NEW ZEALAND MANUFACTURESS' ASSOCIATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7093, 7 November 1884, Page 1 (Supplement)

NEW ZEALAND MANUFACTURESS' ASSOCIATION.

The first annual meeting of this Association was held in tho Coffee Palace, Moray plase on October 11th. The Presidont (Mr A. Burt) occupied the chair. The report, portions of which have been already published, was taken as read. PRESIDENT'S ADDIiESS.

Tho Phesident said :In moving tho adoption ef the report, I have to congratulate the membera on the eucceßS the Association has attained during the first year of ita exiatence. Ab the report Rives a detail of tho whole proceedings, it leaves little for me to explain in reference to the past work of the year. You will observo, howevor, that during tho year your Committee have given great attention to the whole of the matters in connection with the progress of tho Association. It will be seen from tho report that our member? have gradually increased during the year, and that nearly the whole of the different industries in our city are fairly represented. I hope that all tho3e connected with manufacturing interests who have not yet joined our ranks will do so at an early date, because to carry out the great objects we have in view we require numbers, and above all, unity of action. The tariff question has occupied a great deal of your Committee's attention during the year, and after much deliberation, they reaolved on certain alterations, a copy of which has been forwarded to the Government, asking them to givo the matter their earnest consideration. I have every hope that when the Government take up the question ef revising the tariff, due attention will be paid to our requirements. I shall not go into the details of the proposed alterations, as a copy is now on the table for your parusal. I might, however, remark that the tariff as it now exists is a continual source of annoyance both to manufacturers and importers, it being full of complications which lead to no end of trouble. In our petition we have aßked that tho whole should be revised, and that all exemptions should be abolished. Tho question arises, Why should public bodies get their goods in free, while private firms have to pay duty? And we also find that certain items are exempt to several classes of manufacturers, while other firms who are not manufacturers have to pay duty. This in many instances leads to fraudulent dealing, and, in my opinion, should not exist. We ought to have a tariff pure and simple—either free or dutiable, with no exemption whatever. Corporations, public companies, and the Government should, in my opinion, come under the same tariff as private firms. If this were carried out rigidly I feel C9rtain that many of the large orders sent to England and America would find their way to the Colonial workshops, and would therefore be oneof the first means of clearineaway thodepressionnowexistingthroughout New Zealand. We have among our large engineering firms all the necessary machinery for manufacturing nearly the whole of the plant imported by the Government and other public bodies, and why, might I ask, Bhould this machinery be standing idle, as it is at present, and our money ba sent out of the Colony to emaloy workmen iv other parts of the world '! Gentlemen, this should not be, and it is for us as a body to combine and use every effort in our power to prevout it. I feel certain if we go on as we are doiog, and keep together, tho time is not far distant when the whole of the machinery now idlo will bo fully employed. The Government, I am glad to nay, are now.beginning to look at the aspect of trade in the same light as we do ourselves, because, after a great doal of writing and peraonaA interviews with members of tne Cabinet, we have at last succaeded in getting the present Government to call for tenders for Beveral locomotive1. This I look upon ns tho fore runner of many contracts of a similar class which in time will be submitted to public competition iv New Zealand, and ia after yearß prove to be the turningpoint in our engineering establishments. We hava plenty of tools and labour in our midst to carry out this class of work successfully, aud I individually have no fear of tho result. Our Association during tho year has caused a great deal of criticism aud suspicion. Why such opinions should exist is more than I can understand, because our groat and only aim is to encourage and foster local industries. The cry is that Protection means monopoly. In my opinion it n quite tho revarso. Protection means competition, and competition, to my mind, moana reduced prices. Take, for instance, tho woollen industry — without the present protective duty it could not exist— and what do we Hud ? Healthy competition, which keeps the prices of their manufactures much lower than whan the public depanded'on imported articles only. We havo many other industries flourishing in tho earno way uuder the present protective tariff. We havo also the experience of Melbourne before us. Everyone who has visited that great manufacturing centre must have come to the conclusion that Protection has been tho means of advancing and fostering many induetrios that would not otherwise have existed. Our opponents will say that the consumers hava to pay for all this ; but such 13 n )t tb.9 case. Oolonial-rriada articles can bo purchased in Melbourne much cheaper than in Svdnoy, which is cou«idered a free port. In fact, tho Melbourne manufacturers send their goods into the Sydney market, and compete successfully agaiu3t tho importers. In short, thosa who run down our policy seek to blama us for pur existence and enterprise, and virtually cay to us, You have no right here. They forget that history repoat3 itself—that wherever manufacturing is encouraged propsrtionate prosperity is the result to -the community. We have rising up a generation for which employment must be found, and unless w9 push forward our natural resources trouble and vexation will be the result. Our rising youth c>aunot all be a'evks and profe3- ' sional gentlemen ; in fact our Colony is already overrun with this class. I hope the time is pot far distant when the necessity for technical education will he recognised, and as a mattor of vital importance ba brought to the front; believing, as I do, that some such channel as I have indicated must ba created, bo that our youth 3 can bo trained, and have those tastes developed fitting them for their several places with a view to their future prosperity. It is by such moans that wo as an association can advance our adopted country in developing our many resou' CO3. We, as ».mpUiysrs, should insist on our apprentices taking advantage of existing institutions for improving their minds. Wo havo a good School of Art. carried on under the management of Mr Huttoii, who devotes much energy r.nd attontion to his evening claseos, and I would jmggest _as a ma!.tor of encouragement that this Association should give a yearly priz? to the pupil who has made tho groatust progr.'tia during each year. In connection with Mr Button's class I should like to see a mathematical class, and would suggest that the Committee of this Association should wait upon the Education Board and endeavour to have such a class created. 1 feel imre that any expense incurred in this direction would ba well spent, and prove a great ami everlasting benefit to

I youths who have had to leiwo school at an I early ago to learn their trades. We have also Professor Black's chemistry olftssea. Thia getitlfman, I feel aura, would be d«li£?htod to conduct, an eveninsr fla3S for the banfifit of our young artisano. Those institutions existing already aro all stopping htough to s. proper technical echool, iv which, I hope, when inaugurated, thia Association will take a prominent part. The thanks of tha Association are due" to Mr \V. N. Blair, Profossor Brown, and Mr Bathgate for tha instructive lectures dolivored by thorn, which wero well received, and have baan tha moans of spreading a great deal of valuable information not only to tho members of the Association, but to the ganoral public. Copie3 of Mr Blair b lecture have been sent to tho membsrs of the Hous9. This lecture contained so much good, sound information on the objects we have in view that your Committee thought it advisable to have them ssnt out pretty freely all over the Colony. I have no doubt that good results.will spring from it. During tho next year I would suggeat that tho Association should hold monthly general meetings for the transaction of general buaineaa, and if po3nible have a lecture delivered on each occasion. Thia, I think, will tend to foater and ventilate the objectß we have in view, At theso meetings we will have tho presanca of tbe ladies, who can do much towards tha encouragement of New Zealand productions. Gentlemen, I beg now to move the adoption of the report. Mr M. SiKOiiAin seconded the adoption of tho roport, which waa agreed to unanimously. KtHOTION OP OFFICE BEABEBS. On the motion of Mr H. Dbivkß, Mr A, Burt waa re-elected preaident for the enauing year. Messrs W. Henderson and John Mitchell wero re-elected vice-presidents, and tho Committee were elected aa follows: —Messrs H. Driver, G. P. Farquhar, B. Hallenstein, G. Hyndman, R. G. Murray, C. Moore, Mark Sinclair, R. S. Sparrow, W. Strachan, H. E. Suaeklock, A. H. Shelton, A. Lee Smith, Morrison, and M'Quean.