39h Joiintal of AgilcuUiire, Victoria. [10 Jily, 1919. 



would be a much greater profit, owing to the fact that, in the additional cam- 

 paign, these standing I'hargos wouhl not again have to be paid. 



The additional campaign would, liowevor, necessitate some additional repairs, 

 depreciation, &c., whicli wpuld have to be allowed for. 



During the campaign of 1917-18 the Mafl'ra factory treated 14,487 tons of 

 roots, and out of revenue ])aid tlie following amounts: — 



Repairs £3,125 



Interest . . 3,256 



Depreciation . . . . 2,528 



Office manaiienient . . 2,378 



£11,287 



and showed :i profit of £1,867. Tiiese sun;^ covered, of course, the whole year, 

 1,650 tons of finished sugar being manufactured from the roots treated. The 

 bulk of the revenue is thus absorbed by standing charges. If the output of the 

 factory were doubled, tliese charges would be only slightly increased, while the 

 profits would be disproportionately greater. 



The point is developed in the following figures. The second campaign, work- 

 ing on the dried juice, would occupy as long as the first: — 



f £ £ 



1917-liS Addition.ll 



Campaign. Campaign. Differeuue. 



Repairs . . 3,125 . . 1,450 . 1.675 



Interest . . . . 3.256 . . — . . 3,256 



Depreciation . . 2,528 . . — 2,528 



Office and management 2,378 . . 700 . . 1,678 



£11,287 £2,150 .. £9,137 



Of the profit of £1,867 made in 1017-18 campaign, £500 represented proceeds 

 from the sale of pulp. This would not be available in the dried juice campaign, 

 so that, other things being the same, its profit would be less, or £1,367. Thus 

 in a second campaign tliere would be available £0,137 surplus revenue, and 

 £1,367, or an aggregate of £10,504. On a final yield of 1,650 tons of sugar this 

 represents £0 7s. 6d. per ton of sugar. 



Exclusive of charges for interest, depreciation, and repairs the cost of manu- 

 facture to the juice stage at Maffra in the last campaign has been estimated at 

 £13 8s. per ton crystallized sugar. Hence if an additional campaign were carried 

 out without profit or loss to the factory it could pay per ton crystallized sugar 

 in the dried juice £13 Ss.. plus t!io difl'eronce in revenue. This would be £13 8s.. 

 plus £6 7s. O'd.. or £10 15s. 6d. 



Cost of 1'rndurin<i the Dried ■/iticc. — Tlic committee lias been at considerable 

 disadvantage in estimating costs, owing to the fact tliat no similar plants are 

 in operation, so far as could be learnt, in any part of the world, and, con- 

 sequently, no comparative figures for plant required, operating costs, &c., couhi 

 be obtained. The only experiments of which any records are available wen- 

 those made by Mr, Pearson about twenty -four years* ago, and of wliich the records 

 are incomplete. Consequently it lias been necessary to work on estimates which 

 are not wholly satisfactory in that they cannot 'be based on actual practice. 

 Calculations were based chiefiy on costs of corresponding processes at the Maffra 

 factory. 



Three types of juicery were considered by the Committee: — 



1. Diffusion juicery (practically a small plant worked on the same lines as 

 the corresponding part of the Mallra factory), capable of treating 50 tons of 

 roots per day (24 hours), or 5,000 tons per season. 



2. Hiationary press juicery established in local district, capable of treating 

 50 tons of roots per day (24 hours), or 5,000 tons per season. 



3. Trnvelling press jnicery to move from farm to farm and opei^ate in some- 

 what the same way as travelling tl'.reshers — icapacity IS to«s per day of eight 

 hours, or 1,800 tons per season. 



Tlic large amoimt of capital required for diffusion juiceries rendered them 

 unattiactive to the committee, and iletailed consideration was concenti-atod upon 



