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

John B. Whitty,
IXJntinued.
3rd Mc.y 1888.
14M
49125. Have you any difficulty in getting boys ?-'-Yes, there bt8 been a great clifficlllty these last
twelve months in getting boys and even gil"ls too.
4D126. Does the tariff interfere with your business in any way ?-No, I conld not say that it does.
It has benefited our business.
49127. Has there been recently any increase in the rate of duty imposed upon any of the lines you
manufacture ?-No, there is only one. I may say we get the great bulk of our raw material.iu free. There
is only one article and that is the oils ; the duty was formerly taken off. It was 6d. a gallon. Oil enters
very largely into our manufacturing purposes.
49128. What descriptions of oils are they ?-All descriptions of oil, castor oil, olive oil, in fact, all
descriptions.
49129. Do you mean to say it was put on again ?-It was put on again, 6d. a gallon.
49130. In 1879 I suppose that would be ?~In 1879.
49131, "Oils including castor or cod hver, when refined or for medicinal purposes, in bottles of a
quart or le,;s than a quart-quarts, 2s. ; pints, Is. ?-I speak of oil in bulk now.
. 49132. "Oils, animal and vegetable, other than black, cocoanut, cod, palm, in bulk, mineral, re:llned,
Gd. a gallon. Colza and olive !n bulk, 6d. a gallon." The duty you pay is 6c1. a gallon ?-Sixpence a
gallon.
49133. 'l'hat comes to a large item for you ?-In the course of twelve months it does. We use large
quantities of oil.
49134. Do ymt ask that that. should be removed ?-It would be an advantage, I believe, to the
manufacturing industries of the colony, not only to our own, but oil is largely consumed in every factory
almost.
49135. Are any of those oils made here ?-I think not. The duty was put on. There are such as
lubricating oils made here, but some of the ingredients for that purpose have to pay a duty coming in, I
believe. The duty, I believe, was put on for the benefit of an oil factory which started in Simpson's road
and which has since closed, having ceased working. I believe that was the reason why it was put on again;
and I may state that I believe the only oil they manufacturetl wits an oil from candle nuts from Fiji.
4913G. That is the only article which you use upon which you wish the duty off ?-I think that is
the only article we use largely that we pay duty upon.
49137, The others are so small ?-The others are so small that we have really nothing to complain
about.
49138. In relation to the articles that you make, have you any alterations in the duty to propose?­
No, I have no wish to alter the duties in any way.
49139. Are there any of the articles you manufacture that you could afford the duty to be taken off?
-I could hardly say that.
49140. What is the duty upon starch ?-Twopence a pound.
49141. And the duty upon blue ?-Twopence a pound.
49142. And the same upon blacking ?-No, I think 20 per cent. upon blacking and 20 per cent.npon
most of the other articles.
49143. And if those duties were removed or reduced, what would be the result ?-I presume the
result would he that the market here would he flooded with English goods.
49144. You have overcome the prejudice, have you not, that existed against Victorian goods ?-It
takes a long time, but we have overcome the prejudice that existed against colonial articles.
49145. And having done that, and having secured a good demand for your article upon its merits,
would not you be able now to hold your own against the imported article without a duty '1-We might be,
but the great risk would be that the market would be flooded with foreign goods. Only yesterday, as one
instance, a sale at Greig and JYiurray's, a lot of starch was sold at 4cl. a pound, so that some one loses a lot of
money over that.
49146. By .lJfr. Grirnwade.-Was that 4d. duty paid ?~I believe it was.
49147. Was not it in bond?-No, duty paid.
49148. By the Chairman.-What is the normal price of starch ?-Our price is 5d. We have been
manufacturing about eighteen months, ancl, previous to om starting, I think it was 6-!cl. a pound-from 6d.
up to 6itl.-I think the price was 6~cl.
49149. Is the starch you are supplying at 5d. a lb. manufactured from the same raw material as
the other ?-From the same raw material as Colman's or the best English makers.
49150. By Mr. Mclntyre.-Is starch a large item in your industry ·?-Yes, it is growing. We have
been only eighteen months manufacturing it.
49151. Have you increased the quantity you manufactured since you started ?-Yes, it is graclually
increasing.
49152. Has the duty of 2d. a lb. preventecl importation of starch in any degree ?-Yes, it must do
while we are manufacturing.
49153. How can you make that out. In the year 1870 the duty was put on. In 18G7 there was a
penny a pound paid upon starch and the total revenue upon it was £3,40G. U mler the present tariff the
revenue is more than double that, so there must be equa.lly as much and more than as much as there was
then. It is still coming into the country ?-The duty is doubled.
49154. But still the article is coming in ?-Still the article is coming in. I instanced 200 cases
sold yesterday. ' .
49155. Then wherein would your industry suffer if we take the duty off or revert to the penny a
pouml duty if there is the same quantity of stuff coming in now as came when it was a penny a pound.
How would your industry suffer by going back to a penny a pound ?-There would be more English hnported.
4915G. The fact stares you in the face here that under the two pence a pound duty about a similar
quantity came as at a penny a pound, in fact more comes in now than came in then when there was a penny a
pound on starch. It pays .£3,406 to the revenue undeT the peesent year. The year before last, that is 1880,
the revenue was £7,636, greatly more than double and 1881 £7,213, or more than double ?~If it was
£3,400 and now is £6,000 or £7,000 you can easily understancl why~the duty is double.
49157. Yes, but as much comes in now as came then ?-Then more is being used for we have been
manl:!fa,cturing 4ere the l!l.st eighteen months, and supplying the market 1
so if a:s much co:mes in now fi.S