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

1469
49629. Where do you get your raw material ?-Partly from colonial-grown seed, and partly from
home.
49630. Have you any duties to pay upon it ?-No.
49631. By ~w.r. Walker.-Do I understand you say that you cannot do with less than 2cl. a lb. upon
mustard ?-Yes..
49632. What is the reason for it. Do you pay more for your material than you do at home ?-We
have to pay more for the raw material, that is one thing. At present we use other seed beside colonial; in
fact we have to import mustard seed from home, white and brown both, as we1l as the colonial-grown
article.
49633. And the cost of your material is greater to you than the cost of the material to the home
manufacturers ?-Yes, and also the cost of labour is considerably more to us, and machinery. We have to
pay 27! per cent. ttpon the machinery that we use in the making of these articles.
49634. Why do not you get your machinery made here ?-We cannot.
49635. Have you tried?-We have not tried. I do not know of my own personal knowledge,
because I am not a practical man as far as machinery is concerned, but I have heard it over and over again
stated that the finer descriptions of machinery cannot be manufactured in the colony.
49636. I understood, with regard to these labels, that all mustard that is genuine mustard needs no
label of that kind?-I should think not. When an article is genuine there is no necessity.
49637. Then it is only when it is mixed with other articles ?-Then you are compelled to conform to
the Food Adulteration Act, and use th?se words. For instance, we say coffee with chicory.
49638. Then how is it that Colman is able to evade the pFovisions of that Act ?-I do not know.
I think we have had correspondence with the Customs Department since 1881, and. each Commissioner that
has been in power has always admitted the justice of our grievance, and said he would attend to it at once.
49639. And never has done it ?-And never has done it; and now, I believe, it is referred to the
Tariff Commission.
49640. By Mr. Bosisto.-Is the brown mustard gro;vn in Victoria equal to the imported mustard?
-It is not.
49641. In what way. Is it smaller or is it not so pungent ?-It is no so much a difference in size,
but it is not so pungent.
49642. By the Chairman.-The only other item you wish to give evidence upon is the item of oats.
What have you to say in relation to that ?-Mr. Gibson said he thought the duty should be removed, and
he gave his reasons for it. I should say, if it is not removed entirely, it ought to be removed in a measure.
I think 2s. a cental on oats is too much.
49643. Are you sure it is 2s.? -2s. per cental.
49644. What would you have it reduced to ?-I should think 6d. a bushel would be quite sufficient,
that would be ls. 3cl. per cental.
49645. Your proposal is to reduce it to 6d. a bushel, or Is. 3d. per cental. Can you see any objection
to its being removed altogether ?-I would rather see it removed than not, but still I consider it too
much if it is not to be removed. I consider 2s. a cental is too much. It acts against us in this way, that
very often we have great difficulty in getting suitable oats to make our oatmeal from, and we have to buy
New Zealand oats, and after we pay duty and wharfage rates it comes to about lO~d. a busheL I consider
that is far too much duty.
49646. What do you do with these oats when you get them; you convert them into oatmeal, do you
not ?-No, all the New Zealand oats we purchase we manufacture into meal in bond for export, but we
cannot use the oatmeal in this colony.
49647. Do you wish the Commission to understand that you cannot get a sufficient supply of
Victorian-grown oats to provide Victoria with its own oatmeal ?-Not of suitable quality.
49648. To make the necessary quantity of oatmeal for consumption in Victoria ?-Yes, in order to
. pay us. There are very much heavier oats in New Zealand, and we cannot get them in the colonies, as we
always prefer New Zealand oats if we can get them at such a price as suits us.
49649. Do I understand you to say that in your experience as a manufacturer of oatmeal you have
been unable to obtain colonial oats suitable for the purpose ?-At times, not always; sometimes the markets
vary.
49650. Recently ?-Recently. At present in fact.
49651. Has not the cultivation of oats in the colony increased lately ?-Yes, it has to a very large
. extent; but at the same time they are not so suitable as the New Zealand potato oats.
49652. The quality of the oats has not improved in proportion to the quantity produced ?-I am not
sufficiently versed in that to say.
49653. By the Hon. 11fr. Lorimer.-ls the quality that suits you best potato oats ?-Yes.
49654. Are potato oats largely grown in this colony ?-No, they are not.
49655. By the Chairman.-I understand you to say the quality of oats suitable to your purpose has
not kept up to your demand ?-That is it, it has not.
49656. And Victorian growers, although they increased the quantity of oats grown, grow other
kinds of oats and not what you want-is that it?-That is it.
49657. What are the kinds suitable for that our Vietorian growers do grow ?-For feed purposes.
49658. For horse feed?-Yes.
49659. You want a different kind of oat J-Yes, we want a kind that will produce as much oatmeal
as we can get.
49660. Have you anything further to say ?-No.
49661. By Mr. Walker.-You complain of the duty upon oats; are you willing to have the duty
upon oatmeal reduced ?-If the duty is taken away from oats I would not object to see the duty upon
oatmeal offtoo.
49662. That is, if the duty upon oats is abolished, you would be willing that the duty upon oatmeal
should also be abolished ?-Yes. , ·
49663. With regard to manufacturing pearl bru:ley ancl otmeal in bond, do you do it under the
supervision of a locker?-We have not yet made any pearl barley in bond.
49664. But you will do so ?-When we have necessity for it; we have not made application for it yet.
Leonard Jones,
continued, ·
8th May 1883.