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

1445
48854. No, all the evidence we have got goes to show that the English article is a penny a pound: RubertJobnston,
dearer than the colonial, whereas if it were the whole of the duty dearer it would be 2d. a pound dearer? 2n~~~;'i!i82,
-I cannot explain that.
48855. That is the evidence of miners who purchase the candles. I have been looking through the
evidence just now. It is the evidence of the manufacturers as to the prices in l\!Ielbonrne to-clay and
for many years past, and it is your own evidence also as to the relative prices of candles now ?-I
suppose the answer to that is that between those candles which only have a penny difference between the
locally-made article and the imported article virtually there is only a penny difference in quality.
48856. But I am assuming candles are the same quality; because, if you b1·ing in the question of quality
you knock the question of price out of time altogether-you eau only calculate prices upon equal qualities.
I take the evidence of Mr. Kitchen, for instance, upon the quality of candle which is 8~d. in bond and
lO~d duty paid, and the quality of that which he makes to take the place of it in the market, and sells
at fi·om 9~d. to 9~d. as the case may be. Now that is only a cli:ffereuce of a penny a pound between the
two articles, though the duty is 2d. a pouncl ?-The consumers Illi'tintain by the price they pay that
the imported candle is better than the colonial-made article ; they have always maintained that, and
backed up their opinion by giving the difference in price.
48857. Do you wish the Commission to suppose that if the 2d. were reduced upon that particular
article selling at lO~d. to-clay, or if the duty were off, that article would sell for 8lcl. ?-I believe it would
upon the average. I believe it would sell for 8~d. over a series of months or a series of years. The competition
among importers would be so increased that we should have hundreds of thousands of boxes
coming out here. I think the public would gain over a period of time in the duty.
48858. Have you got a list of prices that you have been selling at, say over a period of twenty
years, ten years before the duty, and ten years since ?-No, I have not a list with me.
. 48859. Could you furnish the Commission with your price-list, say over that period ?-Some books
of my old firm have been destroyed, some of the books about twenty years ago. The firm has been changed
several times, but I shoulcllike to say that the price we have received for candles-the candle that I represent
has, on the average, been about lld. to ls. during the last twenty years. That is the average price.
48860. That is the Neva, the particular one you sell ?-Yes, and for other candles, Belgium and
Dutch candles, the average price during teu years has been 9d. to lOd. I know for a fact that thousands
of boxes have been sold at 8d. a lb.
48861. Now, suppose this duty were removed, and you got bMk your old trade in candles, how
many more hands would you employ in your business ?-I do not think I should employ any more. Perhaps
one or two more, certainly that, but not more. Including draymen and all I s.nppose two or three more.
. 48862. By ll'lr-. J.1fclntyre.-I want to understand the "steadying of the market." You say the
market has been " steadied " by this duty?-Yes. .
48863. That is as compared with former times when there were more difficulties in communication
with the old country than there are now ?-Certainly, there is no possible analogy between the present
times and former times.
48864. Without this duty at all, would not this market be a steady market ?-It would.
48865. On account of the facility of comm1mication ?-Yes.
48866. Then that point goes to the wall ?-There would be rnore or less :fluctuation, but it would
not last more than six weeks or two months; it is quite impossible for anything to come up to a fancy price
now.
48867. You told the Chairman that during the last seven or eight years camUes could have been
sold at 7~d. a lb.?-Yes, not the Nevas, but candles that compete with Messrs. Kitchen's or the Apollo.
4!:l868. The Nevas are all a superior quality ?-Superior altogether, they do not compare ~with the
others.
48869. The candle you speak of now is equal, in your mind, if not superior, to the colonial article
during the last seven or eight years could have been selling for 7!d. a lb. in your opinion ?-Yes.
48870. What have they been selling at ?-About 8id. to 9d., sometimes 9~d., and as low
as 8d.
48871. The consumer all this time has been paying from ld. to lid. a lb. in excess of the value of
the article ?-Undoubtedly, I entirely believe that.
48872. What is the home price of tallow at present-of the ordinary kind ?-About 46s. to 47s.
per cwt.
48873. Give us the price of c::mdles per pound ?-There has been a rise dming the last two or
three months, and I have been told they are as high as 7 d. a lb.
48874. In England?-Yes.
48875. Ordinary candles ?-Yes.
48876. What is that class of candles selling at here now ?-At from lOd. to IO!cl.-say about
10~d.
48877. The people in the colony where tallow is so plentiful are paying about 3td. a lb. more than
in the old country ?-They are paying 2! a lb. more, because the cost of importing and freight ancl insurance
is, in round numbers, about ld. a lb,
48878. You have been here during the evidence to-day ?-Yes.
48879. And heard the evidence about the qua,lity ofthe colonial article ?-Yes.
48880. Can you explain how it iB that the importers 'still continue to import so largely and sell at a
penny a pound more than the colonial article if the quality is no better than the colonial ~trticle ?-I think
the public at large, miners and domestic consumers, ancl the trade and everyone else admit that the imported
candles are superior, and they give a better price for them.
48881. Have you ever tested the two candles, one alongside the other, both good and carefully
protected from draughts, and so on, to see which burned the longest ?-I think I have.
48882. What was the result ?-As far as my own candle goes, they were about the same, but that
is only one test among a score of the quality of the candle.
48883. That is the first one. Now, as to the longevity of the candle, they nre about alike ?-Yes,
all candles are about alike.