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H.—2B

B. —Freights, on Produce shipped from Melbourne and Sydney to Western Australia. Hon. Premier, — The information which I obtained in Australia was as follows :— 3 Sailer. Steamer. Melbourne,— s. d. £ s. d. Wheat, per 2,240 lb. ... ... ... ... 12 6 10 0 Oats, per 2,240 lb. ... ... ... ... 12 6 10 0 Butter and cheese as ordinary cargo ... 100 Live-stock— Cattle, per head ... ... ... 400 Sheep, per head ... ... ... 060 Frozen meat, per pound... ... ... 0 0 1 Sydney — . ■ ■ Butter, cheese, and grain, per ton (Burns, Philp, and Co.) ... ... ... ... 10 0 Butter, per ton ... ... ... 1 10 0 Cheese and grain, per ton (Adelaide Steamship Company)... ... ... ... 100 At Melbourne recently Messrs. John Cooke and Co. and another shipper combined to charter the " Hinemoa," a large sailing-vessel fitted up with a refrigerator, and 8,000 carcases of mutton and 12,000 sacks of wheat were shipped. The vessel was to remain in Western Australia for six months as a store for the meat. The duty on frozen meat in that colony is 1-Jd. per pound. A good deal of New Zealand grain had been going to Western Australia, but this shipment per "Hinemoa" had stopped the New Zealand exports, the "Talune," which had just arrived, having brought only 10 tons. Freights to Western Australia. , .. , ml . -D.j.. i_ -a 1.1 New Zealand to Melbourne to Article. Through Rate to Fremantle. ~ ~ „ ~ ° Melbourne. Fremantle. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Wheat per 2,240 lb. ...176 to 186 0 10 0 100 Oats per 2,240 lb. ... ... 1 10 6 ... 013 0 10 0 Butter and cheese per 40 cubic feet... ... ... 1 17 6to 1 19 6 10 0 10 0 It will be seen from the above that the through rate from New Zealand to Western Australia is about 2s. 6d. per ton less than the freight to Melbourne, plus the freight from thence to Fremantle. The Australian shipping companies make this allowance to the Union Steamship Company, but the latter do not make any reduction between New Zealand and Melbourne on cargo for transhipment to Western Australia. W. T. Glasgow, !■: Secretary and Inspector.

C. —Rates of Freight by German and French Steamers. Hon. Premier, — In accordance with your instructions I made inquiry in Sydney at the Customhouse about freights by the German and French steamers. The Collector was unable to supply the information without applying to the shipping companies. On the day we left Sydney I received from him details which, unfortunately, show only rates on produce to London, and not to the Continent, and do not show the rates on merchandise shipped for Australia. I asked for the latter information,, but, through some misapprehension, it has not been obtained. The rates quoted for produce shipped to London are the same as those by British ships.* As a matter of fact, however, the German and French steamers do not carry produce for the United Kingdom. I examined several outwards reports, and found this to be the case. The shippers were foreign houses, and the goods were consigned to the Continent. These steamers call at Southamption, but do not go to London, so that it is unlikely that shippers to London would send produce by them. I also examined the inwards reports of these steamers," and found that only foreign goods shipped on the Continent come by them. British shippers do not patronise them, possibly because they do not call at London. The German steamers bring much more cargo to Australia than the French—twice as much at least. A very large quantity of heavy ironwork comes from Germany in German steamers. I regret that I am unable to state what advantage Continental shippers have over British shippers in the matter of freight to Australia. As before stated, the details furnished by the Collector do not show this. I understand that there is a good deal of reticence about freights on the part of the foreign companies, and possibly this accounts for the absence of the information. The Collector pointed out some information as to freights published in the New South Wales Statistical Register for 1895. 1 have cut out the part referred to and attach it hereto. The rates for 1895 for wool are about Xd. above those now current. The quotations for France, Germany, and Belgium are practically the same as those for London, but it is not stated whether the rates are those of the German and French steamers, or whether they, are those of the British steamers

* See table attached to Memorandum C on rates of produce shipped to the United Kingdom.

2-H. 28.