H.—22

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in the orchard, and the artisan making the tins to hold the fruits—thus enabling Tasmania and America to supply the New Zealand market with an industry its own population could profitably produce if assisted by tariff. 3. That New-Zealand-made wine can only now be sold by the publican, the wholesale wine merchant, or the auctioneer. The actual manufacturer of the wine can obtain a license to make it, but no license to sell it after it is made, either to the publican or to the wholesale wine merchant. The only way he can dispose of the wine after he has made it is to send it to auctioneers for sale. The license to manufacture wine should carry with it the power to sell the wine when made, in quantities of not less than two gallons. 4. That the local manufacturers of paints, varnishes, and whitenings ask that the tariff be increased, so as to enable them to compete with the paints and varnishes imported. The Thames especially is rich in such crude requisites as manganese, hematite, copper, ochres, silicates, and kauri-gum. Hematite and silicate paints are manufactured at the Thames, and used even now to a considerable extent. It is asked that the tariff be—on paints, either wet or dry, 20 per cent, duty; on whitenings and chalks, ss. per hundredweight duty; on varnishes, 2s. per gallon. 5. That the local manufacturers of tinware and articles made from galvanized iron, although using the most improved machinery known in the trade, cannot compete against the imported articles, because the labour here is quite three times that paid at Home : here the pay for one week of forty-eight hours is twice that paid in England for the week's work of seventy-two hours. To meet this great difference in the price of labour, stamped tinware, galvanized-iron buckets, baths, guttering, piping, and similar articles, should have a much higher duty on them than the tariff now gives—at any rate for a few years, until labour is at a lower rate. 6. That the local or the colonial industry of brewing has received a great check from the increased duty laid on English malt and hops last session of Parliament. That either the duty on these articles should be reduced, or an extra duty put on imported beer, especially bottled beer, and so place the local manufacturer and Home maker on fair basis of competition. 7. That the engineers and ironworkers, as a trade, can scarcely compete with the Home manufactures imported, notwithstanding the bulk of the material used by them is duty-free. The skilled labour here is equal in ability to that at Home, but the difference in the value of the skilled labour at Home and here is so vast that the utmost fostering by Government is requisite at present. It would require too heavy a duty to enable locomotives to be profitably constructed; but, with a comparatively slight protective duty, such articles as fixed and stationary steam-engines, saw-mill machinery, quartz-crushing machinery and tailings-reducing plants, water-pipes, bridge-castings, cylinders, &c, could well compete with the imported article, and so give employment to a large number of skilled mechanics. With regard to quartz-crushing machines and reducing plants, the tariff as at present determined enables the neighbouring colonies of Victoria and New South Wales to compete very unduly. 8. That, as artisans' tools in almost all. businesses are admitted free, the tool used by the miner, •the " miner's shovel," should also be duty-free. At present the gold-miner pays 16| per cent, on the shovel used by him. Also that the blasting-powder admitted duty-free should not be taxed with a shilling removal license for each 501b. removed from the magazine. This removal license, which has to be signed by a Justice of the Peace, is in every way a great hindrance to the miner, who, each time he requires a keg of powder, has to leave his work and search the town through for a Justice of the Peace, and, after thus losing two or three hours, has to pay Is. for the license. This matter is altogether vexatious, and is productive of so little revenue as not to justify its retention. Letters bearing on many of the above matters received by the local committee are attached ; but the joint committee offer no opinion on the value or otherwise of the suggestions made. We have, &c, Louis Eheenfeied, Mayor. Alexandeb Beodie, County Chairman.

No. 11. Messrs. Eheenfeied Beos. and Aiexattoee Hogg to the Local Committee re Eoyal Commission on Local Industries. Gentlemen, — Thames, 13th April, 1880. We would direct your attention to the extra duty put on English malt and hops during last session. This will have an injurious effect upon the colonial industry of brewing, unless an extra duty is also put on English beer, especially bottled beer. New Zealand breweries as a rule use English malt and hops only for the production of beer intended for bottling. An extra duty on foreign.beer would equalize this matter. Eheenfeied Beos. Alexandee Hogg.

No. 12. Evidence of Messrs. Eiieenfeied Beos. and Alexandeb Ho&& before Mr. Commissioner A. J. Burns. G-rabamstown, 13th May, 1880. During last session of Parliament an extra duty was imposed upon imported malt and hops. We make our finest bottled beers and ales from these imported articles. Since this duty was imposed we find that our bottled ale and beer business has fallen off very much. Now, as this was fostered at a time when there was a small duty imposed upon malt and hops, we think a duty to an equal amount should be imposed upon imported ales and beer. "We have no wish to see the duty taken off malt and hops, but we simply ask that, in bare justice to our business, we should be placed in as fair a position as formerly. Ehbenfeied Beos. Alexandeb Hogg,