AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5, 3 May 1912, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

(Received 2, 12.5 p.m.) Sydney, May 2

Failing to get a hearing at the Sugar Commission, Mr Knox published a page of his statement in the prcsK dealing with the Colonial Sugar Co,'a position in regard to the industry. •Tin's shows that daring the period from April Ist, L 907, to March 31st, 1911, the company's profits from the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane refineries was £091,785, or 15s 11. id net per ton of raw sugar treated. He claims that sugar refining was wholly a- free trade industry. In support of this ho points out that in Now Zealand there is no duty. Sugar refining is free from Customs supervision, while the prices charged only differ 5s per ton from the rates ruling here, when £C Customs duty is deducted. He rebut; the charge that the company has a

monopoly of the sugar trade in Australia. He declares that only about one-third of the sugar produced in Australia was made in the company') mills. Regarding the white labour question he holds that there cannot b( the least hope of the industry beim maintained otherwise than with suffi cient protection to cover the extra cosi of white labour. He shows that rav sugar can be imported considerably cheaper than it is produced by the company in Australia. After reference to the good relations between the company and its employees he concludes: "Like every other employe? in Australia, what the company inns' wants is to left alone so long as it; actions are in conformity with- the law."