INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5860, 30 April 1897, Page 4

INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION.

« A meeting of the General Committee of the Canterbury Industrial Association was held at the rooms, Worcester Street last evening; present— Mr J. E. Triggs (president, in the chair), and Messrs A. W. Beaven, A. G. Howland, A. H. Hancock, F. A. Webster, H.B. Kirk, T. N. Horsley, J. W. Waller, J. A. Frostick, W. Congreve, J. E. Maddren and G. E; Hart. An'auology for absence was received from Mr E. C. Bishop. Correspondenca was read from Mr Oakeley Archer, city surveyor, stating that as the contract for the coming year for supplying the Council with cement had been accepted and signed, no alteration could now be made. The letter further pointed out that quick-setting cement was .required for the work of the City Council. He had personally used some thousands of barrels of imported cement, and in his capacity as a public officer he could not and would not recommend a cement of which he had no knowledge in preference to others that he had been using for years. Under these circumstances he must put practical experience before technical tests or local interests. Mr Kirk reported that the sub-committee appointed to do so had waited upon the Works Committee of the City Council, who had admitted that they had made a mistake in accepting an English tender over a colonial one for cement. The Chairman of that committee had stated that the faulty places in the side channels of the city put down some years ago had all arisen in those places in which the English article had been used. Professor Scott had tested the Auckland cement, and reports had been received from him that showed the colonial cement to be quite satisfactory. He considered that the Association had been dealt with in a rather high-handed manner in this matter by the Cits Surveyor, and that body had only been doing its duty in the steps it had taken. Mr Frostick quite endorsed the remarks of Mr Kirk as to the City Surveyor, and read the report of Professor Scott upon the tests made by him, which showed that the Auckland cement was very much higher than the Government standard. Eeport3 of tests made by Mr W. E. Clarke showed both the Auckland and Milburn cements to be superior to the English article. He suggested that with these particulars before them they should send a very strong pretest to the Council against the use of English cement, and that the letter of the City Surveyor, which was a most impertinent one, should be published, as well as the reply which the committee should send to the Council. On the motion of Mr Beaven, it was decided to have the letters published, and also to forward them, with particulars of the tests, to the various public bodies ; also to bring the* matter under the notice of the Wellington Association. The Wellington Association wrote in reference to the federation scheme suggesed by the Christchurch Association, and suggesting that three delegates from Dunedin, Wellington and Christchurch should meet at Christchurch for the purpose of drawing up a practicable scheme. The Chairman reported that negotiations were going on with the Dunedin Manufacturers' Association upon the same subject, and suggested that the matter should stand over until further information was received from that body. It was. decided to reply that as Auckland was now forming an Association, it would be better to wait until the four centres could meet in conference. The sub-committee appointed to consider the question of railway rates on the Christ-church-Lyttelton line asked permission to continue their investigations, and also to call a public meeting to discuss the subject just previous to the meeting of Parliament. Mr Cogan was elected a member of the committee, in place of Mr J. Clegg, whose seat had become vacant, and Mr W. Eollitt was elected a member of the Association. In pursuance of notice, Mr Frostick moved — "That the funds of the Association should be placed in the hands of three trustees, who should have power to invest the same in good freehold security." Mr Horsley seconded the motion, and after some discussion, an amendment was carried leaving the matter over for nine months. p The President said that from inquiries he had made, he found that the local industries were in a very nourishing condition, there being 1400 more persons employed on them here than was the case at this time last year. • The President and Mr Frostick were appointed to interview the Principal of the School of Art with reference to the proposed art scholarships. After some routine business the meeting closed.