CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8686, 25 December 1889, Page 5 (Supplement)

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The half-yearly meeting of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce was held on Friday afterneon; present—The President (Mr J.M.Ritchie), I K. Ramsay, G. Bell, J. H, Morrison, J. Gow, G. L. Deeniston, W. Emery, A. S. Paterson, H. Mackenzie, and Dr Fitchett. The Pbesidekt after referring to the subjects which had occupied the attention of the committee during the past six months, proceeded to refer to the proposed congress of chambers which is to take place at the end of January, and said:—We have based our programme on the Melbourne Congress of last year, but we have let it be distinctly understood that other subjects not on the programme could be brought up and discussed. We have had very encouraging replies to our circular. In the first place, there are several papers promised by several gentlemen on certain subjects in connection with federation and one or two other matters. There have been four delegates specifically appointed by the chamber in Christchurch, and two from Auckland. I have heard from Mr Cowderoy, in Melbourne, that he will prepare a paper, and expects to be able to come over and read it himself; if not, he will scud ifc over. From Sydney Mr E. Pulsfcrd will supply a paper on "Commercial Federation" ; and Mr Inglis, late Minister of Educa-

tion, will probably be in Duaedin at the same

time, and take a part in the proceedings. We have also received an answer from Fiji, in which the secretary of the chamber there says that Mr H. Uaye, the chsirman of the Levuka Chamber will be present; and there will be associated with him Mr W. Ledingham, vioe-president o£ the chamber, who may also be able to attend. Upon the whole, we have a fair prospect of getting a sufficient number of delegates to make the discussion interesting and the meeting a success. J hope that the discussion, especially of the subject of federation aud intercolonial Freetrade, may be worthy of the subject, and representative at any rate of the mind of the whole community. I am sanguine enough to believe that, so far as New Zealand is concerned, it will be distinctly favourable to a policy, call it what we may, which shall unite and not separate all the colonies of Australasia. This, I take it, is the first grand ideal which we should set before our eyes, and which we should «U set ourselves to work for. If we remember the short past history of these various colonies, the haphazard way in which those in Australia came to be separate and distinct, the similarity of the aspirations of the inhabitants, of their education, habits, and customs, and, above all, the absolutely similar bond of loyalty which binds all of them to Queen Victoria, we cannot but be struck with, and perhaps a little ashamed of, the various petty barriers which have been set up between each, whether it be of customs tariff, of gauge and direction of railways, of postal arrangements, or any of the other conflicting matters which set up jealousy, envy, aud sooie-

times friction between one colony and another. I think, therefore, that we should all welcome suob a speech as was delivered here the other day bj Mr Deafein, of Victoria, because it set before us in eloquent and convincing language the great ideal of unity, carried to its fullest limit. For my part, I am not prepared at preseut to go the length Mr Deakin would take us; but I see no advantage, indeed, I see a great harm, in raising objections at this early stage of the discussion, and seeking to put aside the proposals of the federationisfcs, as dangeroua and unpracticable. Still less have I sympathy with those who, disregarding the great principle about which all of us are agreed, that the forces which guide the destinies of the Australasian group of colonies should be centripetal and not centrifugal, set themselves to prove in detail that a system of federal governi input is impracticable )■ or that if we join a central council we run the risk of parting with our birthright, or of circumscribing our national life ; or curtailing the authority of ; or sacrificing our interests in the Pacific, which, it; is asserted, can only be safely guarded by New Zealand herself. There are numerous questions of Government which, are undoubtedly common to all the colonies, and which can be beat legislated for by all the colonies acting together. Questions relating to justice, defence, postal and telegraphic communication, and such like. And it is impossible to estate how many more of those would crop up, and be found practicable jf the machinery

to deal with them were fairly iv operation. But what wo are first and more seriously concerned about is the question of intercolonial Freetrade. "Completely freo interchange between every colony of the group," as Mr Deakin put it, which has a most intimate relation with the question of federation. «I hope that our conference in January may help considerably to form public opinion all over New Zealand upon this subject. I think I shall express the mind of this community, both Freetraders and Protectionists, if I say that no one in New Zealand should hesitate a moment to concede perfect freedom of admission to our marketa of every product and manufacture of all the Australian colonies, provided the same freedom of ail these markets is accorded to Xls. What this might mean to us in the way. of readjus.mtnt of taxation I cannot Kay; but I am very certain that every manufacturer and every producer in the colony could afford to face his share of such readjustment, and that New Zealand would be a great gainer in the long run by tle trade between the colonies. This should bfi the first step towards more complete federation, and the step lies w.th Victoria to make. 1 <io not forget that she has been slow indeed to move m that direction; that, iv fact, she has steadily moved in an opposite direction; that, when an attempt was made by her to establish a trifling reciprocity with Tasmania, she drew back before she had fairly formulated the proposals. But I cannot believe that Mr Deakio could come over here and speak the fine heart stirring worjs he did to us unless he knew that Victoria would be ready when the other colonies had made up their minds. If she leads the way, I believe all the colonies will follow • and until this is done, until Australasia is made one commercial family, all the members of which are on the same footing, free to exercise their separate gifts to the beat advantage, and, it you like, all protected alike against the outside world—for this would be a reasonable concession to be made by Freetraders for the sake oi securing the greater benefit—until this is done I do not believe that federation will ever be other than an idea and a name. If this were brought about it is difficult to predict how quickly or to what extent the spirit offederation would grow and influence all classes. It is certain that freedom in interchange would draw Australasia together in a way that no other influence could. To a large extent a common national spirit would be unconsciously "developed, out of which legislation would grow naturally in the direction of a Dominion Government, Ido not advocate the surrender of one ]ot of our autonomy, bet common interests in commercial matters would slowly and surely change tbe conceptions of what autonomy really consists; and in any case, for the sake of breaking down the wretched barriers which are being built round each colony to fence it off from the other, we may well refrain from cultivating too narrow or nervous a view of matters, and always remember tint if, Australia is moving in the direction of commercial and political federation, aud ultimately attaius to a complete measure of it, New Zealand would look very toolish to find herself outside. At present it is uncertain what is the first step proposed, and we should like to hear Mr Deakin aeclare himself unequivocally on this point If New South Wales and Victoria are setting themselves to establish a Federal Council invested with functions which may ultimately lead up to a Dominion Parliament, and desire to bring us into it, before a large and comprehensive scheme of free intercourse in trade and commerce is settled and brought into operation, then I think they seek to put the cart before the horse; and it will be found to be impossible to create, out of the other interests common to all the colonies, a sufficiently effective federal spirit to vitalise the legislation of the council It will be found that conflicting and opposing interests in trade and commerce will constantly ra.se a dead wall to confront and stop their united action, and I do not believe it would be in the interests of this colony to join the council at all under such circumstance*. If, on the other hand, Victoria resolved to declare for absolute free intercourse in all products and manufactures, and set herself to work out a reorganised fiscal scheme which would permit of her doing this m due course of time, she would thus pave the way fcr a living Federal Council, tue ultimate scope of whose functions would he much more enlarged than one could dare to formulate at present, and iuto which New Zealand might enter without undue alarm as to what that scope might be, or as to the effect upon herself of its operations. A very large and full measure of common interest must necessarily form the backbone and reason for the existence of a' Federal Council—a common interest much more powerful than any of those which exist-at present, a common interest which can only be raised by identity of opportunity for the conduct of the trade of all the colonies—by absolutely Freetrade intercourse. I hope Mr Deakin may let us know before he leaves how far Victoria is likely to go with us in this direction, or whether she will go with us at all in this direction, as a condition precedent to the realisation uf the federation which her statesmen are soearnestly advocating. I have nothing else to say to-day unless to remark that the improvement in general business all over the colony continues to increase—the improvement which my predecessor said was in existence is still going on I know that in a large number of individual cases improvement has taken t lace, that money is coming into the country, and I think we shall have soon a different state of things Had it not been for the unfortunate fact that as in the dayß of old the borrower was the servant of the lenaer, and that the lender was getting all the plunder out of the country, we should not have had the depression we had. But this will rectify itself, and the colony is on a fair roai to a better state of things than have obtained iv the past. As you know, the exhibition so far has been a great success; and while you will not be disappointed Dor surprised to hear that it has not created anything like a boom in commercial matters, I have no fear that the general effect of the exhibition will be sood. It will give us more confidence in ourselves, and show what there is left in us in the way of force and energy; and it is a splendid advertisement, which is the best thing in connection with it. Mr G. Be ex said he would like to know how many members were on the roll of the Chamber. The Secretary stated that there were 71. Mr G. L. Denniston said he would like not only to apologise for the late hour at which he had eutered the meeting, but explain what he thought was tho cause of such a poor attendnnce. There was an important sale of sugar proceeding, which had started about the same time as that meeting, and he had seen a large number of the members of the Chamber going to it. Although there was no motion before the meeting, he thought he would be excused if he brought one forward in the shape of an expression of the obligation which he was sure they ail felt to their president for the very thoughtful and exhaustive speech he had made. It was one worthy of an annual meeting, more particularly as it must have cost its compiler considerable pains and trouble to prepare the matter in the way he had done. There was no doubt that the basis of federation was reciprocity in commercial matters, and until that was gained it could be nothing more than a. theory. He was certain that New Zealand, of all the colonies, had most to gain and least to lose from reciprociby. He had much pleasure in moving a vote of thanks to the President for his valuable address.

Mr G. Bell seconded. The motion was carried by acclamation. Mr Thos. Black (New Zealand Hardwares Co ) was proposed and elected a member of the Chamber.

The President intimated that he would be glad, if any members had any matters to discuss or questions to bring up at the congress, if they would intimate the same to the committee '