THE PRICE OF SUGAR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 953, 21 October 1910, Page 2

THE PRICE OF SUGAR.

. QUESTION OF MONOPOLY. "SUGAR BEET PROPOSALS. In the House of Representatives sonie--.tliing moi'D was said about sugar beet yesterday. On Tuesday last Mr. Lawry presented the'report of. the Agricultural and Commerce Committee;. on the Beetroot -Sugar.-Bill* together with the evidence thereon, and' moved, that. it lie .on the table. ■ Mr. Poolo moved as an amendment that the evidence be printed and tho debate 'ou this amendment was adjourned.

: .It'-was resumed yesterday by Mr.- R. Phillipps (Waiteinata) who desired to say a word in defence of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company whose works were situ-, ated in his electorate, and,which had been accused of monopolistic methods. The company conducted its.busiriess on businesslike lines and established its prices in sympathy with the prices ruling in the world's markets. .Recently there had been a reduction of £2 a ton in. sympathy with a reduction in.London. Mr. Phillipps denied the accuracy .of a state-' ment quoted by the Prime Minister from an Australian Hansard That sugar was cheaper in Australia.than in , ftewvZealand, and read the prices in the "Sydney Morning Herald"' of October -13 .to-show that'the. price of lA sugar was; ,£2l. a ton in Sydney, and 10s. .in New Zealand. .''There-was; an excise duty of. Si in 'Australia, making the .net-price i>l7, or £% 10s.' greater, than in New. Zealand. This did not bear but Mr. Poole's reference to the company as a Tnbtiop'olistic concern. The works of. the company at Auckland employed' three hundred J men and notbjng -should ,-beV done-'to "interferewith ..their employment. -The. industry was a. credit ;to \New..Zealand'..and. the, men a: credit to the'industry. , ' ■ ! .-.Mr; Okey (Taranaki)Vsaid-it would.require; five thousand.; acres per.. annum : , to support a sugar factory. and the crop could only be grown on. one piece of land once ■in ■ four ; years. The committee. came to -the;. conclusion. ;pn the .evidence that it would.not be wi.se to recommend the Government to. prosecute the industry.- at; tho present time.-."■ ~. ':'■■"..■"■■/'■"■■ .■.■'.■'{■'.'■■ : ■ Mr. W. C. Buchanan (Wairarapa) said he did.not- think the. industry could be, successfully conducted in New Zealand at present. . Some of- the .evidence given, to the committee did not': seem to liable. Mr. Young, of. Hamilton,.for-in-stance, was not a practical'man: . ; _ ' Mr. .Greeuslade::He is. just as .practical

as "you ■'.are...". -.-■: ' : '\ '■:■'. ..,C/ ; iw ;;.;. Mr; Buchanan, said -he could not:credit sbihe of the figures' given" by -Mr;. Young in, reference to cost of cartage,'; labour, etc. 'He had beeri told 'byMr. - Spreckels, who. was connected with' the, beet,;industry in/America,' that' New Zealand had :■ no land .'sufficiently; far;: from7-.the sea"tb ; grow beet,' The industry, had been tried-, in Gippslaiid, : Queensland, |: where the\soil: and'climate' were more favour-, able :thaii those of' New Zealand, but;had: failed because, the promoters could .not give .the' farmers as .much' as' they could get -out of tlie land .by.-other.'.culhva-' tipn. -The labour problem.-: was'a 'serious pie, and.; in:, countries where .-sugar', was successfully, grown the labour of children and . women was, available..'::. ,■ ;■■'. '.■•/"- ■■ ■"': .- ■ : -:Mr. G. W. Witty (RiccartpnV said that although the. evidence,, was .partly' thePr'Cticaly it .was very interesting, 'Mr. Young, may have been;yrong';,in., his..estimate of lifting roots ami 'carting, but his evi- . derico. was very...interesting, .and ;had : drawn a:vote' of thanks from the .com-' niitteb. .Personally;'. Mr.i Witty did not think it would" : be -advisable:yet-to bor-:; row'-money for' the 'industry;;.■'Evidence; had been given ithat Jn'.'the-Waikato-jthe' beetwas-too rough,/ and' all-fingers and ; toesl::: The , , quantity ~. of bGet'^that 1 ' could bo"• grown,wasr.twenty tons an .acre,; and: it w.ould -not jay..,to.,grow:it; fpr^cattle at .that quantity-per acre/ ! '•; ;■:''■.'"■■: -. ':■''■'■■;' • --Mr.::.'Greenslade:t. V?#. vare'■: fighting ; top big; a"monopoly^:;V',:'':| i ■: '■'■ rJJ:■:':';::. The : vHon r *:T...Mackeh'zie, .Minister, -for., Agric'ulWr'e,' , quoted-.the. results bf texperi-.-ments .'in , ' beet-growing at -'the; State farinsi ■ The largest .root;grown at; the: , Euakura farni weighed 521b;; and gaveV li point 1 ■'25 'per', cent..;' pf'.- sug'ar...-' The":smallest root'weighed. 3^b.,; andv;gave:-16 -point '.'IG -jfer. cent.:; of', sugar.,.;. Giant, 'grown:at:MoumaHafi ; "'gaye eight- percent, of sugar, but the beet'ranged from fourteen per-.cent'iitp .16..-point;34 per cenl;'of ;Bugar;--. _ "-.:"■.' '. ' .■: ' -'■ ~'■'■ :■-'.- ■'-■■■■: ■.- ; -Mr; : Hall (Waipawa): said •Mγ. Young's evidence ;had broken ■'•■ down whe'n" : it' came »to showing.the-.profit.. If.the.land fpr.the beet-growing : could ;be::got': : all^.together,: "and there"we're-:a : 'good ■■:waterway".to .the factoryj-a different-xomplesion , would, be... placed: on the ■ ■'. Under 'present conditions, the cost' of the industry, '.would , , j be ,prohibitive,.-tut .he. hoped..some-day. it would, be; practicableVto; start.-:it.'''.' v To. : j do so now ..would/, only, .court '.'failure,, "Jt, was on:' his ' motion,, that' the: '. committee h'ad ■de'eide'd.to";leave.' the}matter;: tpi.the! discretion', ;6f .the>(Jovernmeiit..---:.-.: ;■,,:. Mr,' F,..'.L(iwry ■tlionght.,that.'at'.-present: it woiild -be inadvisable to .commence. , the: industry. '■; Though'-, the ' Waikato' , .! would produce'.r.the best: beet ; '.in./the" world, yet:' it- was useless', to produce ,£i:-worth;;of beet ■;. at -~a; f cost.'. of, '^Bli. 2s'., At.'." Eejhue'ra' he .'had,; gTown ; .'i'orty-h've..tons ;of .beet:;tothe. : acre, -but Vthe'bGet';did ; .not':' contain five per. cent.: of siigaf.V.::He;..was".pre-.] pared. 't6';accept.:.the".amendineht .'of ■'.Mγ."i i'oole that.: the. evidence-should. be.Vpub--lished. ■/::■ ;.'.^ ; . •■.:..0-.: ■■-.<>:-;< ":':/.';

Mr. Pooie's was carried,on the,/.voices;-'' :'!_:/ ■_. . "■.'.. ..•■'; iV-. , ' v"'. .'-.";' : '