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

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J. F. Rt~httriiJlon, 47845. Not even by Mr. Robison ?--He might say he would undertake it, but with all due respect 2 6t:'.t;~fssa. to him, I shottld not like to give him the order. It would boil thirty tons at one charge. I do not think he could do it. 47846. What do you wish to propose in relation to these matters ?-I do not propose anything; I only came to answer any questions you may wish to put. 47847. Do I understand you to ask the Commission to reduce the duty upon all castings because of this instance iu which you will have to pay ?-We should be very glad to see it; it is a very heavy tax to come upon one order. 47848. Do we understand that you, on the strength of this one instance, desire the Commission tO> recommend the abolition of duty altogethe:: upon iron castings ?-I do not see that in this case it does. any good, because the orcler goes home all the same. If 50 per cent. were imposed the order would go home. 47849. Your company is a limited liability company, is it not ?-No, unlimited. 47850. It is a good paying company, I believe ?-Yes. 47851. How much additional percen~age would it be to the profits of you!" directors if they did not have to pay that £2 10s. upon those castings ?-The amount I have told you-about £2,300 on that order. 47852. So much more to distribute in the year's profits ?-Yes, it has to come out of the year's profits of course. We do not go on adding to the capital. 47853. You would not have that out of one year's profits ?-Yes, because if you did not do that the refinery would keep increasing in the books. 47854. But when you make an improvement in the building or plant, do not you charge that to the capital account; you do not do it out of one year's profits ?-That is a mere matter of book-keepingthere is only one pocket. 47855. Still it is a very important matter if there is a yearly charge and yearly expenditure--? I think I can tell you that this is an extraordinary expenditure-this one item ; but the ordinary expenditure-what we call maintenance and machinery, which does come out of every year's profits-is £7,000 per annum. It takes that every year to keep the place in order. 47856. That has always to be spent in the colony ?-Yes. 47857. That is paid always to labour in the colony ?-No, some of it comes from home. This of course is rather a large order. 47858. It will make the alteration· cost some thousands of pounds more than it would otherwise? £2,000 more. 47859. And consequently lessen your profits every year by interest upon £2,300 ?-Yes, precisely. 47860. That will not be a very large percentage out of the profits ?-No ; my only object in mentioning that is to show how the thing presses. 47861. By Mr. Walher.-Did you make any attempts to castings made here ?-We are constantly getting castings. 47862. :For this particular contract you refer to, did you ask for tenders in the colony ?-No. 47863. You only assume that the difference would be so much ?-I know we pay £18 to £22 for 1 castings when we get them. 47864. Do not you think you would get this large lot for less than a small one ?-I know that this. shipment would be £13 10s. 47865. You told the Chairman that the cost here would be £18 ?-Yes. 47866. But you have no knowledge of that-you only assume it from your past experience? I know what the price of castings is. 47867. With regard to the loss in refining sugar, the same applies to all bonded goods. Afte:rrepacking beer and wine you do ·not pay duty upon broken bottles ?-No, the Customs gets the revenue· only upon what goes out. 47868. You only get just the same advantage as other people ?~Just the same. It puts us upoTh a level. 47869. By ~Mr. M2mro.~How many shareholders are there in your company ?-About 35-between:. 30 and 40. 47870. There is never any balance-sheet published of the Sugar Company, is there ?-It is a private, company. 47871. You could not deny it, if I stated that the profits were about 25 per cent., would you-from, 20 to 25 per cent. ?-That is a question I cannot answer. It is simply a large private firm. 47872. Which makes about 20 to 25 per cent. You have said that those castings could not be made· iu the colony under from £18 to £20 a ton ?-Yes. 47873. You have.also stated to Mr. ·walker that you have not made any attempt ?-No. 47874. I state here that you can get those castings done at from £12 to £13 a ton ?-I am veryglad to hear it. 4787 5. 1f you will advertise for those castings, and if there is a thousand tons, I will undertake to say you will get those castings done for £13 a ton, and then you would have this advantage, that you would have them made under your own supervision ?-No doubt. I am very glad to hear it. I will make inquiries. 47876. I am getting castings done for £12 a ton-plain castings, and not a thousand tons of them .. Supposing this excise were taken oft' would you get the sugar any cheaper ?-That is merely a question of competition with other importers. 47877. That is, the proprietors would get the benefit, not the consumer ?-It would not affect the price of sugar at all. 47878. If those castings were patent machinery or machinery that could not be made in the colony, 1414 I could have seen some force in your argument. Now, with regard to the copper, did you ever ask Robison Brothers if they could make that copper boiler ?-I have no doubt they would say they could; but I should have my own opinion. 47879. They have stated in this room that they could make any copper work· in the colony ?-They undertook to raise the Austral. Ma.y I make just one remark ~~bout wharfage. The wharfage rates, I suppose a large portion of them, go to maintain those fine wharfs here. We have a private wharf at.;
1415 Yarraville constructed and maintained at considerable expense. It runs out into the fair-way. It seems a ol'.F.El?ha.rdson, serious tax. We paid wharfage rates for the year 1882 upon goods landed at our private jetty £6,336, 26 J;~fi"fsss. which appears to us unequitable. It is a large contribution to the revenue, for which we receive nothing. " 47880. By the Chairman.-Y on built the wharf yourselves ?-We built the whal!f ourselves, and maintain it ourselves, and we never received a penny from any public source. 47881. By Mr. Walker.-The wharfage rate is not imposed simply to keep up the wharfs? I believe that is so. 47882. None else but you use your own wharf. You get the exclusive use of it ?-It is a private wharf. 47883. Part of the rate goes to maintain light-houses and dredge the Bay, and so on ?-I believe so. 47884. By Mr. 11.{~6nro.-The dredge works for your wharf, does it not ?-Yes, we are in the fair-way. 47885. You can bring up a large vessel alongside your wharf now?-Yes, a vessel drawing about 15 feet 6 inches. 47886. Which you could not do some years ago ?-No ; about 14 feet . . The witness withdrew. WINE. Thomas Francis :S:yland sworn and examined. 47887. By the Chairman.-What are you ?-I am a vineyard proprietor. 4 7888. 1n this colony ?-In South Australia. 4 7889. Y on are desirous of giving some evidence to the Commission, I believe, as to the effect the duty upon wine has upon the intercolonial trade ?-Yes, the effect the intercolonial duty has upon the wine trade. · 47890. Will you state to the Commission as briefly as you can what it is you wish to put before us, if you please ?-What I would ask is if the Commission can aid me in getting free exchange of wines between the colonies, or a differential duty. 47891. Free exchange of wines the produce of the various colonies_:_between the colonies ?-Yes. 4 7892. When you say a" free exchange" do you mean regardless of the quantities that either colony might send ?-Yes, I limit it to the production of each colony. 47893. That is to say that Victoria might send 10,000 gallons into South Australia, and South Australia might send 50,000 into Victoria, if she chose?-Yes, quite so, or into any other colony she
Page 1 and 2: 1401 47±25. How many pounds do the
Page 3 and 4: 1403 4748±. You say you received t
Page 5 and 6: 1405 475±9. Do yon mean to say it
Page 7 and 8: 1407 told me thttt they preferred l
Page 9 and 10: 1409 because the revenue would not
Page 11 and 12: 1411 47743. How was that divided be
Page 13: l4:13 47824. Y on did not need to a
Page 17 and 18: 1417 47927. You clo not call bungs
Page 19 and 20: 14Hl 47998. You cut litt.le corks o
Page 21 and 22: 1421 48060. Would the public get th
Page 23 and 24: 1423 48145 . .Are they aule to comp
Page 25 and 26: 1425 48210. How many hours do they
Page 27 and 28: 1427 48283. What prevented you from
Page 29 and 30: '1429 Frederick Kennon sworn and ex
Page 31 and 32: 1431 Gillman Goodrich Pearce sworn
Page 33 and 34: 1433 48483. Who uses condensed milk
Page 35 and 36: 1435 48563. The removal of the duty
Page 37 and 38: 1437 48631. How can you make ends t
Page 39 and 40: 1439 people in the country ?-I thin
Page 41 and 42: 1441 the ld. is taken off, the mine
Page 43 and 44: 1443 48793. Is it a success ?-It wa
Page 45 and 46: 1445 48854. No, all the evidence we
Page 47 and 48: c 1447 are sold at 10d., that would
Page 49 and 50: 1449 duty th11t is upon fhinnels-is
Page 51 and 52: 1451 49028. But also the value?-Yes
Page 53 and 54: 1453 49088. Have you any reason to
Page 55 and 56: 1455 when we commenced as nmnufactu
Page 57 and 58: 1457 49236. Has there been any fall
Page 59 and 60: 1459 49302. Have you tried Queensla
Page 61 and 62: 1461 49367. I understand that you s
Page 63 and 64: 1463 taken the place of mill-stones
Page 65 and 66:
1465 49494. Do you think you could
Page 67 and 68:
1467 4·9558. Youwoufd not be dispo
Page 69 and 70:
1469 49629. Where do you get your r
Page 71 and 72:
1471 49704. Approve of what ?-You t
Page 73 and 74:
1473 49786. Oats have not yet reach
Page 75 and 76:
1475 49854. Will you give us a case
Page 77 and 78:
1417 49922. What pTopoTtion does th
Page 79 and 80:
1479 49981. You think they should p
Page 81 and 82:
1481 John Rigby Non·is sworn and e
Page 83 and 84:
1483 50i 17. Are yon in the habit o
Page 85 and 86:
1485 50183. By JYir. Longmore.-Do y
Page 87 and 88:
-14:8:7 50238. By 11£1·. Longmore
Page 89 and 90:
1489 .'i0314. Do you export to Sydn
Page 91 and 92:
1491 Henry Berry sworn and examinet
Page 93 and 94:
]493 50429. That being the case, an
Page 95 and 96:
1495 50498. In what way ?-Something
Page 97 and 98:
1497 50578. What woulL1 you do for
Page 99 and 100:
1499 The Cftairrnan.-Quitc right. 5
Page 101 and 102:
1501 50689. Are you opposed to the
Page 103 and 104:
1503 50755. Thn.t leaves you 836 ac
Page 105 and 106:
1505 50807. Is that what you want t
Page 107 and 108:
1507 50881. At the present price of
Page 109:
1509 {)0950. Where were you living
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Minutes of Evidence p.1401-1509 - Parliament of Victoria

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