Dollar Cigarettes—Great value.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8665, 14 December 1893, Page 6

Dollar Cigarettes—Great value.

The Victorian Minister of Agriculture was recently Interviewed by a deputation ] from the Dairymen's Association, and asked to bring influence to bear with a view to securing concessions from the P. and O. and Orient Companies with regard to the carriage of perishable floods to England. It waa suggested that a. stipulation should be inserted in future mail contracts to the effect that dairy produce and perishable goods should be carried at a maximum rate of OJd per lb. The Minister, in reply, said he had been making every possible effort to obtain reduced freight;., but it was a difficult task to accomplish. Tbe mail steamers had a monopoly of the trade, and a company with a large capital would need to come into tbe field before dairy produce could be carried at appreciably lower rates than were now charged. He ibought that when the next contracts for carrying tbe mails were entered into in 1893 efforts should be made to induce the companies to teuder at a reduced rate for the car riage of dairy produce. If the colony wetto be solely dependent upon the present arrangement for next year it was probable that Sydney would monopolise the whole of the space. He would submit a proposal to the Cabinet that at the earliest possible moment tenders should be called for a direct service from Victoria to London to carry all perishable produce at a price to be agreed upon. A subsidy should at least be given to a new company to enable it to profitably carry butter at (_d. per lb. The necessity for some arrangement being made for the proper supervision of dairy produce in London was next urged by the deputation, and Mr Webb stated that that was just as important a matter as the freight question. A person should be authorised to inspect the products on their arrival, and should be under the control of the Agent-General. In answer to a question Mr Webb said he would be prepared to hear tbe gievances of those who were ansneceasfnl applicants for bonuses for the •stabl-shment of butter factories and i creameries.