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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 23

Part V

Part V.

What can be done in the Future.

Reference has already been made to the following industries in the course of this essay, and nothing further need be said about them: Agricultural implements, bacon and hams, boots page 17 and shoes, butter and cheese, candles, carriages, carpets, coal, flour, frozen meat, hardware, leather, pickles, railway carriages, saddlery, soap, tanning extract, and woollens.

It remains to consider certain other prominent industries in detail, with a view to show what, if anything, can be done to foster them in the future.

Acids.

Amongst the acids imported into New Zealand for manufacturing and other purposes tartaric acid—of which no less than 114,259lb., valued at £9,370, were imported during 1881—heads the list. The wine-making industry is not yet in a sufficiently advanced stage to enable this acid to he produced in payable quantities; but machinery should be imported, and steps taken to manufacture it contemporaneously with the increase in vineyards and wine-presses. The Government might offer a bonus for the production of the first 50 tons, in the same way as the manufacture of sulphuric acid was judiciously and successfully fostered. The effect, in case of sulphuric acid was very marked last year, when the imported article decreased from 24,124lb. to 10,772lb.

Of other acids, it is probable that citric acid, should the culture of lemons and citrons flourish in the colony, can be successfully extracted in New Zealand, instead of being imported.

Bonedust.

It seems almost inconceivable that last year 3,518 tons of bonedust, valued at £23,057, should have been imported into the colony for manure, when the unmanufactured product exists here already in such great quantities. The establishment of bonedust mills in all the districts of the colony, on the same principle that boiling-down establishments dot the country, would not involve any great outlay of capital, and would lead to greater care and economy in the collection and storage of bones, and to a good deal of labour being employed. It would be necessary, however, to impose a moderate import duty, and to offer a Government bonus for the production of the first five hundred or one thousand tons. The demand for bonedust increased last year, judging from the imports, by 30 per cent., and the increase is likely to continue.

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Brushware and Brooms.

Something has been done, but not very much, in the colonial manufacture of brushware and brooms. The import is still very large, reaching last year the value of £9,140. The division of labour has been so greatly perfected in this trade, and every branch of it has become so technically and strictly separate, that the State could best aid in promoting the industry at first by obtaining and publishing full information with regard to the trade in all its branches, and by offering a moderate bonus for the first large quantity of brushes or brooms, whether of hair or bristle, manufactured within the colony. In Victoria there were last year ten brush manufactories, employing 162 hands, and having £19,145 sunk in machinery, plant, land, and buildings.

Cement.

Notwithstanding the continued production of cement—natural, such as the Mahurangi hydraulic lime, and artificial, in imitation of Portland cement—the importation into the colony is immense and increasing. Last year it readied 100,761 barrels, valued at £62,075, as against 74,997 barrels, valued at £52,902, in the previous year. Concrete is fast becoming a favourite building and paving material, and in large towns seems destined to outstrip both brick and stone in supplanting wood for public edifices, and even for dwelling-houses. It is the opinion of those engaged in cement and lime-making in the colony that, as the prejudice in favour of a foreign article over a home article becomes broken down, and as skilled labour is to a greater extent employed in the manufacture, so as to render the strength of the New Zealand article more regular and certain, and not so liable to be affected by atmospheric conditions, there will be less and less need for fostering or protection to the industry. The great desideratum is that the cement should be capable of use without slacking, and without swelling in the setting. No bonus is necessary, but the present import duty should be maintained; and the Public Works Department and local governing bodies should, where practicable, allow New Zealand cement and hydraulic lime to be used, and in some cases should encourage their use in preference to imported Portland cement. That this industry is capable of great things may be inferred from what has been done by Messrs. Wilson, the proprietors of the Mahu- page 19 rangi hydraulic-lime works. They commenced seven years ago to produce this natural cement, and in the first year only 7,000 bushels were sold. In the second year the amount increased to 23,000; and at the present time the sales are between 80,000 and 90,000 bushels a year, a quantity equal to 30,000 bushels of cement.

China and Porcelain Ware.

The difficulties which attend the manufacture of china in the colony are much of the same nature as those referred to in the case of earthenware. It is certain that, although it is quite possible to produce excellent china in the colony, the industry could not be successful at the present time without import duties of a protective character. So strong would be the fashionable prejudice in favour of English-made china for a long time to come that, unless New Zealand-made goods could be offered to the public cheaper than the imported article, the industry would barely struggle into existence. In the opinion of a high practical authority, the time has not yet come for the manufacture of china; certainly not till the present depression and glutted market have passed away. Elaborate and costly machinery would have to be imported from England, together with skilled hands, such as printers, engravers, burnishers, &c. Particular kinds of flint and stone would have to be imported from England, and would have to be prepared; and a similar and equally expensive process would have to be applied to the New Zealand clay. It is doubtful, therefore, whether capital, even with the assistance of State protection, could make out any return out of the china industry. The freight question has been referred to under the head of "Earthenware;" and the difficulty is intensified by the fact that the freight out from Home is cheaper on china goods—which are, as a rule, smaller—than upon the common earthenware. New Zealand china would be too heavily handicapped against its imported rival.

Drugs.

The importation of drugs is very large, 4,525 packages, valued at £35,567, having been brought in last year, an amount very slightly in excess of that of the previous year. Of these; drugs a large number are tinctures and other alcoholic preparations, which could be made up in the colony; but the present page 20 system of levying duties appears to hamper the trade and stand in the way of this being done. The ease is best stated in the words of a pharmaceutical chemist of long experience both in England and New Zealand. He says, "The English manufacturer is allowed to compound and distil these preparations from duty-free spirit in bond; in addition to which large quantities of similar compounds of German make, but of doubtful reputation, are imported, these latter having the recommendation of cheapness to those who are careless of quality. Colonial manufacturers are absolutely prohibited making similar compounds, as a heavy Customs duty, amounting to about £1 1s. per gallon on rectified spirit, must be paid at the outset. This completely puts us out of the pale of competition, and makes the supply of necessary drugs very much of a monopoly in the hands of a little knot of importers. The remedy is: Allow the manufacture of alcoholic tinctures, distilled spirits, and preparations in which alcohol is an important factor to be made in the colony with duty-free spirit in bond; these, when removed from bond, to be charged with the ordinary 10 per cent, ad valorem duty. The Government could be no loser; the public would gain by the exclusion of inferior drugs; large sums in freight would be avoided; and the qualified colonial manufacturing chemist would stand a show in the competition."

Earthenware.

Although this industry has made great strides in New Zealand—and there are few large cities which do not possess earthenware and pottery works—and although the industry has apparently checked the importation from other countries and given employment to a large number of hands, it is still beset with difficulties. The success is, in fact, chiefly at present in the coarser kinds of earthenware; and it is much to be desired that the finer kinds of delf should, be manufactured in the colony. The earthenware makers all give the same reasons for the languishing state of the industry. They ask that the cost of transit of goods in the colony by rail should be reduced; that an extra duty should be placed on imported delf; that facilities should be offered by the Government to induce skilled labourers to come out to the colony; and that the Government should offer a bonus on the first five hundred pounds' worth of page 21 goods turned out—say, for example, willow-pattern plates and equally common cups and saucers. Delf of every description, and equal to any imported article, was made at the Milton Pottery Works, Otago; but, from various causes, among which were, undeniably, the expense of getting materials on the ground, and the cost of carriage of goods after they were made, the company failed. The works are now in private hands, but appear to languish. The bad state of the market at present, and the great over-importation of goods, has produced a glut which it will take a long time to work off, and which tells against the New Zealand industry. It is stated, however, that if the railway freights were reduced things would go ahead, by enabling works to be carried on close to good clay, by allowing the coal to be procured at a reduced price, and by enabling the manufactured goods to be sent to districts far remote from the works. At present the market is limited to the close vicinity of the manufactory through high freights. The limited supply of skilled labour is also a drawback. Potters have to be trained up from boyhood, as it requires great finish of hand and eye. There are few potters in the colony, and all of them came from the Home country; while it is said that it takes about three years for an apprentice to become of much use. The division of labour, although necessary for the production of good pottery, has thrown upon the New Zealand manufacturer a heavy burden. A man may be very good at his own branch of the trade and of no use in any other; so that a full and varied complement of skilled artisans has to be procured. It is, of course, a matter of great expense and difficulty to fill the places of those men in the event of their leaving their employment. Excluding delf, there are few kinds of earthenware which are not produced easily and successfully in the colony. It needed merely a glance round the Wellington Exhibition to discover that. The works of Messrs. Austin, Kirk, and Co., of Christchurch, may be taken as a passing instance. They are manufacturers of crocks, jars, basins, bowls, bottles, teapots, jugs, filters, pie-dishes, spittoons, and many other kinds of domestic, useful, and ornamental pottery and earthenware. But even this firm, with all their extensive business, have discovered that, by reason of the heavy freights, they are too heavily handicapped against imported goods outside of their own provincial district. With a reduction of page 22 railway and water charges, and with an extra duty on imported delf, there is little doubt that several makers of earthenware would begin to produce the finer kinds of pottery, such as plates, cups, and saucers.

Before leaving the subject of earthenware the suggestion may be made that many of the commoner varieties of clay tobacco pipes, notably the long "churchwarden," might be made in the colony. The pipeclay is found in many places, and the idea is worthy of consideration. A good many hands are employed in Kent and other parts of England in this industry, and the establishments are not always on a large scale. There ought to be no difficulty in making a beginning in New Zealand.

Fish (cured and tinned).

The valuable information given by Mr. J. Mackenzie and Messrs. Thomson Brothers, of Port Chalmers, Mr. James Rutland, of Picton, and Dr. Hector, which is contained in the Parliamentary Paper H.—15, must lead every one to regret that greater progress has not been made in the fish curing and canning industry. Two facts are beyond question: that our New Zealand seas teem with fish of the most suitable kinds, easily procurable; and that an excellent cured and canned article has already been produced, quite equal in cheapness, quality, and flavour to any importation. To encourage this industry the Government, deeming it of the first importance that a valuable food supply so close to our doors should not be neglected, have a bonus now under offer, which fish-curers in several parts of the colony are most anxious to compete for. Dr. Hector's opinion (Vide his memorandum in Parliamentary Paper H.—15a) is that "the natural wealth of the New Zealand fisheries is as yet almost undeveloped, and the efforts in this direction have been very crude, and entered on without the least regard to the knowledge of the subject which is necessary. The establishment of small fishing communities in connection with fish-curing factories is what is required. . . . The most steady and largest outlet for the fisheries industry would be in canning fish for export on a large scale." But, before Dr. Hector's ideas can be realized, and the industry be established on a large scale in the great centres, the experiment of preserving and canning must be made by persons practically acquainted with it, and at places as near as page 23 possible to the fishing grounds. Suitable buildings, plant, boats, and nets will be needed even for the smallest experiment; and, to begin with, it is far more likely that the experiment will be successful, conducted by a practical fisherman, even if he has to borrow the needful capital, than in a large factory run by capitalists at a distance from the waters where the fish are obtained. The State would therefore act wisely in giving assistance in other ways than that of offering a bonus, to enable the industry to grow up in such a place, for instance, as Queen Charlotte Sound. Let but one good fishing establishment be successfully started in such a locality, and there would be plenty of capital forthcoming to start others. At present a person engaged in the industry on a small scale is terribly hampered by the necessity of paying high interest on advances, and selling his fish through the middleman with his enormous profits. The owner of some fish-curing works, writing to the author of this essay, says, "During this season I have cured 3,000 cases of herrings at a selling price of 10s. per case; but, being under certain conditions for raising money to put up additional buildings to can that quantity, I am forced to accept an all-round price of 7s. per case. Thus, you will see, it costs me 4s. to get them ready for market, 1s. for case, 2s. for profit; while the merchant gets 3s. to 4s. per case for trading. This is where the rub comes in." The same person is sanguine of the success of the industry, and, as a proof of the natural wealth of fish food, mentions that he had seen, during the past season, a patch of herrings two miles long by one mile wide. The State could best help the industry, in a case such as this, by advancing money, at a low rate of interest, upon security of his freehold premises and plant—in the same way as it has frequently been proposed to help the settler to make improvements in his land. It is no wonder that in the past the bonus offered for cured fish was suffered to lapse. It could not, as Dr. Hector shows, be taken up by capital, without special knowledge of the industry; and special knowledge cannot at present, unless the Government steps in to help, obtain the aid of capital except upon oppressive terms.

Fruit-preserving.—Jams and Jellies.

These industries are becoming firmly established in the colony, though enormous quantities of bottled and preserved page 24 fruit, and of jams and jellies, are still imported. There is no kind of produce for which New Zealand is naturally better fitted than fruit, and the success of jam factories in some parts of the colony, and the high quality of the preserved fruits exhibited in the Wellington Exhibition, prove that both capital and skill have been brought to bear. It is not altogether satisfactory to reflect that in this colony, largely composed of small fruitgrowing settlers, who should easily find a market for their produce, no less than 440,992lb. of jam were imported last year, the value being set down at £10,552. There is not a penny of this large sum that need have been sent out of the colony for food of this nature. Two things stand in the way of the industry. Insect blights on the fruit trees have increased to such an extent that the loss to fruit-growers, and especially to small settlers in Nelson and Marlborough, must be reckoned by thousands of pounds. Fruit-growers are also unfairly handicapped by boiled fruit-pulp coming into the colony free of duty. To meet the latter difficulty the same duty should be imposed as that upon bottled fruits; and to meet the former plague the Government should cause to be circulated all over the colony, in large numbers, copies of the valuable report of the Codlin Moth Committee last session, and of Professor Kirk's equally valuable report upon insect blights. The outlay which this circulation would involve might be considered as a judicious investment in the public interest, especially if done at the right time of the year.

Glass.

The impediments presented by high freights, over-importation of foreign goods, and scarcity of skilled labour apply to the glass-works industry equally with the manufacture of delf and china. The New Zealand glassworks are very few in number, and have been confined almost entirely hitherto to the manufacture of lamp-glasses and chimneys. Now, however, works are in course of construction at Kaiapoi for the manufacture of bottles, tumblers, medicine and soda-water bottles, besides lamp-glasses and other useful and marketable articles which should find a ready sale in the colony. Experimental trials have resulted in the successful production of articles of all the kinds enumerated. At Kaiapoi and at other places in the colony the requisite glass sands are found in abundance, page 25 which, when subjected to various chemical treatments, ought to produce not only inferior glass, but also the finer articles turned out by the trade in England. At Auckland there has been for some time past a small factory in existence, in which little or no sand was used, but old glass was melted down and blown. It is hoped that at Kaiapoi, before very long, there will be proper furnaces and melting pots or tanks, with skilled men possessing full knowledge of chemical appliances, and with practical experience of "mixing" and "fluxing." Then the experiment of manufacturing glass articles as a commercial speculation may be tried; and, when the works are in full swing, and proof has been given that the industry is adapted to the colony, the Government may be justified in coming to its assistance by offering a bonus.

At the same time, much must not be hoped from the industry for a long time to come. It would appear that even in Victoria the industry has not fulfilled expectations, or kept pace with the population, inasmuch as last year there were only five works, as against nine existing in 1881. Those five works gave employment to 187 men, and had £21,250 embarked in the machinery, plant, land, and buildings. Their out-put appeared to be about one-third of the imported glass and glassware. The industry would be a valuable one could it be successfully carried on in New Zealand, and the remarks of Dr. Hector upon the subject (Parliamentary Paper H.—15a.) are worthy of notice. He says, "The enormous importation of glassware and glass bottles, and the consequent abundant supply of broken glass for re-smelting, has made it almost unnecessary to make the glass from the raw material; but this abounds, of all qualities. The industry is worth the attention of any persons skilled in the trade that desire a fresh outlet, and could bring with them the necessary workmen."

Ironworks.

All attempts to successfully establish ironworks have at present failed, and it is to be regretted that the skill and attention displayed upon such a tempting, though impracticable, industry have not been diverted into more useful channels. Bonuses have been offered, and allowed to lapse; and, as there is only one iron furnace at work in the colony, it is not probable page 26 that the bonuses still under offer for pig-iron and wrought-iron blooms—both of which expire on the 31st December, 1886—will be taken up. Hitherto, in the Old World, the near proximity to each other of iron ore and coal seams has been regarded as essential to the success of ironworks, and as the secret of the supremacy which coal and iron countries always attain. Unfortunately, the ironsand on the west coast of the North Island and at the Manukau, which does not possess the advantage of coal as a near neighbour, has been the only field in which experimental ironworks have as yet been ventured upon. Failure has attended all of them. As pointed out in Dr. Hector's report (Parliamentary Paper H.—15a.), one of the most favourable localities for ironworks yet discovered is at Collingwood, in the Nelson District, where coal seams and iron ore have been found almost side by side. Here, if anywhere, the experiment of ironworks to obtain the bonuses ought to have been practically tested—especially as the yield of the coalmine is easy and abundant—yet nothing has been done.

Matches.

The enormous quantity of matches imported last year—8,301 packages, valued at £24,635—suggests the idea that something might be done to promote their manufacture within the colony. In England, Sweden, and Germany the industry gives employment to thousands of young and old, though—in London, at any rate—under conditions of low wages and factory life which it might not be possible or desirable to imitate in the colony. The industry is, however, worthy of consideration, especially as sulphur, the groundwork of non-poisonous matches, exists in great quantities; and phosphorus, the groundwork of the poisonous wax matches, could be extracted in sufficient quantities from the bones which form such an extensive article of commerce in a pastoral country. The glue which forms part of matches of all kinds already comes in free of duty, as also do the chemicals used in the manufacture. If, as has been contemplated, the sale of poisonous matches be prohibited, there might, at any rate, be a fair chance of establishing the wood safety-match industry, provided the present import duty were maintained.

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Olives.

With regard to olives, there can be no doubt that, although of slow growth, the plant can be successfully cultivated in the colony. The production of olive oil is a highly important matter, and likely to be more so as woollen factories increase and the demand for the oil, which is used in that manufacture, enlarges. Dr. Hector recommends a systematic importation of olive truncheons, instead of the plant being grown here from eyes and buds. Last year the olive oil imported, free of duty, amounted to 29,077 gallons, valued at £5,467. As the plant matures it would be well to offer a bonus for the first large quantity of olive oil produced in the colony, and to impose the-same import duty as exists in Victoria—6d. per gallon.

Printing Paper.

In this case a Government bonus of £500 for the first fifty tons will lapse if not claimed before the 31st December, 1886. Two previous bonuses, in 1875 and 1883, lapsed without any claimants. Last year 39,073cwt. of printing paper was imported, to the value of £67,840. No import duty is levied, and it is not probable that the Legislature—which would regard a duty in this case as a "tax upon knowledge"—could be induced to include it in the dutiable goods of the tariff. It is not easy to see how, even supposing every newspaper in the colony undertook to buy all their paper from a New Zealand mill for five years—a contingency not likely to happen—it would pay to-establish such a mill in the colony. In order to compete in cheapness and quality with the English, Scotch, and foreign houses it is said that the buildings and plant of a printing-paper mill in New Zealand would cost £50,000. Nor could this colony depend upon customers in the Australian Colonies, where paper is imported from the Home country free of duty, and where one mill already exists, though with a limited output. Printing paper has never been produced in New Zealand except in one instance—experimentally and unsuccessfully—at Mataura. It is an industry which it were vain at present to hope to establish.

Salt.

The import of salt in 1884 amounted to 5,470 tons, valued at £14,990, an increase upon the previous year of 935 tons and page 28 £2,601 respectively. There is no reason why, if salt can be produced in South Australia, where there are no salt mines, the same industry cannot be established in New Zealand. One maker, at Lake Fowler, Yorketown, has established works the out-put from which is twenty-five tons per week, the manufacture being by the process of evaporating sea-water. There are several methods by which this process is carried out; and, without entering into details, it is sufficient to say that no great capital would be required to start the industry. Both in South Australia and Victoria there is an import duty of 20 per cent, upon salt, and it might be desirable to impose a duty upon it in New Zealand, instead of allowing it to come in free, as at present. The bulk of the salt imported comes from Great Britain, though some has been imported from the South Australian works already referred to; and, considering how greatly the freight must add to the price, there is good reason for thinking that this industry could be established in New Zealand without increasing the price paid by the consumer. It is interesting to note that in Victoria last year there were seven salt-works, employing forty-two hands, with £7,406 invested in machinery, plant, land, and buildings.

Silk.

The bonuses offered in 1881 and 1882 to encourage the production of silk, in cocoons or eggs, were never taken up. The importation of silk decreased last year by 33 per cent., attributable mainly to its growing disuse as an article of apparel. The silk industry is not likely to be established, even feebly, in this colony, unless by a scheme of special immigrants born and bred to the business, and imported specially to introduce it here. It might be desirable for the Government to encourage this idea by offering facilities for acquiring land, and by importing and cultivating the proper variety of mulberry.

Starch, Maizena, and Cornflour.

The exceedingly low price at which German starch can be imported into this colony must, for a very long time to come, prevent the manufacture being taken up to any extent in New Zealand, however abundant the raw material. So long as the German article can be imported at 2¾d. per pound, there is no available labour in the colony which would enable page 29 our manufacturers to compete. It is to be feared, therefore, that the same unsuccessful result will attend the bonus now under offer as attended those offered and never taken up in 1881, 1882, and 1883. The ease is different with cornflour and semolina, and no doubt could be so, if the experiment were tried, with maizena. The large and increasing quantities of these preparations of meal which are imported open up a field for colonial enterprise, and some superior specimens were to be seen in the Wellington Exhibition. Both cornflour and semolina are being produced better and cheaper than the imported article: and the unreasonable prejudice in favour of the imported article is being overcome. Government would be justified in fostering these industries by increasing the duty.

Straw Hats.

Attention has been called in the Legislature to the large quantity of straw hats imported annually. Last year 566 packages, valued at .£11,365, came into the colony, notwithstanding the fact that straw, of the same nature as and of equal goodness to the Tuscan, .Leghorn, or Dunstable kinds, can be easily enough produced in New Zealand. Those who have seen, the working of this important, pleasing, and healthful industry in the Counties of Bedford, Buckingham, and Herts, and have seen the old people and children plaiting their straw at the cottage doors, afterwards carrying their goods to the "plait" market in the nearest town, cannot but wonder that such an industry has never occurred to the minds of the agricultural classes in New Zealand. Straw hat and bonnet factories, such, as exist in Luton, Dunstable, and St. Albans would follow, and the manufacturer, with abundant raw material, and with sufficient female or boy labour, would soon hold his own with the imported article. The Government could aid the industry, not only by maintaining the present import duty, but by offering a bonus for the first five hundred bonnets or hats, or first thousand yards of straw plait.

Sugar.

The production of sugar in New Zealand has already been referred to as too remote a contingency, considered as a commercial speculation, to be treated practically within this essay. Five Government bonuses, offered between November, 1872, and page 30 May, 1881, lapsed; and for only one of them were there any applicants at all. Sorghum has been successfully grown as an experiment; and sugar-refining works exist at Auckland, from which an excellent article is turned out. But the colony is still a great way from sugar-producing, though the results, if any, of "The Beetroot Sugar Act, 1884," will be awaited with much interest. Under that Act a bonus of ½d. in the pound is offered on 1,000 tons; but there is at present little reason to suppose it will be taken up. It is believed by many that beet-root sugar could not be profitably manufactured in New Zealand without the distillation of spirit from the refuse were permitted to attach to it. This the colony is not in the least degree likely to permit. Accounts of the beet-root sugar industry, even where carried on in Europe under the most favourable conditions, and with the cheapest labour, have not been encouraging of late.

Varnish.

So largely docs kauri-gum enter into the manufacture of varnish that it is most desirable that an effort should be made to produce within the colony an article which can compete with that which is now so largely imported. Last year the imported varnish was valued at £12,419—a very large sum to send out of the colony for an article that, without much difficulty, could be made within it. In this case, since encouragement would be given to the kauri-gum industry as well as to establishing a new manufacture, the Government would be justified in increasing the import duty, and in offering a bonus for the first five thousand gallons of New Zealand varnish. In Victoria the industry appears to be established. Last year there were three paint-varnish manufactories, employing twenty-two hands, and with machinery, plant, land, and buildings valued at £16,229.

Vinegar.

The great extent to which vinegar is used by colonists leads to the reflection that the manufacture should be attached to every large brewery in New Zealand. Vinegar—or "alegar," as it is sometimes termed in Great Britain, when the works are attached to beer-making—has already been made in some considerable-quantity by Messrs. Kempthorne, Prosser, and Co., of Dunedin; but, as 92,133 gallons were imported last year, it is evident that page 31 the fringe of the industry has scarcely been touched. In this case also a bonus might be offered, in order to encourage brewers and others in procuring the necessary machinery and labour. The duty is already sufficiently protectionist.