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

1403
4748±. You say you received those parcels from the country ?-Yes. I am now endeavourin()> to
trace out their origin, and if I crm secure the evidence, since onr brands are recristered in this colony, we slmll
take legal proceedings; .for there is a direct fraud.
"'
47485. You are under the impression that those have come from America ?-No, they are made
here for the purpose of putting on.
47i8G. In imitation of the American tags that is what we call Cavendish that you have
, in your hand.
· 47487. You import tobacco that lias this brand upon it, you say ?-Yes.
47488. Have you got a sample of that with you ?-I have not, I forgot to put it up. We call it
Golden Eagle.
47489. Could you supply the Commission with a sample ?-I could.
47490. Can yon send a messenger and get a sample of this; there are two kinds here, Go !den Eagle
and Victory ?-The VictoJ'Y is not an exact imitation.
47491. You say the Victory label is not an exact imitation of yours ?-No, it is a different col or. I
put a Victory before you und an Aromutic ; here is the original Golden Eagle, and here is the imitation­
[handin,q in papers.]-No one but m1 expert could tell the difference.
47492. You are under the impressir.n that those are used for the purpose of putting on inferior
brands of tobacco, either inferior imported brands or colonial-made brands ?-Quite so.
47493. Must be used for either purpose?-Mnst be used foreither purpose; but most of the imported
manufactured tobaccoes have tags upon them to begin with, consequently that coulll not so readily apply
to them.
47494. It is quite easy to take off the tags and put others on ?-Not so easy; it would be a very
laborious thing, and there would not be the same object in it..
47495. Unless they were a poor quality imported, and they wished to palm them off as bett.er ?­
Comparatively little inferior tobacco is imported now.
47496. The cqlonial manufacture has driven it out?-Yes, and there is a higher duty.
47497. Have you anything further to suggest beyond what Mr. Kronheimer suggested ?-I have
not.
47498. Would you as an importer be satisfied with that alteration if adopted ?-Yes, I think it is
reasonable. I may say with regard to leaf we import leaf also. We import strips, and the question was
raised here yesterday by you as to whether an export trade could not be got, and the reason why better
leaf could not be produced here. I have been in Virginia and Kentucky where the bulk of tobacco is
produced, and though I am practically not acquainted with the manufacture o£ tobacco, I have spoken with
my constituents there, and they say the climate and soil have everything to do with the production of
tobacco ; that seed taken from Virginian tobacco of a fine quality such as is used for aromatics, 1md tuken
to Kentucky will pwduce a very different leaf, far more stalk ; and then the tobacco cmp is very much
influenced by the season. A tobacco crop wants a good deal of moisture, aud at a certain stage of its
growth frosts injure it very seriously, and the great drawback to the growth of tobacco in these colonies,
as far as my knowledge goes, is the uucertninly of the seasons. You have far more drought here than they
have in Virginia. A drought here, if continued, means a total failure of the crops, and upon that ground
I see no prospect, or very little, 6f colonial-grown tobacco ever arriving at the same perfection as the
Virginian article does.
47499. Unless it could be grown upon river flats, where it could be irrigated ?-No, upon river flats,
in this colony, you are liable to droughts, unless you can irrigate.
47500. By iflr. llfclntyre.-In regard to imported leaf, is the character of the leaf imported here as
good as the leaf you suw at home ?-Yes.
47501. In every respect ?-In every respect, it is a better average.
47502. Is the article manufactured from the leaf here as good after it is manufactured us the
imported article is ?-In manufacturing there is something besides the leaf. Every manufacturer in the
States has his own particular flavouring, that they put a certain amount of some fine sugar and liquorice,
what we call dressing. Everyone has his own secret, and there is something in the flavour of those that
every particular smoker may like. Take the Victory, that is one of the most favorite brands that come to
this market. No other Virginian manutiwturer has been able yet to hit upon the exact tlavonr though they
use the same leaf.
47503. Have you never come across any tobacco manufactured here yet that is a goatl as the
imported, or that made from the imported leaf ?-I have never seen any.
47504. Do you know the difference in the retail price ?-I do not know.
47505. What is the difference in the wholesale price between the article imported and the article
made here, supposed to he similar to the article imported ?-I cannot say. I never buy colonial
manufactured tobacco.
47506. You never buy any of the leaf tliat is only bought by manufacturers.
47507. You do not sell any of the colonial manufactured ?-No, not any.
47508. By lllr. Zox.-Do you consider that the inferiority is in consequence of the unsuitability of
our soil to grow tobacco equally good with American tobacco, or of the want of knowledge of the secret for
the component parts you put .into that, like liquorice, or other ingredients ?-I think that so far as we have
seen yet, colonial climate and soil will not grow as fine a tobucco, as fine a leaf as Virginia for instance.
4750H. B;IJ Mr .. 2lfuMo.-Do I understand that those labels are printed in the colony, and put upon
colonial-made tobacco, and sold as imported ?-Yes, undoubtedly.
47510. How long is it since you got information of those cases ?-I have known it to be done for
severnl years.
The difficulty is to find it out.
47511. How lonl! is it since you got those labels ?-I dare say. three months.
47512. And you have not been able yet to trace them ?-vVe have not.
47513. Is it done in the city or the country ?~I believe it ~s done everywhere where tobacco is
sold in quantity. I believe it is done in Melbourne.
47514. Then you think colonial tobacco should be branded in the same way as American tobacco?
-It would be a certain amount of protection to the consumer of tobacco.
47515. He would F;now eJ~:actly what he was purchasing ?-Yes,
W. W. Couchc,
cantinued,
26111 Aprill8S3.