APPENDIX No. 10. EVIDENCE HON. H. GREGORY. M.H.R. [COPY.]

To the Chairman, Farmers' Disabilities Commission, Perth.

I, Henry Gregory, Member for Swan in the House of Representatives, do hereby solemnly and sincerely declare to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the effect of Commonwealth legislation in relation to the imposition of Customs duties and of the operations of the Federal Navigation and Arbitration laws is such as to impose a serious and heavy burden upon the farmer in the West who grows cereals only, and even to a greater extent on those who carry on mixed farming.

Moreover, the effect of these taxes and laws, as I will endeavour to demonstrate later, not only exact a direct and heavy contribution from the farmer, but also an indirect contribution exceedingly difficult to estimate owing to its many ramifications, but which must add considerably to his cost of living, of production and of transport.

The future of Western Australia depends wholly on the prosperous development of its great areas, and particularly those suitable for the growing of wheat. The great advance in scientific knowledge, the value of fertilisers and the introduction of modern labour-saving machinery has made it possible to successfully develop areas capable of producing great wealth and carrying a large additional population in country and city, subject, however, to world's prices and to the cost of production. World's prices cannot be controlled, and it must be remembered that in wheat production we in Australia are furthest from the world's markets and that the producer must compete with cheap labour countries, therefore costs of production and of transport by land and sea are of major and vital importance.

Dealing first with the effect of the Tariff on the farmer who takes up a virgin holding from the Crown, and who in the first stages of development requires to purchase building material and tools of trade, may I point out the relative duties that were in operation in 1913, and those in force under the present Tariff Schedule. It is important to point out this phase of high costs to the settler in Western Australia to the people of Eastern Australia, as the latter fail to appreciate the fact that the most of their pioneering work was done when costs of material and labour were considerably less than has pertained during the last twenty years.

The new settler requires a house, fencing, water supplies and a variety of tools, harness and implements. The following gives the duties in force in 1913 and at present on —

                                                                     1913.                 1931.

                                                             British. - Foreign. - British. - Foreign.

Timber, large sizes (per 100 super) - 1s. 0d. - 1s. 0d. - 10s. 6d. - 12s. 6d.

Galvanised iron (ton) - 20s. 0d. - 30s. 0d. - 110s. 0d. - 150s. 0d.

Fencing wire (per ton) - Free - Free - 52s. 0d. - 172s. 0d.

                                          Bounty Removed.

                                      - per ton. - per ton.

Barb wire - 10% - 15% - 68s. 0d. - 180s 0d.

Scoops - 12½% - 15% - 20% - 30%

Tools of trade: axes, shovels, saws, forks, etc. - Free - 10% - 55% - 75%

I take the following items from a report of Professor Perkins, of South Australia, in evidence given before a Disabilities Commission in that State:—

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PRICES.

                                     1913. - 1930.

4-furrow plough - £32 0s. 0d. - £42 11s. 0d.

15 tine cultivator - £39 0s. 0d. - £76 9s. 3d.

16 hoe drill - £43 10s. 0d. - £67 17s. 6d.

6-leaf harrow and bar - £9 0s. 0d - £10 12s. 1d.

Hay trolly - £66 0s 0d. - £166 0s. 0d.

Tip-dray - £26 0s. 0d. - £52 0s. 0d

6ft. harvester - £104 0s. 0d. - £119 9s. 9d.

5ft. bag-lift - £1 15s. 0d. - £2 2s. 6d.

No. 4 chaffcutter - £15 12s. 0d. - £24 14s. 0d.

6ft. binder - £40 0s. 0d. - £73 2s. 6d.

Oil engine - £142 0s. 0d. - £192 0s. 0d.

an increase of cost on the articles enumerated of 59.38 per cent.

A further list by the same authority, some due to trade conditions, but generally by increased Tariff imposts, gives some interesting figures which face the settler when closing his accounts at the end of the season:—

                                           1913. -          1930.

85 dozen cornsacks - £27 12s. 6d. - £45 13s. 9d.

20 balls binder twine - £2 6s. 10½d. - £3 0s. 1d.

10 balls bagging twine - £0 9s. 9½d. - £0 12s 1d.

10 tons super. - £46 5s. 0d - £42 10s 0d.

50 gal. kerosene - £1 19s. 7d. - £3 15s 0d.

8 gal. lubricating oil - £1 0s. 0d. - £1 12s. 0d.

2 doz. steel plough shares - £3 6s. 0d. - £4 4s. 0d.

2 doz. cultivator shares - £1 6s. 0d. - £1 12s. 6d.

3 doz. C. I. shares - £1 16s. 0d. - £2 5s. 0d.

2 Chaff-cutting knives - £0 7s. 0d. - £0 10s. 0d.

17lbs. blue stone - £0 4s. 3d. - £0 6s. 4½d.

Fencing material - £5 0s. 0d. - £7 7s. 1d. or an increase of 23.72 per cent.

Further, he gives a long list of comparative prices of tools of trade, showing an increased cost in 1930 of 77.73 per cent., and in addition an estimate of the cost of certain harness required on the farm which in Professor Perkins' opinion would now cost £31 1s. 8d., whereas the same in 1913 would have cost £21 16s. 9d., the increase amounting to 42.3 per cent.

For comparative purposes I quote lists of prices from authoritative sources of machinery and goods in Eastern Australia and other countries. In almost every instance an extra amount from 7 per cent. on agricultural machinery to 12 per cent. on other goods must be added for freight from East to West.

— - Cash Retail Price, U.S.A. - Cash Retail Price, Canada, - Cash Retail Price, Victoria. (Australian made.)

6-ft. binder - £43 15s. 0d. - £52 3s. 9d. - £69 19s. 2d.

4½-ft medium mower - £17 8s. 4d. - £19 5s. 5d. - £34 4s. 0d.

9-ft hay rake - £10 13s. 4d. - £11 13s. 4d. - £18 10s. 0d.

9-ft. spring tooth cultivator - £22 18s. 4d. - £24 18s. 5d. - £32 5s. 3d.

3 H.P. oil engine - £25 0s. 0d. - £30 4s. 2d. - £58 8s. 6d.

(4 H.P.)