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

Edwar~White,
1460
49339. You want a fixed duty of ls. tl, dozen upon the pints and 6cl. upon the half-pints?-That
sr~~;'~sa.: would be about 20 per cent. A shilling upon reputed half-pints and 2s. for reputed pints, and quarts in
proportion ; thnt is what we want.
493,10. Whe~t is the wholesale price of the reputeclhttll'-pints ?-Colonial?
49341. No, imported ?-I could harclly tell you Lea and Perrin'.s.
49342. Leaving those out, as exceptionally high in price, you say ?-About 4s.; 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6d.
49343. Then if you say la. upon that that is 25 per cent. only, and you get 20 per cent. now?-
At the present time several :English sauces are being sold as low as that; but you ask the average English
price, I say 3s. 6d., ancl there are others very much lower even than that.
49344. Still you get 20 per cent. upon the lower priced article, that is more in proportion than upon
the higher priced one ?-Twenty per cent. is not equal to ls. a dozen,
49345. No, but it is upon the lower price, so that the duty is just ns much in proportion as it is in
the other case. What is the price of the colonial?-The same, 4s. ; 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6cl.
49346. Have you anything else to say ?-No, that is all.
The toitness witltdrew.
Adjourned to Tuesda.IJ next, at Ttvo o'clock.
Dav!d Gibson,
Sth May 1883.
TUESDAY, 8TH :MAY, 1883.
Present:
JA:!I:LES MrRAMs;Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair;
J. Bo,;;isto Esq., ML.A., The Hon. G. JVIeares, M.L.C.,
W. J. Lobb, Esq., W. F. Walker, Esq., M.L.A.,
The Hon. ,J. Lorimer, M.L.C.,
E. L. Zox, Esq., M.L.A.
J. Mcintyre, Esq., M.L.A.,
GRAIN, FLOUR, RICE, ETC.
David Gibson sworn aud examined.
49347. By tlte Chairman.-What are you ?-I am a miller in Carlton.
49348. Has it been long established ?-That is the oldest established mill in the colony. It was
originally established by Mr. John Dight.
49349. I have a letter from Mr. Gibson, dated 27th of the 5th month 1!:'82, asking an opportunity
of giving evidence before the Commission on the question of the duty upon milling machinery ?­
Yes.
49350. ls the Commiss10n to understand that that is the only item you wish to bring under their
notice ?-No; I wish to bring under their notice other items, and also the tariff upon grain generallywe
want it swept all away. I want to be heard upon that point. '
49351. As to the material you manipulate-that is the grain-what is your opinion in relation to
the tariff upon that ?~There is a duty now of 2s. a bushel upon wheat, and the fanners themselves complain
that they cannot get any seed wheat to have ~• variation of seed. It does not affect us personally
to pay 2s. a bi1shel, because the price in London rules the price in the colony at present.
49352. It is 2s. a cental, is it not?~ Yes. I beg your pardon, we always calculate by the bushel.
The duty does not affect the colony in any way, as the London market now rules our market
here.
49353. For wheat ?-For wheat. I am speaking simply of wheat now and flour, and we are
charged now 27i per cent. upon all our imported patent machinery that cannot be produced in the
colonv.
• 49354. Now you are going from the material to the machinery ?-Yes, l am finished with
material.
49355. Let us keep to the one article first-yott propose the abolition of the 2s. cental upon
wheat?-Yes.
49356. You do that upon tho grouml that our produce has outstepped our demands and that we
are an exporting country in regard to wheat?-Y os.
49357. The price being ruled by the London market and not here ?-By the European markets.
49358. I also understand it upon the ground of the admission of varieties of seed wheat, without
paying duty?-If the duty were swept away we shorud have t.he opportunity of getting varieties of seed
wheat in which we cannot get now.
49359. Do the growers of wheat coincide with ymt in that opinion ?-The growers of whent coincide
with me in that opi11ion as fm· as I have spoken to them, because it produces a better quality and they get
more of it by a change of seed. ·
49360. Those are the two grounds upon which you advocate the remission of thE;J duty upon wheat?
-Yes.
49361. Have you anything to say about the duty upon other cereals ?-I have nothing particular to
say about them; I considel' them a great hardship.
49362. Do you deal in them?-Yes, in oats an cl barley principally; I have made no pearl barley in
bond, only oatmeal.
49363. You can clo that in bond ?-I can do that in bond.
49364. So it does not affect you in that respect ?-So it does not affect me in that respect, but I
should like to see the whole duty swept off.
49365. Now about the improvements and machinery, what have you to say ?-I will show yott a
sample of flour. I luove erected a large plant and I have brought a sample of flour. This :flour is worth 4s.
a bag more than flour made in ordinary stones, consequently you see the enhanceil cost of it by the duty.
49366. Thost: are all the same snmples ?-No, they are different samples. One is made by the
patent machinery, an cl the other is made by the stones--[ the witness produced and !tanded in the samples].