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

1435
48563. The removal of the duty would not remove tlwse advantages which you have obtained in that John A •. Ki~hen,
direction, would it?-Yes, and more. There would not be anything like l d. ad vantage, nor even id. 2n~":.:'; lSSa.
advantage in the perfecting of our manufacture.
48564. What I mean is this. Whntever that advantage is you have it now in addition to the duty,
and you would have it still if the duty were removed ?-No, not necessarily so, because there is much
greater competition with us now by the home houses. For the first few years they did not compete with
us, but now they compete with us very much more. For instance, it is a very common thing for them to
make special terms for Australian ships, even to the difference of ~d. I have known that myself as a fact.
Candles have been sol~ at id. cheaper than the current rate for the sake of getting them. into this market.
48565. To ship them to Victoria?-Yes. There has been very keen competition with us in that
respect, and there have been already one or two very large failures in business at home ; one has just tal~:en
place now.
48566. 'Vhat would be the ultimate effect, so far as your experience enables you to come to a
conclusion, if the duty were lowered or removed and your factory were closed, so far as the manufacture of
stearine candles goes. What would be the effect upon the market for candles here ?-They would be no
cheaper than they are to-day.
48567. No cheaper ?-No, or rather the average price would not, in my opinion, be any less.
48568. Can you explain to the Commission upon what grounds you come to that conclusion ?-In
the first place we have to sell a candle that is recognised. The candle that I speak of that I put against
the imp01·ted is a superior candle to the imported to the extent of !cl. a pound. We really have to sell
them on account of prejudice, and people preferring the imported candle, I dare say prejudice to a great
extent ; there is fully ~cl. difference in that respect. And then we have taken away the importers' profits
(which were often very heavy) since the imp0sition of the duty. There htLs been no profit upon candles
since they have been made here to any great extent.
48569. Importet·s have made no profit, ?-Importers have made no profit ; generally tltey are sold at
a loss, and I know that if we were out of the market the probability is, of course, thl1t they would ml1ke
their profits again.
48570. Do we understand you to say that the importers have ml1de this a cutting line of trade, then,
as sugar is generally supposed to be with grocers ?-Very much so.
48571. Can you tell the Commission what is the difference to-day between the wholesale price of
candles per pound, at which the importers land them here, l1nd what they sell to the retail storekeeJJers for?
-Are yon speaking of the present time?
48572. Yes, the present time ?-Do I understand that you want the difference between that cost
and the cost of the candle here ?
48573. Yes. Take for instance an importing firm in Melbonrne-Connell and Hogarth or any of
them-what price are they charging to their storekeepers up-country for their candles, l18 compared with
the price t.hey pay for them landed here ?-They often sell at a loss.
4857J. Can you tell us the market price to-day for both kinds '!-To-day, as it happens, they are
bearing a profit in consequence of a very large l1dvance, as I told you just now ; but in the usual way
there is no profit, anc.l there is a loss in selling them to the retailer and to mining· people.
48575. What would be the effect ot' reducing the duty from 2d. to a penny only, and not going
to the extent of striking it off altogether ?-Upon the mannfactur~rs?
48576. Yes ?-As I said before, we must close om· factories; we could not possibly keep on.
48577. If you had only a penny taken o:ff ?-Yes. I thought you were speaking of the penny.
We could not keep ou with a halfpenny reduction.
48578. By Mr. lJ!Icintyre.-What is the price of tallow in this country at present ?-Best tallow
about £38 a ton.
48579. What is the price per ton in London ?-£48, last ad vices.
48580. They give .£10 a ton more for tallow at home, and they import the article here for
how much ?-About 6d.
48581. You said £39 and £48 ?-Yes. I take yon to say to-day; to-day there happens to be £10
difference. The average difference is £6.
48582. Do you mean to convey to the Commission that it is impossible for yon to coinpete with
the home article while the tallow is so mu eh more costly there than it is here?-Yes.
48583. What are the other component parts of a stearine candle-what is there outside of the
tallow ?-Are you alluding to t.he colonial candle or the imported ?
4R58L Colonial ?-Tallow entirelv.
48585. And the other articles tha:'t are used to make up the candle ?-Nothing but tallow.
48586. Is there not something to harden the tallow ?-:-It undergoes a certain process.
48587. No spermaceti or anything of that kind used ?-Nothing at all.
4~588. Is any used in the home candle ?-Yes, other ingredients are used in the home candle, what
we call adulteration-cheap wax, em·th wax, and many ot!ICr things.
48589. It is a singular thing, but you seem to think it is a fact nevertheless, that this adulteration
is appreciated by the consumers of candles ?-No, it is not so far as the English cl1ndle coming here to-dl1y
goes. If the consumption were to be put upon these imported eandlt"s it would add to it so that the miners
could not use them, the quality of them has so altered during the last ten years.
48590. Do you know as a matter of fact that the miners prefer the imported candles ?-No, I do not.
48591. I do, so that settles that point as far as I am concerned. Y on think that it is a prejudice
against your candles ?-Not in the mines, for in the mines I think the colonial article is used to the extent
of 98 per cent. to the extent of only 2 or 3 per cent. of imported.
48592. The prices being equal ?-No; I am speaking now of the consumption to-day. It is 95 to
97! per cent. ,
48593. Would you consider it a. fact if the Commission had received evidence to the effect that the
colonial candle is very much reprobatec1, so to speak, by miners as a rule, so that they do not care to use
it. We have evidence to the effect that you make a candle so full of tallow that it drips and destroys the
amalgam, and they prefer the imported article ?-No, I never heard anything of that sort.
48594. If we have evidence of that sort from r'rJ,iners, would it be a fact ?-No,