CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6232, 1 February 1882, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The half-yearly meeting of the members of the Chamber of Commerce was held in. the I commercial-room at Wain's Hotel yesterday

afternoon,

Mr X.. Wilson presided (in the absence of Mr W. J. M. Larnach, the chairman), and there were- present—Messrs W. Gilchriat, R. Stout, J. T. Mackerras, Hon. W. H. Reynolds, G. Lewis, J. M. Jon,es, J. Hough ton, K. Ramsay, E. B. Cargill, J.B.Mudie, G. C. Matheson, C. M'Queen, D. M. Spedding, D. Stronach, A; Mollison, Geo. Bell, T, 'Bro.wn, Qeo. Turnbull, and a number of other gentlemen who neglected to sign, the attendance-book. THE CHAIRMAN'S. ADDRESS.

The Chajrman said

Gentlemen, I have to ask the indigence of members in addressing them in place of our respected Chairman,whose accident prevents him beiugamougst us to-day.' At the time he met with the accident he was engaged in the preparation of the half-year!} report, and had for this purpose-collected various details, which I regret he has not been able to'place, before you, and which 1 have endeavoured," tcarrange to the best of my ability. It is custoicary, at this period of our financial year, to aßuomble together, when it becomod the Chairman's duty to addreSa you on the subject o( our labours during the past six ' months, and on this occasion I I will do so as briefly as I can! You will remember that 'the important question of the Otago Central railway i has from time to time occupied our attention, and 1 now refer to the matter, not to report numerous steps of progress that we have mado in getting the works pushed on, but to Ehow that.it is not lost sight of, and to keep this railway continually in our minds until we see it a motive power in our midst. At our last' annual meeting Mr Stout brought under notice the backward state of the works on this line, when the following resolution waß passed ;— " That the Chamber is of opinion that it is essential to settlement, and consequently tithe progress of the Colony, that the Central railway be immediately proceeded with, and respectfully urge Government to make provision for continuing its construction,' which was communicated by wire to Wellington. Later oh, during the discussion in the Assembly, Mr Driver telegraphed, in reference to the Kailway.Construction Bill then under discussion, for the views of the Committee. The following reply was then sont by wire:— •

" That the Chamber, having already expressed its opinion against thetiill, prefer that a sum of money should be placed on the Estimates, say not less than £30,000, in order th&t the works may be .proceeded with." |

1 take this opportunity of setting these particulars clearly before you, to serve as a record for "the Chamber's guidance in the future, and meanwhile we must content ourselves to await'the reassembling of the new Parliament, in order to learn the decided views of the Government in reference to this r.ilway.

The vexed question of the railway site has been under discussion by the Committee, and a conference was held with the members of the Harbour Board and the Duncdin Corporation. This was followed by an Interview with the Hoa. John Hall for the purpose ol urging the settlement of this question. Subsequently, at a later interview with the Premier, the Committee urged the keeping open the line of trafllo along Jetty atieet. A requisition bearing on this subject, and one signed by several merchants largely euifag-ed in the milling, grain, and brewing trades, in reference to certain export harbour due?, and complaining of their unfairness, will come before you fqr disous3lon presently, and I may also say that a similar requisition from other members has been received, asking for reconsideration of these increased'dues by the Harbour Board, and the probable effects they may have on the commerce of this port. I need only say that these are two subjects that I hope will be fully and fairly discusßed before the close of the meeting. ' 1 have to congratulate the Chamber on the earlier delivery of our Northern mails. The subject was brought under the notice of the Committee by'niemberß who felt the late' delivery to be a great hardship on their clerk?. A resolution was passed to the effect that a letter be addressed to theOhlof Postmaster regarding the late hours at which tho Northern mails wero delivered, requesting his aid in expediting their delivery. Subsequently a deputation waited on Mr Hannoy, traffic superintendoot, to urge the starting of the trains at an earlier hour from Chriatchurcli. This geutletnan expressed his readiness to irieet the wishes of the Chamber as'far as possible, and the result has been that our letters ate now obtainable at 8 o'clock in place of the former la'e delivery of half-past 9 and 10. '

The great delay in the delivery of cargo from ships, and the imposition of increased harbour dues, were fully considered in Kfovember laßt, and'a snb-commit-tcb appointed to obtain information on these matters. At a meeting held On the" 24th November, the following resolution was passed :;—" That with reference to the proposed regulations Whereby the Board seek to throw on agents of •ihips the onus of collooting the duej, this Chamber Is of opinion tliat ail dues should be collected by the" Board's officers; and respectfully request further consideration el the propped wpi-. lations.'V Mr Joachim, on behalf of tho Bub-eomn!it-tee, stated that at a conference with the Harbour Board the various objections raised by the Committee were considered, and ultimately all thaj was asked by the Sub-committoe was co'needcd by tho Hoard. American Wool Duties.—ln December last this mutter was ogam brought under the consideration of the Chamber and rt fcub-comurittee appomted, whose report'was discussed, as was also toe mission of Sir Honry Parkes to Washington on |behalf of the Xew South Wales Government. Representations were then made to the Government, and I am pleased to say thit the Ministry, through the Premier,'fully en'p:BC<( the opiuion expressed by the C^&uU'.te'e. j^ i

; correspondence, which has since been published, will enable members to understand the difficulties by which attempts to reduce the present duties levied on wool by 'he American Government are surrounded. For my own part I consider the attempt to be hopeless. ; .

Trade with Fiji.—The Levuka Chamber have forwarded, for .he information of the merchants of Dunedin, samples of the products of those inlands, which are lying on the table of the Chamber for the inspection of ail who fe«l an interest in the increasing commerce of those islands. I should be glad to sec a report from our leading importers how far these products will be available as return cargo. From inquiries I have made, I find that iho respective rates of freight are 30? per ton from Auckland to Fiji, and 40s from Duuedin, so that there is not much difference in the rate of freight from Dunedin as Compared with that from Auckland. .'

I think that our millers could find an outlet for their flour, our brewen for their beer, and our soapboilers for soap, bosides other aitides of export in which this market possessos advantages over other ports in New Zealand, and on which the different rate of freight is not felt. -I havo not yet heard whether our large wholesale houses have sent travellers to Fiji, and I would urge their securing the trade whilst it is open to them. The question of direct steam communication is pressing: itself upon our attention. Several members of the Chamber have been pureuing their inquiries in this direction, and its early accomplishment we must secure with the least possible delay. If .our export of meat and dairy produce isjo he a fcuccesu, direct steam comnfunieation is an absolute necessity, and I hope our~ enterprising: Union Company wijlbe able to manage this for us. ■ I shall be glad to hearSH^_ expression of opinion from any friend who has given time to this inquiry. •;:... You are aware that thiii Chamber, through its Chairman, Mr Larnach, took'the initiative in holding: a conteronce in which the Biibaur Board, Port Chalmers and Dunedin Corporations, with the Committee of the Chamber, were- assembled for tho promotion of a large graving dock at Port Chalmers, in which the largest steamers likely to visit this port could be docked for repairs. Members will be pleased tb hear that a.bill passed the Assembly for endowing the Port Chalmers Dock Trust with ample reserves to enable the Trust to carry out thiii work, and with the safe arrival of the great dredge 1 hope that the ebstacles to; the ebtrance of the largest class of steamers to Port Chalme:s will soon bo a thing; of tho past. ' Before sitting.down I would like to say a'few words upon what I think is a great want amongst us— that of making more use of the Chamber than is done. The Committee hold meetings fortnightly for the discussion of such matters, as are brought before it. These meetings are open to all members who feel sufficient interest to visit the Chamber, and the Committee would Hko to • btain an expression of opinion from members outside their own body. Complaints have been made that members do not receive notice of such meetings. I would remind members that the Committee arc the Executive of the Chamber, and, as such, notices are only sent to them. X would therefore beg to iutimate that our meetings are held fortnightly on Thursday?, at 2.30, and that they are open to members who may wish to be present, aud with this announcement I hope these objections will cease. One thing- I notice, and that ia this : when the shoe is pinching some members' feet they rush to the Ghamber to say that the Committee ought to see after this matter, and rect fy that abuse. It will be members'own fault if the weight and influence of the Chamber is not brought to bear on any complaint that is laid before them, and I do hope the Committee will he better supported, and that less faultfinding will be the rule hereafter. I have to apologise for taking up so much of your time, and will now call upon the gentlemen that signed the requisition respecting increased harbour due 3to state their case to the nieihbsis pies* at. I THE OPENING OB' JETTY STHEET. r The following resolution, which had been passed by the Committee of the Chamber, was [ laid before the meeting:-—" That this Cham- ? ber, having in view the great inconvenience r that must inevitably arise from the closing of i so many streets facing the intended goods--3 sheds, urge on the .Government the absolute J necessity -for having Jetty street kept open on > the present level." ■ Mr Brown, in moving the adoption of'the r foregoing resolution, said that he approached [the question with Borne diffidence, seeing ■ that it was one about which so much fuss was 1 made. He had no intention of finding fault with 1 the Government engineer or with the Governi ment. What had been done, he believed, was ! owing in a large measure to a mistake made Iby the representatives of the three public ! bodies in consenting to. the plan. The engii neer, it appeared, at the time the settlement was made considered that 10 acres of land I would be amply sufficient for railway pureposes, but now it was .found that 67 acres would be required. If the Government or its engineers could be so far astray in calculating 3 the requirements of the railway, it was surely 3 excusable if the public bodies, in making the f compromise, had not kept in view the probable s increase of trade. Had the work been com--1 pleted he would not have had a word to say in 3 favour of the prsient motion until _the necesj; sity absolutely arose for an extensive altera- • tion; but as no money had Lean expended, he thought it right they should express the opinion that to carry, out the proposed plan would be to do a, great injustice and create a great inconvenience to the business public 3 south of Eattray street, without in "any way facilitating business in the northern part of , the town. There'could be no doubt that the opening of one of the streets was an absolute ' necessity, and that if not done now, it would ' be done within the' next 10 years at an enormous cost. If it was possible to open Jetty ' street by shifting the network of lines and the , points' a little farther south, he did not see why [it should not be done, for it would be of i immense advantage, and Rattray street would not be by any means a sufficient outlet for the traffic. • --

Mr K. Ramsay was strongly in favour of Jetty street being opened so as to give meana ;of communication between the city and tho steamers' basin. He had received from the [Hon. Mr Dick the following telegram :-—" Mr Maxwell, manager of the New Zealand Railways, wili see you next week regarding the Jetty .street question. (Signed) Thos.:.i>ick." In reply, Mr Ramsay wired :—" Telegram received." Chamber of Commerce meets tomorrow to discuss question. Would it be possible ".'to" acquaint me with nature of Mr Maxwell's proposed communication before 3 o'clock- to-morrow ?" To this the following reply was received : —" Cannot tell what Mr Maxwell's opinion will be tiU.he has visited Dunedin and examined into the question, so that I can give no information to the Chamber of Commerce." He would suggest that in.view of the information contained in the telegrams, a committee of the Chamber should be appointed to wait upon1 and lay the matter before Mr-Maxwell. ! ;

Mr. J. Robin said that he had no personal feeling regarding this matter, but he understood; that the plan referred to was the .result of the compromise come to. by the City Council, the Harbour Board, and the Chamber of Commerce.—(A VoiOE: No.)' That, at auy rate, was his recollection °f what had occurred when jthe question wjis previously agitated, and if it j were 'so, then they should rescind the former .of the Chamber,, and ha vet the. question "reopened, -or else not atievapt to> interfere ■with it. '

Mr Geo. Bell said that Mr Rabin was mistaken., "What was proposed; w&a an alteration in detail, thajt would aot interfere, with the general arrangement made at the conference. Mr Patejrs,QN thought it'jvas Mr Bell, who was mistaken.- If Jetty street waa opened tha shun^ng operations could not be carried on with\ safety, and there could be ao question that, the.'plan it was, sought to alter was the •jie: th^t «ad been agreed upon at tks conference three years ago.- Mr Brown, was entirely mistaken when he said that the-. Government engineer had estimated that only 10 acres w,ould be required for railway purposes. The estimate was that 10 acres would he required for the passejiger-stationi while the goodsstation w^s to extend froaa Eattray street to :the Ari^erspjn.'s; Bay road. '; »^.-Ge^ IJxtRS?SM- entirely concurred in the remarks made byMr.Paterson as to the Suiestion. haying been settled at the conference, tf that he was confident. If a mistake had made he knew no'reason; why the question; should not bec-pswjd, though: he did not think it should t\a done on the principle of " mental reservations," as that was not honest. He mayed, aa an amendment—" That this deba.^' he. adjourned till this day fortnight at the saaae time and place, and that in the imeantime th& Committee interview the 'General Manager of Railways in regard to the possibility of such modifications being made in the proposed plan as would give access to th& steamers' basin not farther south, than Police street."

Mr GItOHRiST seconded the amendment, and remarked that provision would: be made for extra traffic, as, Rattray street was to ba widened,.

Mr Mathkson spoke strongly in support of ithe motion. The opening of Jetty streetfwould be of great public benefit, and according »to professional advice this ©wild, be accomplished by shitting the goods-sheds 3i chains farther south. Though tha opening of Jetty street might put theHßaEway Department to some little in.c.ww«nience, ho thought it should be done^ aa the convenience to. the public o£ having the street opened would be bo great, Mr D. M. Spedbing said that the Government had. made sevejftr, alterations to the conference plan, and that the proposed alteration was necessary, it seamed tot him a monstrous i tiling- tha> the whole of South "Wardl should be shut o,ut from a frontage to the bay, -.-

Mr X* Stout contended thai. Mr Robin's statement was perfectly correct, and expressed the opinion that if Jetty street were, opened then the goods-shed.9 must be shut up in the comer-of Anderson's Bay road. According tothe original plans the goods-sheds were to havebeen north of Rattray street, and putting them to the south was a concession to the merchants of the south end of tho town. If the question was to be opened ha thought it should be done as a whole, s«\d a popular vote* taken as t» whether- the gopdSrsheds should be to the south Wto the north of Rattray street. The sheds might be put on. the ree-laimed land to the north of Stuart street extending to Pelichefc Bay-^-land { hat could not be leased fcr some time; and the land to th&south, which would; be readily bought, should behamdect over to the Harbour Boards a.nd then the Board woulcf have a, revenue which would enable it to> rod.uce its dues, and our prospect of having afree port would he considerably better. If the amendment proposed were lost he should move, as a further amendment—'"That, in order to give a proper, endowment to thft: HarbourBoaJtvJ, and thus enable the port of Otego to befree from dues, this' Cumber & of opinion that the goods-station shouTd be placed' north of Stawt street, and the land reserved for goodsstation between, Rattiiay- street ancS Anderson's , Bay handed over, to the Board, 11' '

The Hon.; W:.H. Rkynquds said ho was not going to, argue in favo\*r of the goads-sheds being at one end pi the town or the other. If Jietty street were, cjosed he believed the Go-vernments-would be* put to an eaarineus exP»t<i reopen, it, and; w that ground he thought the. Government ought- to pause.

Mr E. B, Oargili, would deprecate any attempt, to, settle this import^t question uponany other principle than that of :th6;public in%e«t. Hewa* the owners?» good deal of property in South Wardl, but for his part would objeot to the question being- decidedin relation to the manner it would; affect private property. Further investigation, appeared desirable, and! he corsaidered Mr TurnbuJl'S motion exceed'lVQgty reasonable. He did' not wisfc to: argues against the opening of Jetty-street; but in* favour of j the : queetioft'beujs discussed upoa * right praojcijjle,.

■■■ .The CHAiEiriN thought j'i' would be advisable to get Mr Moliison?':. opinion on the! subject/" ■■ '■-■■.■'.■■ ;■-;■//'.'■■ .■-;■"■ .- I

Mr A. ; MoLUsoN thought thai;"the goodsstation, should be north of: Stuari' street, but was under -the impression' that the 'question had beensettled at the conference,;"':: He did not see how Jetty street could 'pc kept open thf ou"h the station yard, and'thought that r' they had enclosed yards like those i&.ChristcHiirch' the goods would be much Inipre secure and their protection less expensivei : ;'v ■ ■ -.-.-..- .■-:.■ • -.■■■Mi Mackerkas said^"that' tlie!queSdor.; had been settled at theY conference, and expressed the opinion that they should abide -by; their original decision. -'Thtvopehing of Jotty.street would involve the removal of the goods-sheds to Manor place, and this -would be unfair to those who .had consented to the compromise winch had- been agreed upon/ Although personally .interested, -in-the-opening, of Jetty street, he thought iS would be only fair to adhere to the conference plan.' : ' ■ m On, th, e, question being put to the vote/ Mr iurnbull s amendment was carried by a large majority.. •;/ >; .■■■':'■' -'^ -',•;'■ '■■. '^; :

■.■■:- --■•■■. jetty nuns. ;','.'. ' requisition had been received in favour of \ we Chamber, rtaking into consideration the At of the ; harbour; dues, recently in■.Jßf creased;-';:-V:-V". ■'■ :; ':.:':'':--:.''.'.."... .'■'■ "■■ " \ Mr E.B. Cargill expressed surprise that *■ only one of the gentlemen (Mr Houghton, juri.) ifho had signed the requisition was present.;' .; Mr Hqughton, jun., said that he was prepared to move a resolution' on' the question An export rate-of ls;6d per ton had been levied on all goods, wnasftfts hitherto'no dues had been charged itpon goods exported: So far as ■ the milling industry was concerned, Is or Is 6d per ton was a matter of great importance, and made all the; difference of being able-to get orders^ or not;^ A large quantity of grain was brougiitfrom Oamaru and Timaro by water; and exported from' Dunedin, arid the dues— for : import 2s, and export Is 6d, amounting to 3s 6d per ton—was almost a prohibitory tax. The trade was cut so fine that the contract to supply New Caledonia was lost for 'brie penny per bag.; The tax oil-pats' amounted to about . 2p per cent., while on wool'it-was not more than; i .per cent. It was'true that the Board required revenue, but .he thought a fairer -means of increase, might be devised,;and he therefore moved—" That the Harbour Board b3 respectfuUy requested to reconsider the ; whole subject of the imposition of jetty dues, as under their present form they are detrimental to the interests of the commerce of Dunedin, and that a committee'consisting of Messrs Royse, Joachim, MaeNeU, and John Houghton be apppinted, along with the Executive of the Chamber, to confer with the Harbour Board on the subject." ; "•• • > Mr E. B. Caegill thought the resolution1 should be more definite. The export dues on1 goods • sent to foreign ports could not well be objected to, except in the case of grain, but there were strong reasorisL;for objecting to'the dues being charged upon'-goods sent coast\viße. . . ..■•■. -■•• x■■■■■ ••' ■■ -■ •-.. Mr H. MaoNeil asked whetlier Is or 2s was charged on goods transhipped. N ■ ■'■ Mr 'Ramsay said that Is- was cnarged for goods invoiced for transhipment, and 2s for those sold in bulk and transhipped to other parts of the Colony. ; .' -5 --■■ ■••-;■ Mr MacNeil expressed- regret'that that should be the case, because it would defeat its • own end; and he mentioned that already goods had been sent to Lyttelton which should' have come to Dunedin. Mr Ramsay said that it had been absolutely necessary to increase the dues, but the increase had been made very reluctantly; and there was a _ scheme ૞ the consideration .of the Finance Committee for-collecting the dues. The scheme had not been fully discussed, but he would, at the risk of being taken to task for it, mention it, so that they might "have the opinion of the mercantile com'iriunity upon it. They had ascertained from: the Collector of - • Customs that a:fee of Id in the pound upon the value of the foreign imports and exports last year would have yielded £16,54475, while the dues collected by the Board amounted to £10,443 11s. If the dues were collected through the Customs much trouble*and:vexation would be avoided/and it' would be the means of relieving the coastal trade. : ' Mr Hoiighton's motion was carried neni.dis. and the meeting was then'adjourned '■'"• " '