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beet sugar industry.
iTIie Obsolete MaflTra Factory.
GROWERS URGE ACTION.
Suggestions for stabilising the beet grow
ing industry were put forward by a deputa
tion from the Maffrn Beet Growers' Asso
ciation which waited on tlie Assistant Min
ister for Agriculture yesterday. Tho depu
tation. which was introduce.! by Mr.
M'Laclilan, M.L.A., also asked thai (lie
in-ice to 1st paid by Hie Government for
the ensuing seaxou should be immediately
fixed.
Mr. '1'. M. Noble, president, of tlie useo-
ciaiimi, said one reason why the industry
'should lie stabilised was that the State
liiad a very large amount.'of money invested
in lit. There wns also the fact that the
interests of the growers were bound up 11!
its succoi-s, and that Innd in the district
was being occupied under the Closer Set
tlement scheme. Another argument in fa
vor of the request was tlmt the industry
' in ployed considerable labor. One of the
jiuca'iis by- which the industry could 1m
stabilised would be to nt once remodel the
jfuctovy. It was erected between twenty-,
jtive and thirty years ago. and was now
jnitojetlicr cut of date, ft was ridiculous
j to think of continuing to curry on with
| such an obsolete plant.
file -Minster: It put up a record this
year.
Mr. Noble said they would not- think
of trying to make sugar with such a p'.nnt
vn America. The whole thing wns in such a
rotten state that at any tiitne vital parte
might go. If the factory waw not rsmodelitd
it. would be impossible to curry on muc.li
longer. He supposed Mr. Graham, the ex
pert from America, .who was at the factory,
! would tell the Govmnment that in his re-
I port. Another means of stabilising the
industry would be to fix such a price
that the growers would get sufficient, profit
to induce tliem to extend their operations.
In the past the price was fixed ou the
basis of the acreage cultivated, and there
jwcro no great prospects of it reaching
much more than 1500 acres. They contend
ed that the minimum price should not
be lower than 37/6 n ton, and that. £2
per ton would be a fair price fur the.
beet s.
Air. A. Rice, a member of the associa
tion, said that if they were going to grow
6000 tons and- the Government could only
take 2000 tons it was not a very sntDHfac-
tory outlook for the growers, and the fac
tory might just as well be closed. State
ments had appeared in tho press that
10 cost the Government
£100,000 to place the industry on a fnir
liasis. He had been credibly informed that
a sum of £50,000 should be credited to Ilia
factory, ft the plant did not break down
last vent', the staff nearly did, and it was
a miracai that it did not break down owiiif
to the worry attendant on the fear oi
what was going to happen. They never had
more satisfactory management.
Jr. MT.aehb.n said there were about
000 men employed in the industry.
Mr. M'Gregor, M.I..A., said that iu Vic
toria wc ought to lie able to grow tin:
greater portion of the sugar required.
Ihc Minister said they must realise that
, Government bid done mora than any
.other Government in connection with stab
ilising the industry, ft was the only Go
vernment (hat had taken the, matter up
seriously, and it would not have gone so
far if it did not have in view the stabilis
ing of the industry. At -the.stuna time
.Ministers were open to crHdsm in Parli'a-
ment, and had to be . in the position of
standing up to that criticism. They were
awaiting the expert's report, and when it
came before tho Cabinet the matter wouM
receive very careful consideration. As they
could quite realise, the money had to tic
provided by the taxpayers. Theirs was the
only industry that was looking to the Go
vernment to stand right up to it. As re
garded remodelling, nothing -more could be
(tone than was being done at present. An
expenditure of £3000 or £4000 find recently
beau incurred in tho erection of a new
store In regard to prices tho Government
bad treuted thorn fairly. Last year, know
ing tho uncertainty of. the posction, it gavo
tiiem a -minimum price, and a. sliding scab
on tho average of sugar turned out, with
r-> J/® tii o.v col. soin<Hhi»tr like
-L 2/b. This year there wu a falNim
market, and they might be fn the position
at doing something similar to Inst year. Ho
could assure them that the price would, ho
decided by the Cabinet -next Tuesday, and
they would probably learn the resiilt on
Juesday night. Certain reports had ap
peared, in the press criticising the action
01 the Government. 'That was not veiy
nice for the Government when it knew at
wns doing its best, avid it was not tho
way to get favors. Someone nt Mnffrn must
have supplied the material for the eriti-l
cism. They did not object to fair criticism,
but they did object to carping criticism.
fair. Rice disavowed any rcsaionsibility
for the nre-K emticisni.
In reply to Mr. M'Laclilan the Minister
baid UiAt if (he Government rbeiffed to
undertake the romndellhur of the fnctorv
it wouid proceed with it right away
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