CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3068, 6 December 1871, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The annual general meeting of the above body Avas held at the City Council Chambers yesterday afternoon. The following members were present:—Messrs J. Bathgate, J. L. Butterworth, E. B. Cargill, J. Copeland, T. S. Graham, H. Houghton, H. Law, H. M'Neil, P. C. Neill, G. L. Sise, G. Turnbull, J. A. Walcott, and J. S. Webb (sec). REPORT. The Secretary read the report of the Committee of the Chamber for the past year as follows : — On relinquishing ofliee, the Committee desire to offer the following remarks on some of the subjects which have occupied the attention of the Chamber during the past year :— BANKRUPTCY BILL. It is with great regret that the Committee have learnt that the Bankruptcy Bill which was before Parliament last session failed to pass. Copies of the Bill as originally introduced were furnished to the Committee and carefully examined. A number of recommendations for its amendment were determined upon and submitted to the Select Committee of both Houses to which the Bill was referred, through Mr Bathgate. The Committee also recommended that the Accountant in Bankruptcy should be summoned to give evidence in regard to the Bill, believing that his experience must render such evidence of the greatest value. The Committee believe that the Bill, with the amendments proposed, would have embodied almost everything in the way of improvement upon the existing law that experience has hitherto shown to be desirable. The Committee have now to recommend that their successors should give to the amended , Bill a careful consideration, and forward any recommendations that may occur to them for its further improvement, to the Government at an early date.

TARIFF AND CUSTOMS REGULATIONS.

A Special Committee was appointed to consider the Tariff and the Customs Regulations Act, and to report as to the amendments required in them. The following is the report of that Committee : — Report of the Sub-Committee appointed to consider the Tariff and the Customs

Regulation Act, with the view of suggesting amendments therein. To tiie Committee of the Chamber of Com-

merce.

Your Sub-Committee, after devoting considerable attention to the question, and making enquiries of all the principal importers in Dunedin, beg to submit the following suggestions for the amendment of the Customs Regulation Act :— First.—That sections 21 and 22 of the Customs Regulation Act, ISSB, and 13, Amendment Act, IS6B, be so amended as to provide, that in case of dispute between the collectors and importers as to whether any article is dutiable or not, or as to what rate of duty should lie levied upon any article, such dispute shall, on the demand of the importer, aud at the importer's expense, be referred to two experts—one to be chosen by the Commissioner of Customs, the other by the importer—whose decision shall be final; the importer or his agent to have the right to lay before these experts such evidence, and to offer such arguments in regard to the point in dispute, as he may desire. The evidence obtained shows that an amendment of the Act in this particular js eminently desirable. So long as it is found necessary to levy duties upon nearly every imported article, disputes as to the interpretation of the Tariff must frequently arise, and the present regulations for the settlement of such disputes are not satisfactory to importers. Second. —That coasting vessels carrying goods under bond from one port to another be not allowed to clear out at the port where such goods are discharged, until bond has been given that I charges of duty for deficient quantities will be paid by the ship. It is a constant occurrence that shippers of bonded goods, coastwise, are surcharged with duty on deficiencies arising from breakage or pillage on board ship. These claims not being made until some time after the dates of the transactions out of which they arise, it is practically impossible for the shipper to recover from the shipowner, or otherwise protect himself. An undeserved penalty is thus added to the loss of his goods. In all cases of removal under bond the goods are delivered to and from the ship under the custody of the officers of the Customs. If any fraud on the revenue occurs, it must therefore be presumed to be on board the carrying vessel, and the law ought to be so framed as to render her owners primarily and promptly liable. In the very common case of breakages and bonti fide leakage during transit, the imposition of duty is a great hardship : clearly the object of the Customs Regulations should not be more than to secure that duties are paid upon all dutiable goods that pass into consumption ; to enforce them when such goods are wasted and destroyed is not proper, nor does it appear to be attempted in any other case than that of coastwise removals.

Third.—That drawbacks of duty, when amounting to not less than Five pounds sterling should be allowed on all goods which remain in the original packages, and in regard to which the importation under duty can l>e verified. Owing to the absence of the Commissioner of Customs in England, and the late period at which the Assembly was called together, your Committee learned that there was no hope of any general amendment of the Tariff being undertaken this year, and they therefore abstained from taking any action in the matter. The subject requires further attention at the hands of the Chamber.

J. A. Wauott, Chairman. Dunedin, 17th November, 1871It is desirable that the suggestions of the Sub-Committee be laid before the Commissioner of Customs at an early date, and that the subject of Tariff anieml.nent should be again taken up by the Chamber. It will be noticed that amongst the new duties imposed last session are those on Hour and grain, in favour of which the Chamber passed a resolution, in 1868.

MAI L KKRVIf.'KS'.

Since the Chamber passed resolutions on this subject, after an interview with, the Hon. the Postmaster General, the Committee have taken no further actiou in regard to it. The delay of the inward Suez mails still continues to be a source o£ great annoyance to the mercantile community.

CtXTAL SYSTEM OF WEKJHIXC ORAIJf.

At the close of last year the desirability of the general adoption of the Cental system in the sale of flour and grain waa again brought under the notice of the Committee by the Melbourne Chamber. It appeared to the Committee that until the use of this system should have become an established custom in the larger Colonial markets, it was premature to emleavoar to promote any change here. The Committee have since leamfc that the .attempt to introduce the system

in 'Australia has entirely failed, notwithstanding the zealous efforts made in itat_^* favour by the Victorian and Tasmania* " . Chambers of Commerce. COMMERCIAL REPRESENTATIVE IN LONDON A request was made by the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce that this Chamber should unite with the other Chambers iM. New Zealand to appoint a representative ii*. London who should, in conjunction with the nominees of the mercantile communities of the other Colonies, endeavour to form am association for the protection of the interests of Colonial commerce at home. A similar request was subsequently made by the Auckland Chamber, accompanied by the intimation that Dr Featherston had been nominated by tbat body to represent the Colony in this matter. Without passing any judgment upon either the proposal of the Melbourne Chamber, or the nomination of the political Agent-Oeneial of the Colony as the representative of its purely mercantile fitterests in London, the Committee have only to say that they did not feel at liberty t» take any action in connection with this movement. Eeplies to that effect have be«i* made. TRADE OF THE PROVINCE. The statistical tables which are appencle«:t to this Eeport show a very lsrge falling off in the declared value of imports to the Province. At the same time, the Customs revenue and those returns which mark the actual consumption of the various articles to which they refer, show that the internal trade of the Province has been steady. The total export of gold is greater than it has been for some years past. The increase ink the weight of wool exported at Dunedin isagain very considerable ; a large export of flax is still kept up ; preserved meat, a new and very important item, appears for the first time in the table of exports, and figures there for a large amount; and the export ofc tallow has largely increased.

Among other trade statistics appended t& the report are the following :—

Comparative table of imports and revenue from Customs at the Port of Dunedin for the years ending 30th September, 1868, 1869, 1870, and 1871;

IMPOSTS.

Year ending 30tIi September,-1808 .. £1,587,754 4- <l „ „ „ 1869 .. 1,480,803 3 2 „ „ „ 1870 .. 1,524,650 13 4- „ 1871 .. 1,171,991 0 • Increase, 1869-70 over 1368-09. .. £37.847 15 2 Decrease, 1809-70 from 18(57-08. .. 03,103 6 a „ 1870-71 „ 1809-70. .. 352,759 IS 4. CUSTOMS REVENITE. Year ending 30th September, 1808 .. . £205,4Q» 8 * „ „ „ 18G9 .. 208,043 IS 3 ~ „ „ 1870 .. *201,086 4 T 1871 .. t192,536 14 5 * Includes £2208 2s lOd of Duty. t Includes £4073 0s 9d of Excise Duty. Comparative Table, showing the values of the principal items of Export at the Porfc of Dunedin for the years ending the 30th September, 1868, 18G9, 1870, and 1871, respectively :— 18G8. 1869. 1870. 187TDrapery.... £3,898 £710 £771 £1.70« Flax 1,511 2.982 8,307 10,414 Gold 617,101 021,212 607,424 674,59* Grain— Barley.... 2,356 2,524 828 3,14fr Oats 5,347 19,078 6,159 5,87.7 Wheat.... 2,384 1,553 2,937 *,#» Hides 515 1,«84 1,195 3,337 Leather 1,900. 2,913 1,846 3,539 Oatmeal.... 273 2,283 2,940 2,421 Potatoes.... — 2,723 1,440 — Tallow 154 - 4,402 27.501 Wool 445.196 528,750 503,817 543,96* Tl. Export for same peri0d5....1,102,206 1,208,313 1,214,308 1,395,231 The quantities of Wool and Gold exported ai-e as follows :— lbs. lbs. * lbs. lbs-. Wool 8,113,381 8,928,500 11,594,263 13,244,50*. ozs. ozs. ozs. ozs. Gold 154,430 155,210 152,2CS 1(J»,20S The following items of Export are new :— Antimony Ore, £273 ; Butter, £749 ; Cheese, £263 ; Flour, £2048 ; Lard, £410 ; PreservedMeats, £95,864. The Chairman (Mr E. B. Cargill) said it would be seen from the report that the Committee during the past twelve months had its attention carefully directed to those matters which were connected with* the trade of the Province. It was not necessary that he should more particularly refer to the various matters dealt with —• the report itself showed sufficiently whafe had been done in respect of each ; but lie wished to make a few remarks upon one subject of the report which, he was sure, waa in a very unsatisfactory position at present to the whole trading community and the entire population of the Province. He referred to the present position of the Suez; mail service. It did appear to hint. somewhat of an anomaly in these times, when such great efforts were made to secure the despatch of mails with rapidity and regularity, that there should be such a complete throwing-overboard of one of theirmost valuable communications with the mother country, as well as with India and China. The Suez Mail was brought t» the West Coast of the Colony, and they had the news telegraphed at once, while it was usually a week or ten days before they had the mail delivered. Sometimes the mail was sent overland ; sometimes it went on to Wellington—it was despatched by this or that vessel as accident might: provide—and there was an entire ignoring of any necessity for providing for the punctual delivery of the mails. That state of things did appear discreditable to them as a community—both as mercantile men and colonists. He trusted, means would be devised to obtain some amendment of this matter. No doubt they had the San Francisco mail service established, and they had the advantage by that route of receiving their mails with desirable regularity; but at the same time the Suez line had advantages whicTi the other did not possess —carrying, as ifc did, mails to India and China—advantages which, of themselves, were of considerable importance ; besides the great advantage of having an alternative mean* of transmitting the mail, which he thought; ought to be seized upon and made the most of, as had not been done in the past. The tables which had been compiled and appended to the report, showed a large falling off apparently in some departments of the trade of the Province*. The import trade he particularly referred to, as appearing to show a very considerable falling off. He. would not attempt any analysis of those tables, but he would simply remark that, while there might be reason to fear from the falling off in sonuz items, such as china and glassware, building materials, paints and coloui's, &c* while the inference might be drawn from the decrease in those items, that there; had been something like depression and* a more limited consumption of many articles of daily necessity, still that might be explained to some extent by the fact that more prudent habits were beginning t«> prevail among the people generally —that money was more valued than it had beens for some years before. On the other hand, there was a falling off in the imports of many articles, which gave satisfactory evidence of an increased produetion.o£ many tilings required for local use in the Province itself —such as carriages, carts, cheese, nnd furniture, and in. timber notably, which shows a failing off of £17,070. The falling oft in many of those items indicated the progress of locrl manufacture, producing many articles whit ax previously were entirely imported. With regard to the state of the exports, then? wa3 reason for: ■ congratulation on all points. They saw | that their principal iteius of export— wool, and gold notably—showed a large [ increase both in quantity aild value; ; while there were some other items of con- <■ siderable quantities, in the list of ex- ; ports, 'which previously scarcely existed i ! at all—particularly tallow and preserved-

meats. On that side, therefore, they had much reason for congratulation. The Clhairman concluded by moving the adopViion of the report. Mr Walcott, in seconding the adoption of the Report, said he quite endorsed the remarks made by the Chairman with regard to the Suez mail service. He happened—unfortunately, he thought—to be Chairman of the meeting at which the former resolution with re- . gard to the mail service had been come to ; but he felt great regret that such a resolution had ever been passed. Another matter which he thought they should consider was the position of the Chamber. He saw that there Avas a great falling oft' in the number of members during the past year. There were only --36 members in the Chamber. There was not the amount of interest that should be taken in the proceedings of the Chamber in a city like Dunedin. The report was adopted nem. con.

ELECTION OF OFFICE-BEARERS. The following office-bearers were then elected for the ensuing year : — Chairman, Mr J. A. Walcott ; ViceChairman, Mr J. L. Butterworth. Committee : Messrs T. S. Graham, Houghton, M'Neil, Neill, Sise, and Turnbull. Auditor : Mr J. Davie.

THE NEW STAMP ACT.

Mr Cakgill said there was one matter which ho thought was worth mentioning before the meeting adjourned, namely, the Stamp Act passed recently by the General Assembly. It did appear that great inconvenience was likely to arise from the way in which those duties had been imposed. The increase of the duty upon receipts and cheques to 2d was in itself a serious matter ; and such little care had been taken to make the public acquainted with the new duties, and when they came into operation, that they must already have been the •cause of a great deal of trouble from one end of the country to the other. He did not think it would be out of place if the Chamber placed on record its opinion of the course taken by the Legislatiire in imposing these duties. There was one duty of a most extraordinary ■■■character which had only come to the knowledge of those interested within the last day-or two. It was a duty which was imposed upon all agents of insurance ■companies, amounting to £200 for each -agency, provided the capital of the company was anything like a respectable ligure. The effect of this duty Avould be that the agent of any foreign insurance -company in New Zealand must either pay, on the Ist January next, £200, or cease to do business within the Colony. He must describe that piece -of legislation as of the most reckless character. Here was a tax laid on for the purpose of raising mone} T without the slightest consideration for the interests of the taxpayers on whom it was levied. It was not the mere amount of the tax that was to be complained of, but the circumstances under which it was imposed. It was quite possible that many agents of insurance companies in the Colony might not feel themselves at liberty to pay down £200 without communicating with their different offices, and if they did not do so, they were absolutely shut out from doing business. It was quite within the bounds of possibility that a great deal of property would have to go uninsured during the next twelve months through the companies being unable to come within the provisions of the new law. He repeated that a more reckless piece of legislation was never inflicted •upon any community, and he did not think it would be out of place if the Chamber passed a resolution expressing an opinion upon the matter.

The Secretary (Mr Webb) said there was one matter in connection witli the duties on joint stock companies, which he thought worthy of mention. There were exemptions in favour of mining and flax ■companies, intended, he supposed, to promote colonial industry; but there were companies engaged in other industries of equal value which were sub j ected to the tax —as, forinstance, meat preserving companies and joint stock companies, which carried on various manufactories in the country. He did not see why meatpreserving should be taxed, and flax exempted.

The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the retiring office-bearers.