The Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JUNE 11, 1888. JAM MANUFACTURE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1864, 11 June 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, JUNE 11, 1888. JAM MANUFACTURE.

The jam makrers are up m arniß over the tariff, and a representative of the Dunedin manufacturers has gono to Wellington to interview members to have the proposed duties on fruit pulp, etc., reduced. If tbe tariff is passed, the factories will, it is alleged, have to be closed, as sufficient quantities of fruit cannot be procured m tho colony to carry on the manufacture of jams and jellies. In such a climate and soil as we have m many parts of New Zealand it would be thought that fruit m profusion could be produced at little cost. The contrary Beemß to bo the case, however, and it is certainly not the fauit of the soil or the climate that New Zealand is not capable of producing more fruit than can be consumed within her own shores, Jt seems difficult to bclicvo that besides' supplying our own wants we could not supply other centres with tho best quality of preserved fruits. The jam manufacturers feel that the tariff as it now stands will paralyse their trade. One of the principal manufacturers m Dunedin m the course of an interview is reported to have said : — " Three out of tho four principal jam factories .m Now Zealand aro established m Dunedin, and do a largo trado m the North Island too. Ihe greater proportion of tho jam made is plum, but we cannot get more than a third of the plums we require m tho colony. All my firm got this year out of twenty tons was five tons — two from Akaroa and tho balance from the Teviot. We do at present buy all tho fruit wo can round about Dunedin. Wo had contracts with tho Teviot people, but they only supplied us with half of what wo asked for. Raspberries, for instance?, will not be grown hero m sufficient quantities tor years to como. Out of 10 tons required we could only get half a ton here, and they were from Seacliff. But m various ways our factories benefit trade hero, and as townspeople we should stand by one another. As instancing how our industries hang together, I have just arranged with the Milton Pottery Company to take a thousand dozen of 21b jars, which the manager states will amount to ono month's work for tho whole of his staff. The Government say they want revenue ; but we shall not bo able to make jam at all here under this tariff. There is l^d por lb duty on fruit, and only 2d on importod jam, and outside manufactures will therefore flood tho market. Other Governments also allow a rebate of tho duty on tho sugar m jams exported, which means about halfpenny a pound. This will pay the freight of the jam from Australia, and leave tho manufacturers still a farthing to tho good. It is manifestly impossible to manufacture jam hero m tho face of this. Tho three factories m Dunedin — tho Phoenix Company, Peacock and Co., and Irvine and Btovenson, have about ;£2OOO m buildings and plant for jam manufacturing, and employ 110 hands hero, and the new tariff must shut them up as far as jam making is concerned. Ab to encouraging tho fruit growing industry hero it will destroy it. At present my firm take all tho fruit wo can get here as wp prefer it, and as soon as they could grow the wfcole quantity we would take it. If the Otago Central were completed there might bo some phanco of tho growers being able to supply u#, but thero is not at present." If those statements can be fully borne out, it would appear th^t instead of foßtering local industry, tho tax on fruit pulp will I strangle it, and wo hopo tho Govojmnont \ ti ill legislate m such a direction aa to provent tho crippling of an important industry, and thus keep open tho market there is at present for salo of fruit and benefit those who iuako it their business to grow to supply the local demand.