H.—22

14

The Special Partnerships Act. The Commission have -given some consideration to the question of so amending the law of partnership as to admit of capital being invested in an enterprise, with a view to assisting projectors, without subjecting the capitalist to unnecessaryrisk. They find, however, that what is wanted is not so much an amendment of the law as a wider knowledge of the law as it stands. They therefore take advantage of the publicity which their report is likely to obtain to draw the attention of the public to the provisions of " The Special Partnerships Act, 1858," and " The Partnerships Amendment Act, 1866 " (the provisions of which are reproduced in the Mercantile Law Bill, now before Parliament), under which capitalists can share the profits of an undertaking with limited liability for themselves —the unlimited liability being restricted to the working partner —and without the necessity of having seven in the company, as required by the Joint-Stock Companies Act. The Exhibition of Local Industries at Ciiristchurch. The Commission have received from the Government the report of the Committee appointed to inspect the Exhibition of Local Industries at Ciiristchurch, and it will be found at the end of the evidence and papers properly belonging to their inquiry. They regard the Exhibition both as a striking proof of the progress already made by local industries in the country, and as a valuable means of furthering their progress in the future. They concur in the recommendation made by the Committee, that, in the event of any other exhibition of the kind being held, either in Ciiristchurch or elsewhere, the Government should take steps to obtain full and accurate particulars regarding the exhibits, for public information. Concluding- Remarks. The Commission feel that in this report they have but very imperfectly acquitted themselves of the duty intrusted to them. They cannot but express their regret that they have been prevented by want of time from thoroughly investigating the subject of their Commission, and by the impossibility of obtaining leisure during the session from giving sufficient consideration to the material which they have collected. They are of opinion, nevertheless, that much good will result from the publication of the evidence attached to this report; and they trust that their own conclusions upon it, immature as they may be, will be of some assistance to the Government and of some practical value to the public. The experience which the Commission have gained in the course of their inquiry leads them to the belief that sooner or later it will be found profitable to institute some kind of permanent administrative relations between the Government and the public, having special reference to the development of the industrial energies of the country. The Commission hesitate to suggest the establishment of a Department of Industry and Commerce, lest they should be misunderstood. Nothing is farther from their mind than to recommend the creation of costly official machinery to do what could best be done at little or no cost, a^id without any official form. What is really needed is an active, practical man 6£ business, or several active, practical men of business, with an aptitude for the work, and, above all things, free from either scientific or political crotchets, who should carry on the process of inquiring into the state of local industries, obtaining accurate information as to the disabilities under which they suffer, affording information required by those concerned in them, and reporting to the Government from time to time the directions in which they may render them assistance or avoid inflicting injuries upon them. In the meantime, the Commission venture to express a hope that the subject of local industries will not be allowed to fall into oblivion, but that steps will be taken to continue, in one form or another, the interesting and useful investigation in which they have been engaged. Given under our hands and seals at Wellington, this twenty-ninth day of July, 1880. Edward Wakefield. Theodore F. S. Tinne. A. 11. MuitRAT.J. W. Bain. E. C. J. Stevens. A. J. Burns. Wm. Akchd. Murray