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

Willln.m Hnrrls,
. · CiJnli:JJ/Ued;··
8! h May 1883,
1478
oats should be 6d. a cental, inasmuch as experience has taught us that Victoria cannot produce a supply
equal to the demand, not only in quantity but quality, for any person acquainted with feeding grains will
not buy Victorian oats if he can get New Zealand oats; and I think, if possible, the bnrthen should be
removed from us.
49956. I understand that to be the same evidence that Mr. Vale gave ?-'-No, he went to a shilling.
I would put on 6d. merely for revenue purposes.
1lfr. Vale.-I said halve the duty upon oats and take o:!f the maize duty altogether.
The Witness.-Much has been said about Gippslancl as a maize-growing country. Opportunities
have been afforded them to grow maize and there is very little maize comes from Gippsland; very little, so
little that it is only a farce. The consumer has got to pay for it merely as a luxury.
49957. Have you anything further to add ?-Nothing further.
The witnf3ss withdrew .
.Adjourned to to-morrow, at Two o'clock.
('
Charles DrapEr,
9th May I88o,
WEDNESDAY, 9TH MAY, 1883.
Present:
.J. MoiNTYRE, Esq., M.L.A., in the Chair;
J. Bosisto, Esq., M.L.A., W. M. Cook, Esq.,
W. J. Lobb, Esq., Hon. J. Lorimer, M.L.C.,
D. Munro, Esq., J. Mirams, Esq., M.L.A.
F. Longmore, Esq.,
Charles Draper sworn and examined.
49958. By the Chairman.-What are you ?-A fruit grower and farmer.
49959. Where is your place situated ?-About four miles east of Yan Yean.
49960. How far from Melbourne ?-26 miles.
49961. What area of land have you got under cultivation ?-I suppose 130 acres in fruit trees. I
have about 1,000 acres of land altogether.
49962. How long is it since you started fruit growing ?-It is about nineteen years since I first
began.
49963. And gradually you increased your operations from that time to now?-Yes.
49964. What kind of fruit do you grow ?-Chiefly apples and plums, and pears also; but chiefl
apples and peaches.
49965. What do you turn your fruit to, in the way of a market---do you sell it as fruit or to make
cider, or reduce it in any way ?--No, I send it into Melbourne market. We use a little of the refuse fruit
for cider.
49966. You do make some cicler?-We have made a little.
49967. The good fruit you send all to market ?-Yes.
49968. And the rest you make into cider ?-No; we feed cattle and pigs with it when it is
cheap.
49969. You cannot dispose of it all in the Melbourne market?-Yes, all the good fmit.
49970. What is your object in coming before the Commission to-day, what evidence clo you wish to
give upon the system of taxation of the country-does it affect your industry in any way ?-Yes, it would
do if we lose the duty of 9c1. a bushel upon apples.
49971. How long has this 9cl. duty been on ?-I am sure I cannot say ; I think it is about eight or
ten years.
49972. In 1867 the duty upon fruit of all kinds was 5d. What proportion would that bear to the
value of the article. What is the value of a bushel of apples at present ?-At present, the best Victorian
apples sell at 6s. 6d.
49973. Then 5 per cent. upon that would be about l;td.-hardly that---would that suit you ?-It
would not suit at all. You see, when apples were low, we could not cart them in at 5 per cent., it would
knock us on the head altogether.
49974. What extent of ground had you in cnltivation for fruit purposes when the duty was 5 per
cent. ?-I have increased it three or four times over since the duty was on ; it was no use growing before,
it would not pay.
49975. In 1872, when the duty was increased to 9d. a bushel, you then began to increase the area
of land for fruit?-Yes, very much. I had not one-third of it in seven or eight years ago.
49976. What is the price of the best Victorian apples ?-6s. 6d. They go up from 1s. 6d. to 6s. 6d.,
but we cannot bring in the low priced ones, it would not pay to carry them.
49977. By Mr. Lobb.-You want a railway ?-I qnestion whether that would do it.
49978. By tlte Cltairman.-Do you find the importation of fruit at present to any extent goes on,
-,-the class of fruit that you produce, viz., apples, are they imported largely ?-They are begirming to import
them now they have risen to 6s. 6d. The Tasmanians are coming in and fetching from 8s. to 8s. 6d. their
best ribstones this morning. The reason they fetch that is the large cases. When the duty was put on
they enlarged their cases, and it is more than a bushel now. Some of their cases weigh from 50 lbs. to
55 lbs. I got a case this morning, one of the new ones, and I got one of the olcl ones, and I could put the
olcl one inside the new one.
49979. That is the Tasmanian fruit ?-Yes. I think the Custom House should have looked after
them more-it is more than a bushel. They weigh from 50 lbs. I always supposed a bushel averaged
40 lbs., instead of that they run from 50 lbs. to 55 lbs., in the big cases.
. · 49980. Then the Tasmanians are more liberal than the colonials ?-Yes, but it is to their advantage
-they get it into the C@nntry for 9c1. upon 55 lbs. instead of 40 lbs.