1482 .tohn R. Norrls, was very scarce and difficult to obtain, that is at anything like remuneration. Now in order to establish llt~i~';'i~s3 . homes where they could rear their families ami make a living they established these orchards. 50091. You did that without any duty to induce yo'tl ?-Yes, I did it for the express purpose <strong>of</strong> making work for myself. 50092. H
1483 50i 17. Are yon in the habit <strong>of</strong> getting cases from Tasmania ?-vVe used to be the largest importers ~.r. a ..ronnsort, but recently we have receded somewhat. . · · , · gtf"zJ;:' 1 1 ~si>il. · 50118. Have you had any recently ?-We have, and I can tell you that the measure <strong>of</strong> a bushel recognised in Hobart recently is 2 feet 4 inches long, H inches deep, and 7 inches across. The cubical contents <strong>of</strong> that is recognised as a legal bushel. 50119. That is the size <strong>of</strong> case recognised there ?-Yes. 50120. Have you ever weighed a case <strong>of</strong> apples, say one <strong>of</strong> those cases ?-Yes, I have weighed many <strong>of</strong>. them. 50121. What was the weight ?-They varied greatly. 50122. In accordance with the samples <strong>of</strong> fruit, perhaps ?-Yes, precisely :;o. If you take a mob 'codlin, a large s<strong>of</strong>t apple, grown perhaps upon s<strong>of</strong>t ground, it is naturally a large s<strong>of</strong>t apple, the weight <strong>of</strong> that would run about 38lbs. to 421bs. The Emperor Alexander, a large red apple, I have known as light as 36lbs. The small hard French crab, grown on hn.rd ground, would run to 50lbs., and it would require those various weights to fill a uniform case. 50123. Then the proper system <strong>of</strong> dealing with fruits would be to deal with measmement ?-Of course it is. 50124. Then, if a case is no bigger than our case, the complaint <strong>of</strong> the fruit growers is met ?-Yes ; we have no recognised case. The common ones <strong>of</strong> the gardeners here are orange cases, which the trade greatly complain against, and will set their faces against for the future. The complaint is, that they use the orange case for apples. The orange case has a partition in the middle, and, therefore, does not hold a bushel. It is called a bushel by our gardeners. It may hold 40lbs. or 42lbs. according to the sort <strong>of</strong> fTuit ; but it is not the legally recognised bushel <strong>of</strong> Tasmanin.. . 50125. Your statement to the Commission is, then, that it is unfair to recognise 40lbs. as a bushel ? .-Yes, certainly. · 50126. How would you remedy their complaint then ?-'I:hese gentlemen say <strong>of</strong> their cases, they can put them into our cases, that is, they can take the orange case from Sydney and put it into a Tasmanian apple case. · - 50127. By .l11r. Bosisto.-He did not say that. He saicl that he could put a VictoriM apple case into a Tasmania,n apple case ?-Excuse me ; there is not such a thing as a <strong>Victoria</strong>n apple cn.se. 50128. By the Chai1·man.-You say his statement is incorrect in that respect ?-I should like you to notice why. 50129. If what the growers say is correct they are perfectly entitled to bring their complaint before the Commission, because if the system <strong>of</strong> taxation in the country is to be conducted faidy, they have a ·:fight to complain if a fraud exists-you say it does not exist ?-I do say so. 50130. You say that there can be no uniform weight to a bushel at all?-Yes. 50UH. Could we determine upon a certain measure here as a bushel ?-Just as easy as Tasmania. 50132. And have a fixed measure ?-And have n. fixed measure. 50133. And we have no fixed measure ?-And we have no fixed measure. You have an imperial measure here in the Custom House. That piled, you will find will just fill the Tasmanian case. 50134. If the Commission visit your place, can we see one <strong>of</strong> those oases weighed ?-Yes. 50135. Have you any Tasmanian in stock now ?-No, a,nd are not likely to have for six weeks ; but it must be evident to the Commission that weight cannot enter into the consideration <strong>of</strong> a bushel. . 50136. You import largely from Sydney P-Yes. 50137. Oranges particularly ?-Yes. 50138. Do our oranges in this country, to your knowledge, grow successfully ?-No, judging from my own experience. I have tried them, and I have been long enough in the trade to know. · 50139. Do the consumers prefer the Sydney to the locally grown orange ?-They prefer the Sydney orange most decidedly, there is no compn.rison. 50140. Do you deal in the local orange at all-the <strong>Victoria</strong>n grown ?-We have on one or two o.ccasions, when they have been <strong>of</strong>fered. On one occasion we had as many as 100 bushels, and that was fthe only occasion when we had anything at all like a large parcel. 50141. If the duty were rem.oved from oranges, as you suggest, would it keep you from dealin"' "in the <strong>Victoria</strong>n article if it were produced ?-Not at nll. "' 50142. Which orange 'sells the dearest-the <strong>Victoria</strong>n or the Sydney ?-I think they are not in competition. V\ 7 e never meet with <strong>Victoria</strong>n oranges. I have met with them in the whole <strong>of</strong> my experience abOLlt four times, that is extending over about twenty-eight J&'trs. They are not known in the trade. A few years since a small parcel w11s sent. f'rom .vVangaratta, about lOO bushels, as I told you. I have never heard, n.ltogether, <strong>of</strong> 500 bushels re~Lchmg thu; market. . 50143. To whom do you vend your fruit-to the retail fruit dealers or to the wholesale consumer in the way <strong>of</strong> fruit preserving ?-We sell largely to both. In July and August, when they are ripe we sell largely to the preserving factories, to work up into marmalade, and then we export largely. ' 50144. Is the system <strong>of</strong> duty an inconvenience to you in any way ?_:.Nothing beyond the simple question <strong>of</strong> putting on so much more weight;. that must necessarily come out <strong>of</strong> the consumer. 50145. Have you any suggestion to make ?-I should like to say, while speakino- <strong>of</strong> apples and 'plums and so forth, produced here, that we are much larger exporters than importers. "' . 50146. Of which ?-Of <strong>Victoria</strong>n grown fruits. This year we have exported to Sytlney largely in apples, and some plums. We h)1ve sent thousands <strong>of</strong> bushels <strong>of</strong> plums to Adelaide and to New ZealMd about for three months, every boat carries as much as she can as deck cargo. 50147. Have you clone tlmt yourselves ?-We have done that ourselves. 50148. You speak <strong>of</strong> your own particular business llOWq-I speak <strong>of</strong> our own pmticular business now. ' 50149. You have been dealing with the fruit growers <strong>of</strong> the country, and now you are much larger exporters than importers?-Very much larger at the present time . .50150. Call you tell us how many bushels <strong>of</strong> fruit you have exported ?-I should think about 8,000 to 10,000 cases this season.
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