AUCKLAND NEWS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5067, 28 September 1894, Page 4

AUCKLAND NEWS.

m [Pee Press Association.! AUCKLAND, Sept. 27. The police are vigorously enforcing the Licensing Act and Police Offences Act. One licensee was fined M for obstructing the police. A caße of alleged Sunday trading was withdrawn, as the licensee had left the city and the license had bsen transferred. At the quarterly meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Mr A. H. Nathan, President} gave an address. He attributed the falling off in buaineEß in winter to a combination of three causes — the Government legislation, the low prices ruling for the colony's cotnnioditiee, wool, gum, flsz and timber; and the stringency of the money market. He referred to the roadlets north, and compared the money spent there with, the thcuaan.es spent in roadine the Cheviot Estate. Speaking cf the AdTances to Settlers Bill, he said that unless a fair margin was left, a loss would be msda which would fall on the taxpayers of the colony. In conclusion, Mr Nathan said that as far as he t'oand it, trade, notwithstanding its quietcde, had, during the laat quarter, been fairly well maintained. Some small failures had taken place amongst retail traderp r bulf there had been none very large, and nothing to disturb the normal credit of the northern district. The wholesale houses, he thought, were e&owing discrimination in giving credit. This was forced upon- them by previous experience, and the result; had been that traders did not look for* soch. accommodation as they used to. Altogether trade was carried on on a far firmer basis than it bad been, and the result was- that there bad been no failures of any moment. The following resolutions were carried unanimously : — (1) "That this Chamber disapproves of the Advances to Settlers Bill, being of the opinion (a) that it involves borrowing, thus increaeing the already heavy liabilities of the colony ; (b) that the proportion proposed to be advanced to the value of property is too great; (c) that the margin of interest i 3 insufficient to cover working expenses and probable losa." (2) "That this Chamber is of opinion that one of the first duties of the Government should be to provide country settlers with ready means of accesß to their land; that bo far as the northern portion of the colony is concerned, that successive Governments have in this sespeot utterly neglected ib and failed to provide such an indispensable means to settlement. We therefore now strongly urge that the first consideration with the present Government should be to remedy the culpable neglect of their predecessors in office by making provision in the fatnre for (a) through communication, either by railway or road, between Auckland and Taranaki, thereby opening tip millions of acres of excellent land for cultivation; (6) removing the disabilities attached to those early settled districts noith. of Auckland, which are practically inaccessible at certain seasons of the year, by arranging for a comprehensive system of main road construction." The first resolution waß ordered to be sent to the Colonial Treasurer and the members of the Legislative Council, who huve still to deal with the matter. The second was ordered to be forwarded to the Assembly. The City Council to-night,, on the motion of the Mayor, adopted the Legal Committee's report, and refused .the request of the Tramway Company to run a Sunday tram service. A deputation from the Ministers' Association, consequently, was not heard.