The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-03 00:00:00

HALIFAX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The monthly meeting of this chamber was held
on Wednesday, the president, Colonel Akroyd,
M.P., in the chair.. .The minutes of the last meeting
having been adopted, a report was read by the
secretary of the proceedings at the late meeting of
the Associated Chambers of Commerce. The report
was an elaborate statement of the resolutions, argu-
ments, &c., upon the subjects brought forward, and
an account of the deputations to the Foreign-office,
the Board of Trade, and to the Attorney-General.
Mr. Hartley moved a vote of thanks to the deputa-
tion from the chamber to the Associated Chambers.
The deputation consisted of the president, Mr. Wil-
liam Morris, Mr. Bowman, and the secretary. A
letter was read from Mr. Lloyd, the president
of the Associated Chambers, stating that the asso-
ciation would hold meetings in February, and
asking if the chamber had any proposition to lay
before the meetings. The chairman said therp was
one subject which the Halifax Chamber submitted
at the last meeting of the association—a recom-
mendation that the Government should take steps
for effecting a commercial tariff with the Portu-
guese and Spanish Governments. The subject had
been referred by the Associated Chambers to a tariff
committee. The chairman stated that he had seen
in the Leeds Mercury of that morning a paragraph
stating that the Government had felt it their duty
to abandon the notion of a treaty of commerce
with Portugal and Spain. He explained that the
full-bodied wines of Portugal, if above 26 de-
grees of proof, paid a duty of 2s. 6d. a gal-
lon, and the Portuguese Government asked
for these wines to be reduced to the same
scale as under the French tariff. It appeared from
the paragraph that the Portuguese Government
had taken the initiative in the matter. Portugal
was an old ally of England, and some years ago
Halifax almost solely supplied the Portuguese mar-
kets with low woollen cloths. He could not say
how the market stood at the present time, but
there was still no doubt a substantial trade done
between Halifax and Portugal. It was important
that the Government should be alive to the
development of the trade of the nation, and he
was sure that this decision of her Majesty's
Government could not last long, the pressure for
a change would be too great. He was somewhat
surprised at the apathy of chambers of commerce
upon this question, for he believed that a much
more extensive trade might be done with the Penin-
sula if a treaty were effected. He had been in-
formed that a commercial treaty had been completed
between the Papal States and this country, and on
the basis of the French treaty. He contrasted the
probable advantages of a treaty with Portugal with
one with the Papal States, the trade with which, he
said, was now of very limited extent. Some discus-
s:on ensued, and the sanction of the chamber was
given to the chairman to bring forward the subject at
the Associated Chambers' meeting. Mr. F. Smith
made a statement as to the late conference of tradesmen
with Mr. Redgrave, factory inspector, on the new Fac-
tory Acts. Mr. Smith spoke approvingly of the con-
ference, and the great amount of information given on
the acts by Mr. Redgrave. Mr. Smith recom-
mended the publication of a full report of the con-
ference by the chamber, as a large number of trades-
men would come under the acts in this district.
After some discussion it was decided to publish such
a report. The chairman read a letter which he had
received from the chairman of the Havre Chamber
of Commerce, on the project of a Maritime Exhibi-
tion in that town in October of the present year.
The chairman (Mr. Akroyd) said he admired the
public spirit of the Havre Chamber in addressing
the Chambers of Commerce of England. It was
decided to reply that Halifax, not being a maritime
town, could not lend material aid, but the chamber
was much pleased with the friendly communica-
tion. It was announced that the annual meeting
of the chamber would be held on the 17th of
January.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.