectful of the demand for more accommodation. The entrance to the harbour now gives 34tt at low water spring tides. Vessels come in to Port on a draught of 24ft to 25ft, and up to Dunedin wharves on a draught of 21ft. Great improvements in berthing and.,, shod accommodation are being made at the cross and tongue wharves, and there is really no valid reason against all but the largest ocean steamers coming up to'towny and thus doing away with 3s 7d per ton of the total import dues, bringing us into line with Christchurch. Most of you will remember th e time when, although Wellington was called the Empire City, Dunedin was admitted to be the commercial metropolis, but the big ocean steamers have changed all that, and now we see with regret that whilst our northern rivals are steadily forging ahead, wo here can barely maintain our position. In my opinion, the port charges sre largely responsible for this. Whilst Dunedin importers have to pay 10s 7d per ton measurement against 3s in Wellington and 6 S lid in Christchurch on goods from the steamer’s side to the warehouse, there can be no doubt their interprovincial trade must he most seriously handicapped. Before the Conciliation Board began business to-day, Mr J. A. Park said: “ As a member of the Otago and. Southland Conciliation Board, I deem it my duty to call your attention to the remarks of the Premier at Wellington. They are as follows:—‘ln respect to Conciliation Boards, he thought there was too much sitting, they were riding the thing to death. He thought there ought to be more Court and less Board.” This statement, Mr Chairman, I consider a reflection on us as members of this Board, aqd on our management, and therefore a reflection on individual members. A further statement made by a well-known Government member that they are frequently kept going by the hangers-on, the guinea-a-day men, I regard a s a positive insult to the Board. Personally, I conscientiously give an immense amount of my time to the business of this Board, and I know other members do also, and as the volume of business is steadily increasing instead of diminishing, this, together with the fact that, in the opinion of some parties, we are not giving satisfaction, causes'me to consider the advisability of tendering my resignation.” Messrs Ferguson, Hally and Farquharson .also spoke to somewhat similar effect, hut it was agreed to postpone the question of resigning in a body till the return of Mr Chapman, the chairman, from Wellington.