In would certainly be unphilosophical to measure the merits of an institution by the volume of its talk; and we are quite at one with our esteemed correspondent "J.," whose letter appears on another page, in the belief that ayeer of quiet and honest work in Committee gives the Chamber of Commerce a stronger claim on the gratitude of the public than any amount of rhetorical flashes which could have enlivened the annual meeting. Where work and talk come into direct competition, the power of usefulness will be generally found in the inverse ratio of the length and number of the speeches.
need seek no further than our own Municipal Council for a living example of how vast operations may be conducted in profound silence. Talking Councils we have had before now; chattering and gossiping Councils, prone to take the public into their confidence on the smallest provocation. But when did a Council so unpretentions ly, and with almost furtive modesty, throw their heart and soul into their work, causing the transpontine marshes to smile the bland smile of prosperity as the present Council have done and are daily doing? Hongkew we accept as a standing witness to the superiority of work over talk.
Yet in face of such evidence, we venture to think that, in public affairs, some modicum of talk is not without its advantages. Action is good, but deliberation is also good, and that is the point at which we presume we must join issue with our able corres. pondent. Few persons, we apprehend, would dispute the general proposition that watchfulness over the imposts on trade is within the province of the Chamber of Commerce. What we ventured to suggest was, that such vigil lance should be exercised with circum. spection; and that where the represen. tatives of the merchants were urged to put pressure on the representatives of the public, care should be taken to look well to both sides of the case, For the sake of the prestige and in. fluence of the Chamber itself, every caution should be taken to avoid get. ting into a false position. But what was the history of the resolution passed—by a majority indeed, but a majority created by the casting vote of the Chairman—at the meeting of the Chamber on the 19th? The mem. bers had been called together to consider the Annual Report which was printed and in their hands for some days previously; and to discuss certain subjects which were duly specified in the Report. Neither the Report itself, nor the business arising out of it being of a nature likely to elicit much divergence of opinion among the members, a much smaller number of them attended than might otherwise have been the case. When the business on the paper had been disposed of, member rose from his seat to propose a resolution of which the meet. ing generally bad not heard, but which may, with all charity, be presumed to have been submitted to a few of those present, some of whom may possibly even have undertaken to support it with their votes. The subject-matter of the resolution was very important, being nothing less than the incidence of our local taxation on merchandize, a question on which the Ratepayers had already given an opinion in the regular manner, but which was nevertheless a question on which different views might be reasonably entertained on which, as a matter of fact, it was known that persons who had thought about it were very much divided as to its merits. It was, therefore, in a special sense a matter for full deliberation. Yet this really important and difficult question was, without a moment's warning, thrust upon the members of the Chamber, who were thus suddenly called on to pronounce upon it without having any opportunity of reflecting on what they were doing. Tite trivial discussion that ensued as to whether the P. & O. steamers made the port, or the port the steamers, sufficiently showed how unprepared the meeting was for any serious consideration of the subject. And the fact of the resolution passing under such circumstances, even though by the skin
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.