The Secretary read the following letter:

Wellington Independent, Volume XIX, Issue 2051, 21 April 1864, Page 2

The Secretary read the following letter:-

, Napier, March, 12, 1864. Sir,— Having been requested.byjjthe Commissioners of the Royal Exhibition at Dunedin to contribute the Essay " on theßotany, Geographic* and Economic of the .North Island of New Zealand," and having undertaken the task, I naturally Beck for every aid which will the better enable me to fulfil the same. And being well « aware that the Wellington Chamber of Commerce possesses much valuable information relative to the indigenous vegetable resources of its Province ; and believing that it would willingly aid' in making such known, especially on such an occasion as this ; I venture, sir, to solicit the assistance of your Chamber in preparing the said Essay, and would be greatly obliged in receiving from you, at your earliest convenience, any information respecting the useful indigenous vegetable resources of your Province — whether timbers, barks, gums, drugs, fruits, vegetable fibres, Sec— as well as the quantities annually used within the same.

I am, dear sir, yours very truly, Wm. Colenso. ,

To the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, Wellington. Mr. Woodward said that as there was a Committee of the Chamber appointed in connection with the Exhibition he thought it would be as well to refer the matter to them for consideration, as they* were more likely to be able to assist Mr. Colenso ia the matter than any person else. The Chairman would recommend that copies of the Annual Reports of the Chamber should be fo warded to Mr. Colenso, and then the Committee mentioned by Mr. Woodward could supplement the information they contained by such other items as they were themselves enabled to give. This course was agreed to, and the subject then dropped.

QUESTION OF PBIVII/EGB. Mr. Woodward, with the leave of the Chairman, would bring under the notice of the Chamber a somewhat irregular proceeding which had occurred siuce the last general meeting. The Committee of the Chamber met on the Ist of March, and some discussion arose relative to the Panama postal contract, a copy of which had been forwarded, and was then laid on the table ibr the first time. A day or two after this meeting took place he (Mr. Woodward) was somewhat surprised to see what purported to be a report of the proceedings in a public newspaper. He was quite confident that nothing which had occurred at that meeting would guarantee the conclusion arrived at in this report. The assertion made was to the effect that he had undertaken to draw up certain resolutions condemnatory of the contract. Now, what actually took place was really this. The document in question was laid upon the table, when a good deal of conversation took place amongst the members relative to its terms, and a general opinion was expressed that clause XXVII was objectionable in its character. One of the members spoke strongly on the subject, and his attention was ultimately directed to a rule by which they were guided which rendered it imperative that any proposition should be put in writing before it could be considered. The gentleman alluded to then asked him (Mr. Woodward) to put the views he had expressed in shape, and he accordingly did so. The subject subsequently dropped, and at the conclusion ol the meeting he was requested to draw up a series of resolutions, embodying the views expressed, to be submitted to the next general meeting of the Chamber. The matter stopped there, and the resolutions never were drawn up. He considered it his duty to call their attention to this question, as he thought it most irregular that the proceedings of the Committee should be reported at all. Mr. Johnston had listened with great pleasure to the explanation just given by Mr. Woodward, as it was his intention to have brought the same matter under the notice of the Chamber, and he intended to move that the miniates of the Committee meeting should i be read.

The Chairman—lt is not usual to read the minutes taken at meetings of the Committee, but, of course, if they are moved for, and the Chamber consider it necessary that they shall be read, there can be no possible objection. Mr. Johnston then moved, and Mr. Woodward seconded the motion, " That the minutes of the Committee meeting held on the Ist March last, be now read to the meeting." The resolution being carried unanimously the Secretary read the following : —

Committee Meeting. Tuesday, Ist March, 1864. Present— C. J. Fharazyn, Esq., Deputy-Chair-man ; Messrs. Hunter, Woodward, Duncan, Stokes, Bethune, Rhodes, and the Secretary. The minutes of the meeting of the 7th Dec. were read and confirmed.

A copy of the Panama Postal Contract, re^ ceived since the last meeting, was laid on the table.

Capt. Rhodes drew the attention of the Committee to Clause XXVII of this contract, which appeared to him to be in many ways objectionable. Discussion ensued, in which all present took part, and Mr. Woodward was asked to undertake the preparation of a draft of a resolution to be submitted to the next general j meeting of the Chamber. I Mr. Johnston thought there appeared to have been another irregularity committed, inasmuch that as no reporter was present at the meeting in question the information contained in the article alluded to by Mr. Woodward must have been given by some member of the Committee. One paper— he believed the Independent— -had had a leader commenting on the Panama contract, and the report mentioned was attached to the end of it, and conveyed the impression that it was the opinion of the Chamber. In the Advertiser of the sth March, they took upon themselves to condemn, on behalf of the public, the conduct of the Chamber in the matter, in the following rather strong terms :— " Without waiting for the. action which will be taken by the public, we, on their behalf, utterly repudiate and disown the proceedings which have been ! adopted by the Provincial Treasurer and the Committee of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, relative to Mr. Crosbie Ward, the I.R.M. Company, and the Panama contract." Whoever the person might be who reported the proceedings to the Press he should not • have given, the opinions expressed as the opinions of the Chamber, nor even those of the Committee. With regard to the contract itself, he was not then going to animadvert upon its terms, as if that were considered necessary the matter would be brought specially under the notice of the Chamber. He thought the Press had taken verM unfair action with regard to the Chamber or Commerce in. this matter, in making it appear that they had expressed an opinion at all on this important question. It was quite right that members should hold individual opinions on any question, but care should be taken that it was riotset forth as the opinion of the body. That should be given with due deliberation. Mr. Woodward regretted \that he had not the resolutions alluded to with him, as they would then be able to see that the matter was of quite a different character to what had been represented. .^iV... . v - Mr. Hunter said that lie had been- present, at the Committee meeting, «nd he; hi|dtdrj^W%u'; attention to the rule,i«fei^^b^^|Jwfl|v:^ ward. Some difference of ?OR|mii^^>^|^|^^|iK the question.by ; the:'me^be'^^^ sent, and he strongly protwted agaj^||^^;o

Committee taking any steps until a general meeting had been convened, and an expression of opinion solicited. The Chairman thought all members should be aware that it was not regular or proper to divulge what took place at meetings of Committee, from which reporters were excluded. Mr. Plimmer thought the Committee should be held responsible if they had taken ste"^ they were not authorised to take. Mr. Johnston said the action hitherto taken by the Chamber was. diametrically opposed to the construction put on the matter by the press in the present instauce. Tha opening remarks of the Chairman would show this beyond dispute. It showed that. the construction put on the matter by all the Wellington newspapers (Mr. Stokes — "No, not by all") was altogether opposed to the real proceedings of the Chamber. He begged the hon. member's pardon, and would say by two of the papers. It appeared to him (Mr. Johnston) that the press bad not shown their usual discretion in the matter — they bad misrepresented the actual state of the case. This might have been used to the serious disadvantage of Wellington, as some weight would, no doubt, be attached to the opinion as coming from the Chamber of Commerce: After a few remarks from Messrs. Hunter and Woodward, the subject dropped. There being no other business brought forward, the meeting separated.