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

1456
49195. Are you of opinion that there should be no variation in the duty, no matter what the starch
3r~~:;;dsea. may be made from ?-I may say that only that one class of starch comes in.
49196. But there is the maizena starch coming in, is there not ?-No, it is not brought in now ; it
is made in America.
49196A. There is wheaten starch coming in ?-I doubt it.
49197. By JYir. Gt·imwode.-Wlmt is Colman's starch ?_:_Rice.
49198. There is a starch called wheaten starch, is there not ?-[.No anstver.j
49199. By J.lh. Bosisto.-How do you judge between wl:leat starch and rice starch?-You find it
ou by using it.
49200. using it is the chief thing, is it not ?-Ye~. . ..
49201. Then you do not recommend any alteration of duty as between one starch and another?­
No, I cannot recommend any alteration in the duty any way, either to raise or lower it. Of course, if yon
raise it higher it would stop import more; but we do not wish to see it higher or lower at present ..
49202. You do not wish for a diiierential duty between one starch ~tnd another'?-No; I do not
see that it would be any advantage in any way ; all I can say is that these duties have given a great
impetus to all the manufactures that we produce and other8 also, and given it a tendency to make this
the chief manufacturing city of Australia.
49203. By the lion. ·.iJ.fr. Lorimer.-Whose starch that is imported competes most 'with yours?-
Colman's and Reckitt's, the two principal makers in Euglam~. ..
49204. Can you tell us the average cost of these starches in England ?-I could not say exact'ly; I
should think somewhere about £30 per ton. ·
49205. How much per pound is that ?-Threepence. .
49206. Then what percentage is 2d. 'llpon that ad vcol01·ern ?-It would vary, I should think, from
3d. to 3~cl.
49207. What is tlmt ctcl 1:alorem at 2d. a pound-is it not over 60 per cent. ?-It is high.
49208. Do you tell us seriously it is necessary to protect your industry, to have 66 per cent-could
not you do with a lower protective duty than that ?-At present I do not see that it could very well do
with a lower duty.
49209. You havetold us you were doing blacking with a duty of 20 per cent.?-Yes.
49210. How is it you can do that ?-Most of the material for blacking is prodnced in the colony,
but the raw material for starch has to be brought from India, China, Japan, and many other places,
making the cost much greater.
49211. Cannot you rice as cheap from India and Japan to Australia as you can to London?-
No, I think it would be clearer here, freight is so much clearer to any of our ports than it is to England;
and another difference is that in blacking every ounce or pound of the mw material we buy is used up, and
in making starch yon only get a small percentage of the material.
49212. Then you do not think you could do with a lower protective duty than 60 per cent. upon
starch ?-We should not wish to see it a,ltered at present.
49213. Have you made a calculation to see whethee you conld not do with a lower duty ?-There is
one thing, I see no benefit to accrue to anyone from it. If starch was so much higher when we commenced
manufacturing, >1nd is so much lower now to the public, the public woulll not benefit by the
reduction.
40214. What other article do you produce beside starch and blacking?-\Ve have a long list of
articles. We have blue, and ·washing powder, and baking powder, and all that description of goods.
49215. What duty have you upon them ?-Twenty pet· cent.
49216. Then starch is the only one that hns more than 20 per cent.?-13lue and starch; blue is 2d.
a lb.
49217. Do you manufacture pickles ?-No, we do not manufactme pickles. I may say that we pay
from 100 to 200 per cent. for wages more than they do in England. .
49218. Do you know the cost of blue in England ?-It is one of those articles that varies very much
from a low price up to a very high price.
49219. Wht1t is the ordinary average of the imported ?-I could not say the maker's price at home.
49220. I see the revenue has gone down very much npon it, so yon have succeeded in shutting it
out at2cl., it has gone down in three years from £1,000. In 1876 it was £1,982, and hest year it was only
.£800. Can you tell us the average price of the imported article ?-I could not; I do not know the maker's
price at home.
4[)221. What is your price ?-Onr price here is as low as 7~d.
':!9222. Then I suppose the English price might be whe,t-Gd. or 7d. ?-It is quite possible it might
be, but the price of English here was from lOcl. to 1s. previonroly.
49223. I suppose the 2d. is 40 to 50 per cent. upon the English price, is it not?--Yes, I suppose
it is.
49224. By Jlfr. Gri?mixtde.-Do you make starch from rice in bond?-Yes, we make it in bond.
49225. Do you get all the facilities you want ?-The Government have granted us all facilities.
49226. Have yon tried making starch from wheat ?-No.
49227. I suppose it requires a different plant ?-I suppose it requires a different plant.
49228. Is the yield from wheat as good ?-I suppose it is about the same, perhaps.
49220. B.1J the Chainnan.-You say that the price of starch at home is £20 per ton ?-About £30
I think, somewhere about £30, somewhere about 3~d., as nom as I can ji.1dge.
49230. The price of it in England?-Yes.
4[)231. How much dces it cost to bnd here ?-I have not gone into that.
49232. Without the duty ?-I think the charges come to one-third generally upon those things for
importing, one• third of the cost ..
49233. That would he a Id. a pouucl ?-I suppose it would, freight and charges, and all that.
40234. The price listed here was 4~cl. ?-I should think about 4d., or between 4d. and 1td·
49235. Has there been any rise in the price of starch at home lately ?-No. It has come clown. I
am not