EVIDENCE BEFORE THE COM-I,'- . .. • MITTEE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 951, 19 October 1910, Page 4

EVIDENCE BEFORE THE COMMITTEE.

U 'VMBIGi SUCCESS OR,A GIGANTIC fc?|;-- ; '; ;: S^ ; FAILURE." ; -.;:;; .:.:;: <";: : ];, \ !;. ."li'As the report,of the Agrieultiiraland S Commercev Committee has not yet been ?j'": - "liiid on; the table of the House, it:still I:';' remains-privileged. Extensive, extracts jv: : . we're, however, quoted by members of e: /fie,House.who spoke torday; and from F: : . .these, a resume of the evidence, cart.: be |.v>gained..*.'-'. '■; '■ \.:. '-•;'- ; - ; ■"■■ ■■"■ :*- ■/■ : i: -' ; Mr.' P. 11. Hansen, Auckland, stated j- in the course of his evidence that, he ■ ilad;: been .in correspondence with [ 'Messrs. 'Dyer and ; Co.,- oi'.'Sdn Fran- !.:■• .Cisco; who control about 'thirty-five [.'■.■. mills.; The' industry .would either be fa, j. ■:.■' big 'success or an", absolute;failure. For

!',. a. private eonipanjr to. start it would, of j'. course, reguire similar conditions '.to i"-..thosQ laid : down in the second part; of !;:;the ; .Bill," a private concern i: .would nbt : risk £200,000 'and buy fifty ;. thousand-acres of Sand unless they f;:;,.were as,certain as possible that the ;■■ industry''would be a success. :■• Mr. Field: -You say you are' confi- [■- dent, that it is possible to grow-sugar h^boofc'successfully? ' . ; . ■'-■''■ ■'■'■. J?:vMr, Hiiiisw; I Jeel confident that ':'■'. between ..Lako Taupo and Morcer there ;■;• is lnuch:suitable land. -.■■■ '■' ■ ' ;.; : Evidence was given by Mr. S.Craig, ■ . of Paeroa, 'that ho liad tried three or h four .times to grow sugar beet; and r : . had not been successful. He ! could got ■about a: quarter of the weight of beets i-that he. could of mangolds. He had f- ; -'.''"-'Bot much'hope of the industry being a f£''success .in the Waik'ato. .. f' .Mr. Jas. A. Young, Mayor of Hamil- :": "'ton, said-;tho total cost of producing 5 one acre'of sugar, beet (including rent \:-.■ of :land).f-would. be £8--15s. 6tL Ilie ; average crop (say, 18 tons to the acre, ji at 10s. per ton at tbe factory) would

produce £14 Bs. This left, roughly, a net profit'of, £5 12s. 6d. per acre. If thei Bill was passed, ho had every, confidence that a company would bo formed to develop the industry. * ' Mr.- T. \Y. Lonsdale, acting manager of tho'Ruakura State Farm -gave the results;, of various experiments,, and said'.-.'a"-largo aroa' : of tho Waikato \yas suitable:for,the industry. ■■; .'.*'. •":.-.- ? of the Company. ~;.' .;.-. Among.;the 'other documents quoted in.;cpnnectioh. with tlio evidence was a •statutory,;'.:declaration by. Mr.Kiiox, general-manager of the Colonial Sugar .Rofinirig Company, Ltd. Ho said that beet,'..sugar'could not, in his opinion,; ever, be. produced in New Zealand at'a prico that would allow/of its being sold on equal:-terms agaiiist sugar. made from cane,grown within tho tropics. At: least- two years would •be required for obtaining records and.making' .experiments'before a fair opinion could be tormedl'a's to the chances of success-of sucha.yenture, and even. then, the risk of failure would, be: so ..great, '-and.'-so much.would depend,on the willingness of a.nuniber of farmers to grow-the crop that no firm. , with'■: /.experience in/such matters could be. expected to 'enter, on a speculation■'of, this sort; if: the/factories erected, were- subject to resumption as proposedi-iTho company could say as : -to the existing position that-, of a. duty on' sugar secured to,the people a supply'-'o'f.'-a., necessary .of; life on, the -most favourable terms',' and wholly prohibited the establishment of any. monopoly* in! cbiv nectipn. with- its distribution.,//: Their company had. secured the market-by ■ underselling-.a11.-. other'V suppliers,.;and could only, hold it -by/maintaining' the same .principle 'when ; ;e'very .distributor' could.;procure,his. supplies from : any country.?in. the 'world.- •In support/.of; this .statement,; it /could \be said that' Tate's granulated^:.equal.-' to'/their Al,'' was.!now/;selling in. London at £20. 10s., -the> duty :; being-" .£1 16s;*8dA in; -Auckland. : the ■ price ; was-- £17-rlos.;-duty free, ..off which price there was an allowance /of 10s. per ton.-' The advantage; to the New Zealand distributor was and he; received in addition, a larger,,discount, while their sugar, was; delivered in/more ..costly packages^;.,.- ■.'. ■-."..'" >-.V-: l v"'-I." ■ \'F' :V 'i'.- : ::^. |;fh6; : Committee's/ Recqmmendajiortrt;^ ' 'The. recommendation'-.of ■ the"- committee' isYthat- after taking: the evidence of ;.;four'witnesses, : and/receiving :. a' written-;. stEitement' and ".- statutory declaration; from: the 'general : manager /of the .Colonial Sugar RefinjngJ Co.; (Ltd.),-. Sydney,;.vthe-,-committee : ' ; hasV. riot',?, had sufficient'.'.evidence:: ; before-: it , ,'te: .'justify' a -definite recommendation, '.and- leaves the, matter, of proceeding with' thp Bill io-.the 1 .-discretion of /the'-' Government, arid< that ■'the; report,. , 'together with* the ■evidence, do? lie on/the table. ,i..