Minutes of Evidence p.1401-1509 - Parliament of Victoria

1507
50881. At the present price of labour ?-Yes, I think so.
50882. But you do not give your views any practical effect by growing oats ?-Yes.
50883. I thought you said you grew none ?-Yes, I grew 40 acres last year.
50884. You want labour ?-Yes.
50885. You would not object to a little coolie labour, for instance ?-Yes; I would not object even
to employ Chinamen.
50886. Then I understand you that that is your real meaning about immigration, that labour is too
high, and the hours are too short ?-No, I mean that the labour is too scarce, and that we cannot get the
quality of labour that we had twenty years ago. I have not found any fault whatever with the remuneration,
I like to see the working man well paid, and I do not want to reduce the working man's wages.
50887. At the same time, I understand that you employ less labour upon 2,000 acres than
Mr. Galbraith employs upon 300 ?-Yes, but if everyone was to work his land in the same way that
Mr. Galbraith works it, where would the country be, there must be a -variety.
50888. Then Mr. Galbraith ought to be prosecuted as an over-producer ?-No, no more than myself.
50889. By Mr. Lobb.-Would you be in favour of taking the duties off the products of the farmer,
and leaving them on all other manufactures ?-Certainly not, let us have fair play.
50890. By the Chairman.-Have you anything further to add ?-No, nothing that I know of.
The witness withdrew.
Fraucis Foy, Esq., J.P., sworn and examined.
50891. By the Chairman.-What are you ?-I am a grazier and storekeeper.
50892. How many acres does your holding contain ?-About 1,100 acres freehold.
50898. How many do you cultivate ?-About 80.
50894. Principally you are a grazier?-Dairying, cheesemaking principally.
50895. Will you state to the Commission what evidence you desire to give ?-I think the present
duty upon cheese and butter should be r·etained. I think it has done a great deal of good in forwarding the
interests, particularly of cheesemaking. We have had some very bad years to contend with lately, though
this year and the year before were better. It was not so good in the year before.
50896. Do you export butter like the previous witness ?-No, we principally make cheese. We
make some butter in winter.
50897. Do you export cheese ?-It is sold to firms in Melbourne, I do not know whether it is
exported.
50898. Do you wish to add anything ?-No, I think the duty is an advantage as it gives us batter
classes and prevents the New Zealand cheese, which is the principal country we have to contend
against, flooding the market with their stufi. I do not think there is any duty upon butter and cheese in
Sydney.
50899. Yes, there is 2d. a lb. upon cheese?- Yes, but nothing upon butter; but I believe it has been
abolished upon cheese lately.
50900. Butter is free in New South Wales ?-Yes, and I think lately the duty upon cheese has
been done away with-within the last month or six weeks.
50901. By ltfr. 111cintyre.-Do you think it necessary to retain a duty such as this, the butter and
cheese imported last year gave a revenue, butter of £19 for the whole year-do you think it necessary to
keep that on ; and the year before it was net very much, and the year before not very much, and you were
exporting butter. Cheese yielded £75 ?-That is English cheese. I think it prevents a lot of inferior
stuff being sent into the country under free-trade, when they have a lot of inferior stuff in other colonies
they put it upon us ; I think it is better as it is.
50902. Would it not be better to repeal it absolutely ?-No.
50908. Would it not do at a penny ?-Let it be as it is. You see with an inferior article 2d. is a
great deal, but they might face a penny.
50904. If to collect that £75 and £19 it costs the country £5,000, would you keep it on ?-I do not
want to see it altered.
The witness withdrew.
David Gibsou sworn and examined.
50905. By the Chairman.-What are you ?-Farmer and dairyman.
· 50906. How many acres have you ?-About 400 altogether.
50907. How much of these do you cultivate ?-About 80.
50908. What do you grow principally ?-Hay and oats, sometimes wheat, if I think the market will
be good.
50909. Have you heard the evidence of the previous witnesses ?-I have heard most of the
evidence.
50910. Will you state to the Commission what you wish to say in addition to what you have already
heard ?-I very much disagree with the protective views of most of the witnesses that have been examined
here.
50911. We do not want to go into the question of views ?-I disagree with the duties that have
been imposed and their continuance.
50912. You agree then with the evidence o£ Mr. Hurst ?-Yes, to some extent. I do, but only to
some extent.
50913. Will you tell us where you differ from him ?-I differ from him as to the cost of producing
agricultural machinery. The question was asked, by one of the Commission, whether agricultural machinery
was cheaper or more costly at the present time than some years a&o, and the answer was yes. I entirely
differ from that answer. I ha.ve been a farmer for about seventeen years, and I can prove now that
machinery I am buying at the present day is actually more costly than the machinery I bought when
I commenced farming. At that time there was no duty imposed at all, an