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

1497
50578. What woulL1 you do for interest oE your money for twelve months-for your implenients
when you have to re-supply them when they are broken up ?-Yes, that is true. .
50579. vVe eau certainly put down £3 as the cost of an acre of oats, and you reahze about £3 10s. or
£3 l5s. according to your statement ?-Yes. ·
50580. So it is not all profit ?-I am aware of that, although the other gentleman thought it was all
profit ; if he had put it in the same way as you do it woulll appear quite clitTerent.
50581. vVhen did you see an average of two tons of stmw off an acre of grain ?-Perh!~ps never;
I 8nid there may be about that, because, as far as my judgment is coueerued, I never did grow hay. .
50582. No, no, straw. I ask these questions becanse I think you spoke w1tbont thought-just
to put the ma,tter right, what is the average quantity of hay that grows per acre in the colony ?-Perhaps
about 30 cwt.
50583. The straw will not be more than half that when you take the grain off?-No; of course
when the grain comes out there is not the weight.
50584. Then the averag·e of straw is 15 cwt. instead of two tons, ::ts you put it ?-Yes, bui, last year
was a heavy crop, and I dar~· say we might have pretty near it, but as an average we have not anything
like that.
50585. Are you always sure of getting £1 a ton for your straw ?-I never saw it before till this
year, and we are not likely to see it again for some years.
50586. Have you formed any idea whether a duty upon an article coming in tends to steady the price
of that artiele?-Yon mean on grain?
50587. Suppose that a man has to pay 2s. a cental upon oats, and they are only 2s. a bushel here,
will he semi into the colony then, as a rule ?-No, it is a check.
5058fl. Therefore it keeps out importation when the market is low?-Yes.
50589. Anil at the time that the farmer wants to realize something for his crop, that is when it is
very low, foreigners are kept out?-Yes.
50590. And yon approve of that ?-Yes.
50591. Do you think if we should get a very bacl year for wheat growing, and we should not grow
enough for our own use, would not that duty be a preventive of wheat coming in, so as to prevent the
fanners getting a high price ?- Y cs.
50592. By .Mr. Lobb.-Yon occupy 1,600 acres; I am not going into any evidence that has been
already taken; I may ask a few questions upon matters that have not been toucl1ecl upon. Hmv do you
occupy t.he remaining portion of yonr land ?-Dairying and grazing.
50593. Are you in favour of any alteration in the duties upon butter, cheese, and baeon, ami that
sort of thing; any redttctiou ; Ol' are you in favom of retaining the duties as they are ?-In favour of
retaining them as they are.
50594. Will you tell the Commission what are the things you are concerned in regarding farming;
do you make cheese ?-Not now.
50595. Buttet· ?-Yes, we make a little butter, but I have knocked off cheesemaking ; but as far as
cheese is concerned I know that the dnty certainly onght to be upon it, and that the duty upon cheese ought
to remain. I clo not know whether there is any clut.y upon comlensed milk, but I think it ought to be
seen to.
50596. In fact you are in favour of the present duties?-Yes.
50597. By M1'. Woods.-I think there is no duty upon condensed milk ?-I think---.
50598. By .tl£1'. Lobb.-You disagree with the eYiclence given by certain grainbrokers the other
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