DUNEDIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10360, 15 May 1895, Page 4

DUNEDIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

o A meeting of the committee of the Chamber of Commerce was held on Monday afternoon, and attended by Messrs A. C. Begg (president), Alex. Burt, J. M. Gallaway, Walter Gow, T. R. 'Fisher, J. T. Mackerras, A. Michie, and P. R. Sargood. A reply was received from Mr Johji Ross, London, to a letter sent asking his influence against the extra freight charged by the'shipping companies on goods transhipped via Wellington, stating that the shipping companies ; have now issued a circular to the effect that freight rates have been equalised to the four principal ports of the colony—viz., Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Dunedin—and that the same charge is now made whether goods are transhipped or sent direst to any of these ports. ".*.-.. A letter was received from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce drawing attention to ■ the paper recently written by Mr David' J. Nathan on the frozen meat trade and its expansion. As it was generally felt by the committee that the proposals contained in the paper were impracticable, no action was taken in the matter. As the result of. correspondence received from a manufacturing firm asking the committee to consider the form of income tax returns required by the; commissioner, the matter was carefully, discussed; and the following letter has been forwarded to the Premier:— ; Dunedin, 14th May 1895. The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. Sir,—l have the honour to inform you that at a meeting of the committee of this chamber, held yesterday, the new form of returns required by the Commissioner of Taxes was fully and carefully considered, with the result that the follow-. "\ ing resolution was unanimously adopted—viz.: " Resolved to respectfully protest against the new income tax return forms, on the following grounds—viz. : • ■ *. . "Ist. The amount of labour required andcon--sequent expense in compiling returns. "Snd. The impossibility in many cases-of giving the details required. ■' "3rd. The inquisitorial nature of much of the information required, and the danger of confidential information leaking ont through the returns passing through numerous hands: "Also, to suggest that the income tax should be assessed on a three years' basis as in England."—l have, 4c, „ Alex. C. Begg, President.