Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4862, 30 January 1894, Page 1

Dunedin Chamber of Commerce.

THE PRESIDENT'S ADDBESS. j_Per Pbess Association.] DUNEDIN, Jan. 29. At the quarterly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, the president (Mr H. C. Begg) gave an address on what he had observed during his travels in America and Great Britain. He referred at length to the Vancouver service. The San Francisco service had never been a pronounced success, being simply a passenger and mail service, which had nerer received material help from the United States. He had no doubt that if they had the Vancouver service in place of it, the whole of the colonies would be much more benefited. The Canadian Government and the Pacific Bailway Company were both doing their utmost for the service, and he had no doubt it could be made quicker than, tbe San Francisco route. Then there would be an interested population helping by subsidies, and encouraging trade. Many were not aware of the important position of Vancouver, situated on an immense inland sea, the shoreß of which were the terminus of two transcontinental railways. The city of Tacoma had sprung from a mere village to a city of seventy thousand, and was growing at the rate of twenty thousand yearly. There was another large city at Puget Sound, forty miles from Tacoma, with sixty thousand inhabitant-}. There was also ;the~ town of Victoria, wifch about thirty thousand, and New Westminster, all rising rapidly. On the shores of Puget Sound there were thus cities which had reached two hundred thousand in twelve or fourteen year 3. The trade of the district was growing, and would grow, especially as there were coal deposits at Puget Sound. He thought this colony should therefore support the service. Dealing with electrio tramways, he said he had travelled on them, and made inquiries in a large number of cities where the overhead system was in operation, and found they gave general satisfaction, and did not interfere with the telephone or other interests. He had also something to Bay about Chambers cf Commerce in the United Kingdom. There was one feature which he thought would be attended with great advantage in the colony if followed, and that was the holding of annual conferences of delegates from the various chambers.