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

1459
49302. Have you tried Queensland sugar at all in your factory?-Yes, we tried it, but we prefer
the Mauril.ius.
49303. Supposing the Queensland sug:u were admitted duty free ?-That would make a little
difference of course.
4930±. ·w onld you be able then to do with less duty upon your jam?-I could not say, I ttm sure; we
do not like to remove the duties.
49305. \Ve are bound, of course, to look all round the question. Has not the duty upon imported
jam so thoroughly established the local manufacturer that the imported jam is almost beaten out of the
rnQrket now ?-Yes, I believe it is.
49306. It is (t rare thing, for instance, to see Wotherspoon's jmn in a grocer's windows, is it not?­
I remember ten or twelve years ago you usecl to see any amount of imported jam, now I never see it.
49307. If you could supply your jam even at a lower price than you do now, in consequence say, of
the removal of the duty from Queenshmd sugar, and the using of that sugar instead of the Mauritius, would
not you still be able to keep out the imported jam, even if the duty were 1d. instead of 2d.?-Yes, no t1oubt
we could.
49308. You are not afraid of the competition with Tasmanian jam, are you ?-No, the gardeners
here are increasing their gardens so much, that the fruit is beginning to be almost as plentiful in this colony
as Tasmania.
49309. Has not fruit this season, in fact, been far more plentiful ?-Yes, every year it increases.
49310. It has been rotting under the trees in almost every direction, and they have been feeding pigs
with it, to my own knowledge ?-No.
49311. Now, with a cheaper and more plentiful supply of frnit and with Queensland sugar duty
free ?-If we could get sugar duty free it would make a great difference, it is .£3 a ton.
49312. You could do with a duty of Id. a pound instead of 2d.?-The sugar duty is not equal to a
duty of 1d. a pound upon jam.
49313. No, of course not. Has there been any increase in the price of colonial jam since you
started ?-No, quite the other way. It has decreased.
49314. When you commenced ten yem·s ago, for instance, what were yon able to get for your jam?
-About 7s. 6d. a dozen, 7s. and Is. 6d.
49315. A dozen one pound tins ?-Yes.
49316. Then it had to come into competition with Wotherspoon's ?-Yes, and English jams.
49317. Which were sold ~tt what ?-About 8s. 6d.
49318. Now you are able to supply it at what ?-We are able to supply the best jams now at
5s. 3d.
49319. The local competition of one jam maker with the other has brought down the price ?-That
is what has done it.
49320. By Mr. Mcintyre.-Do I understand that that is about 5;f;d. a pound that you are charging
for jillll ?-Yes.
49321. And do you really require 2d. a pound duty upon an m'ticle ntlued at only 5.!cl. ?-Yes, but
there are the expenses of getting it up, the tins and everything.
49322. But in the face of the fact that the fruit is now so plentiful and so cheap compared with
what it was when you started, and sugar also, do you mean to say that you could not do with Id. a pound
upon an article that could be made for 5d. ?-I have no doubt we could hold our own at Id. a pound, I am
not afraid of tnat, if Qtleenslancl sugar is admitted L1uty free.
'19323. By the Chainnan.-Have you anything further to say yourself?-No, I do not know of
1mything.
'l'he witness withdr·ew.
Edward White sworn and examined.
EHa.s Ct:mliff,
contt'nued,
3rd May 1883.
49324. By the Cl!airmcm.-\Vhat are you ?-Sauce and cordial maker. Edward White,
49325. Where is your factory situated ?-Church-street, Richmond. ilrd May 1883.
4932G. How long has it been established ?-Six or seven years as a sauce maker.
49327. How many hands are you employing ?.,-From eight to twelve.
49328. Say ten--what is the principal article you manufacture?-VVe are bottlers as well as sauce
and cordial makers.
49329. What is the principal article you manufacture ?-Beer.
49330. You want to evidence upon the question of sauce ?-Sauce only.
49331. Are there any particular kinds of sauces that you devote yourselves to, or do you make them
all ?-We make all kinds of sauces.
49332. In what way does the tariff affect that industry ?-Since the tariff was altered upon sauces
the market has been :flooded with English sauces, to the great detriment of the colonial maker.
49333. When was the tariff altered ?-I do not know the preci~e elate, but it was altered from 1s.
a dozen fm· reputed half-pints, to a 10 per cent. ad valorem.
49 334. "Oilmen's stores (except essential oils and essences not containing alcohol) packed in bottles,
jm·s, canisters, or vessels not exceeding one requted quart in size, 20 per cent." That is the duty. If they
do exceed those quarts and sizes what is it then, Mr. Dryscble ?-(.Jir. Drysdale) 10 per cent., like
chutney in casks.
49335. Then they simply put it into bottles containing a little more than a quart and get it in at 10
per cent. duty, is that it ?-[The PVitness J-Yes, but I am referring more particularly to half-pint bottles.
49336. Then they pay 20 per cent. ?-Then I was under a misimpression. But what we want is a
:fixed duty of ls. a dozen upon reputed half-pints, and 2s. a dozen upon repnted pints.
49337. By JJ1r. Mcintgre.-No matte1~ what the value of the article ?-Yes, decidedly, because these
sauces that are brought here are pretty much of a value; there is only one particular niake thQtis a hi"h
0
price, and that is Lea and Perrin's.
49338. By the Chqirmq,n,-Yo11 represent to the Cprpmission tha.t 20 per c~mt. is not sufficient?~
Yes,