Mr A. -T. Turnbull said if the Bill was aimed against certain stock and mining ex changes, it might be a move in the right direction, as tending to check what are prac tically monopolies held by such exchanges, membership of which was not possible ex cept on the payment of very heavy entrance fees. But ifthis were the object, it cer

tainlv should have been clearly stated: a»-i if this were the object the proposed enact ment would not apply to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. The aim of ihat Chamber for some years past had been n> have all classes of the mercantile commu nity fully xepresented, and with that object in View the"entrance fees had been reduced to two guineas for town firms, and ona guinea for country firms. In its endeavour to ex tend its membership the Chamber had baen fairly successful, as its present numerical strength showed, and it might be fairly said that the Chamber fully represented the mercantile community, it necessarily ex ercised its critical capacity on any legisla tion affecting the mercantile interests, but reference to "its decisions would show that the Chamber bad at all times exercised this faculty regardless of party politics, in fact, it had studiously avoided party politics. He instanced matters connected with rail way or steamer communication, railway rates, postal' and cable rates, and questions of a similar nature, as cases in point. The criticism from the Chamber on such questions came from per sons who, by reason of their business know ledge, were directly interested, and whose views Should have more weight than tbose of many of the present type of legislator. To Mr Turnbull the Bill is only a further instance of the prevalent idea of breaking down, which seems to constitute the sole idea of progress an the part of many legis lators, and which is distinctly at variance with old-fashioned ideas of buLldrng up oil a solid basis anything tending to the develop ment and extension of our national interests. When it is mentioned that one of the qua lifications for membership of a Chamber of Commerce or of Mines, under the proposed Act. is that a person must be the registered holder of not less than twenty shares in any mining company, the absurdity of the Bill is apparent.
