CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE CONFERENCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7322, 7 February 1902, Page 3

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE CONFERENCE.

SPEECH BY THE PREMIER.

A PREFERENTIAL TARIFF.

THE ARMY MEAT CONTRACTS. [Per Press Association.] ' WELLINGTON, Feb. 7.

The delegates to the Chambers of Commerce Conference were entertained at a banquet last night.* The Premier, in proposing the toast of " Trade and Commerce," advocated the making of a tariff agreement under which the country should give preference to articles of British manufacture. As showing the necessity for commercial men to be on the alert, he said he had official information that orders had been sent to this colony from Victoria to send butter to South Africa, and the conditions were that the article should be branded and packed in boxes identical with those sent from Victoria. He was glad to say, however, that these sharp dealers would not feo allowed to evade the law of the colony as to the grading and branding oi the products. Mr Seddon stated that the value of imports for the first ten months of the year was <89,527,368, and of the exports £9,2^6,42f4. This was not satisfactory, but two months had yet to go, Undihese might show results that would redeem the situation to some extent ; "*but it was next to an impossibility that they would put the colony on the right side of the ledger by bringing tiis exports up to an excess of two millions ove^ imports. Unless there was such an excess " reclamations " took place, and they had- to send away gold to make up the deficiency. The revenue returns for the first ten months of the financial year were £4,656,431, against £4,506,075 for the corresponding period of last year, an increase of over £150,000. This, said Mr Seddon, was a source of much gratification for him. He mentioned that the trouble over the meat contracts for South Africa had ended satisfactorily. He had received the following cablegram from tire Agent- General :\— " Under-Secretary for War states that an undertaking has be«n- given in writing by the contractor for the supply of meat for South Africa that supplies shall b& obtained, as far as possible, from Australia and New Zealand in preference to the Argentine. I had a personal interview with Colonel Wa-rd, the Permanent Under-Secre-tary, and Lord Stanley, and the War Office has given me a similar assurance." The Governor, Mr Seddon added, had received a similar, message.

• Mr John Duncan cordially thanked the Premier for wftat he had done in the matter. Regarding^ the Premier's remarks on the exports, m said the export of frozen meat and produce would Iv heavy during the closing months of the financial year. At the suggestion of Mr Seddon, the motion framed by the Conference on the subject of preferential trade relations with the Mother Country is to be illuminated and entrusted to him. as a present to the King.

The proceedings lasted until ian early hour in the morning.