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

'1429
Frederick Kennon sworn and examined.
F. Kennon,
1st lll~y 1,883.
48350. B.l/ tlte Clwirman.-What are you ?-I am a baker, a general baker all round. ·
48351. ~tlnd a biscuit bahr ?-A biscuit baker also. I have heard Mr. Swallow's evidence, and I
heard Mr. Guest's evidence, and I quite coincide with them that the dutv should be taken off biscuits and
Qff sugar, and we could compete with any imported goods out, and I shot{lcllike to see some English goods
come out, and show us the latest designs to make those biscuits.
48352. By Mr. Walker.-So that you could copy them ?-So that I could copy them. ·
48353. By the Chairman.-You ~were going to tell the Commission the way in which the tariff
affected yon as an operative biscuit baker r:--rn the first place, Mr. Swallow--
. 48354. Never mind about Mr. Swallow ?-The simple thing any way, I thlnk the whole tariff
upon biscuits, sugar, and everything should be swept away.
48355. Does the tariff upon biscuits affect you as an operative baker, does it make your wages any
less or any more ?-I should think I could do more business i£ the tariff were taken away. ·
48356. You are under the impression that if the duty were removed from biscuits there would be
more work for operative biscuit bakers ?-Yes.
48357. Notwithstanding that biscuits would be imported if the duty were off ?-I think the colonials
could beat any imported, but we want to see all the new designs. I speak as a biscuit baker.
48358. Have you anything further to add to that ?-Nothing further to add.
The witness withdrew.
PRESERVED MILK.
Charles George Turner sworn and examined.
48359. By the Chairman.-You are here as the representative of what company?-The Heidelberg
Cheese and Condensed Milk Company.
48360. When was this company formed ?-About eighteen months ago.
48361. How many hands are you employing?-When we are working fully we employ about thirty
altogether.
48362. How many of those are engaged at the condensed milk business ?-About fifteen to eighteen.
That is directly employed, of course a good many are indirectly employed, a good many making tins and
cases, and so on, and in carting backwards and forwards to the factory.
48363. In relation to the cheese part of your business, does the tariff interfere with you, or help you
in any way ?-The tariff has helped the cheese industry, inasmuch as it has enabled us to get this market,
and we can now command foreign markets. The bulk of the cheese we make is exported, very little
comes into this market at all, it is principally sent to Queensland.
48364. What duty do you pay upon it when it gets to Queensland ?-I think 2d. a pound, I am not
sure of it.
You see we do not pay the duty, we sell the cheE>se to the Queensland people.
48365 . .And they have to pay the duty upon it ?-I presume so, if there is a duty there.
48366. It i8 2d. a pound in Queensland ?-Ye~.
48367. Do you send any toW estern Australia ?-I do not think we have done.
48368. Do you send any to New Zealand ?-No, Kew Zealand is our chief competitor in Queensland.
She produces a large quantity of cheese.
48369. Do you wish to say anything about the duty on cheese ?-No.
48370. Are you satisfied with it as it is?-We are quite satisfied with it.
48371. If the duty upon cheese were removed, what would be its effect on you ?-I do not think it
would have any effeet. It would no.t do us any harm, but we are indepenclent of the duty. The duty made
the cheese trade, but we are now independent of the duty, and if the duty were removed we should not
suffer by it.
48372. Are not you under the impression that the New Zealand cheese would compete with you in
this market, as well as in the Queensland market, if the duty were removed ?-It might to some extent,
but not to any great extent. Yo.u see we can meet them in the Queensland market where we are upon
equal terms, we can hold our own there, and sell upon equal terms. .
48373. Which has the advantage in distance of carriage, you or New Zealand ?-It is about the
same. They ship most of theirs by way of Sydney, and the distance is about the same.
4"8374. What else do you make beside condensed milk and cheese ?-Nothing else, our trade is
confined to those two. We intend to go into the butter trade, but have not done so as yet.
48375. In relation to the condensed milk, what do you ask the Commission for in relation to that?
-We commenced about twelve months ago to make condensed milk. We sent to America and got the
best machinery we eould get, which cost £2,272, and we got the best man we could, at a very large salary,
to work the business. We put up a place at Yarra Flats, and it cost us from first to last about £5,000.
Upon the machinery, which cost us £2,272, we paid duty to the amount of £256 9s. 8d. We have got
it in working 0rder now, and we are able, if >Ye were working fully, to put through the machinery 2,000
gallons of milk per day. We could condense that quantity if we were able to get rid of the stuff. That
is equal to bet.ween 5,000 and 6,000 tins of milk per working clay.
48376. What are you condensing now?-Nothing at all at present. We worked for some time.
We did not work up to our full capacity, but pretty near it, and our stock accumulated, and we had to stay
our hands, because we could not sell it fast enough. We have to compete with the imported artiele.
48377. Is there a demand for it at all ?-Yes.
48378. But not fast enough to take off your stock as fast as you make it ?-That is how it is.
48379. Could not you have met that by a reduction in the price of the raw material, the milk?-
No, you see the price of milk is regulated by the cheese. We cannot offer them less than the price it is
worth for cheese-making, or other people get it. I was going to explain why we have not worked up to
our full quantity. There is an air of uncertainty about it. In order to keep us going we must have a
thousand cows fully going, and the farmers will not do that unless they see the thing established upon a
C. G. Turner,
lst May 1883.