Wheat (1) - Part 1

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2084. Did a larger quantity come from the Westralian Farmers?—I should like to see the figures before answering that. Off hand I should say, yes. Their wheat was generally in a worse condition, and little care had been taken to protect it. Where in other instances some attempt had been made to carry out my instructions, the Westralian Farmers absolutely flouted them. They went for weight alone.

2085. Would this wheat come from the country sidings?—Originally, but not at the time. The excessive exposure was due to the breaking down of the stack.

2086. Would you know whether it was sent down as ordinary wheat?—Yes.

2087.It was good when first delivered by the farmers?—Yes.

2088. It would not be picked up from the stack?—No. It was f.a.q. wheat prior to the damage referred to.

2089. By the CHAIRMAN: This was wheat stored on the North Wharf?—Yes, it had been stacked for shipment there. Owing to bad handling, and the bad weather that followed the bead handling, great wastage resulted. When I said the losses were disproportionate as compared with the volume of wheat handled, I was referring to carelessness in the upkeep of the stacks. I am not now speaking of upkeep but of handling.

2090. This is brought about by bad handling?—Yes.

2091. Wheat in this condition is likely to weigh heavier than other wheat?—It must weigh heavier because of the water in it.

2092. Seeing that you have to account for every bag of wheat delivered to you, that wheat would be added as wheat sold even if it only brought 1s. a bag?—We did not weigh the rubbishy stuff, but it was sold at so much per bag.

2093. It would be added to the wheat sold and delivered, and included in the returns as received by the agent?—The agent would get the benefit. If an agent can shovel up dirt and other rubbish, it must be of necessity increase the weight of the supposed wheat which he sends in.

2094. I see that the Westralian Farmers received 1,952,456 bushels 35lbs. of wheat and issued certificates for that quantity. Their deliveries were 1,966,560 bushels 8lbs., which gave them a surplus of 14,103 bushels 33lbs. This bad wheat would be included in the amount of wheat delivered and so counted in with the whole?—Yes. I have wheat on the wharf now from the Westralian Farmers, Ltd., which Mr. Taylor maintained a fortnight back was in all probability sound , sweet, sweepings when put on the truck, although the trucks came into us sheeted. You cannot make bark chips and gravel into sweet wheat. It stinks to this day. When the sheets were removed by myself in order to let the air in between the showers, the contents of the truck smelt like stable.

2095. Is the wheat still there?—Yes. It is sweeter today than it was then. I have it there awaiting instructions as to what to do with it. Mr. Taylor claimed that it was a marketable commodity. I invited him to send a buyer for it and he said he would do so. I reminded him it would be necessary to act in conjunction with Dalgety's as they were the selling agents. Two or three days after I rang him up to inquire if he had a buyer to send along, but he told me he had taken no further interest in the matter since he left the wharf. This rubbish is still on the wharf.

2096. Ultimately it will be dumped, I suppose?—It is undoubtedly sweeter to-day than it was when it first came out. My principal complaint regarding it to-day is that the covering of it is occupying one of my sheets, which might be employed elsewhere.

2097.From what came under your notice at Fremantle as to the shipping, do you think it is better, in the interest of the Scheme and the farmer, that the Scheme should take charge of all their own shipping similarly to what is being done now?—There are others who say there is no comparison between the handling of the wheat at present and what it was before, because we have it under very much better control.

2098. By Hon. J.F. ALLEN: There being no comparison is to your credit?—I would rather have that question asked of others than myself. It is the general opinion on the wharf that the wharf has never been worked to the same advantage as it is to-day.

2099. By the CHAIRMAN : I notice that a large quantity of wheat has been coming to Fremantle very wet owing to the trucks being open. Would there be great loss from that?—The insufficiency of sheets so far as the railways are concerned is a very old grievance, dating back over my experience of 15 years. Moreover, the sheets have always been more or less defective, owing to insufficiency of repair.

2100. I suppose it is almost impossible for you to have the wheat thoroughly dry, but if the wheat is at all damp when you put it into the stacks, is it not liable to do a good deal of damage?—It is liable to sweat; but that wheat was smelling pretty foul when it came, and some of it was bubbling white and froth. We put it out on the wharf on elevated dunnage, placing a little block of wood between each bag—there were a couple thousand bags—so as to obtain a free circulation of air around the whole of each bag. The wheat was a great deal drier when it went into the stack than when it came to the wharf. So far as I know, no wheat went into that truck unless it was in a crisp condition. My instructions were that if there was any doubt whatever concerning any particular section of the wheat my attention was to be called to it immediately. So far as I know, my instructions were carried out.

2101. I saw 17 or 18 trucks from the Midland railway which appeared to be saturated almost through, and had what you would call whiskers growing out of the bags?— I would not call it saturated through, because even the worst of it would be dry at the centre and fairly crisp. A bag may have whiskers on the outside, and still not be saturated through, because the bag itself swells and the wheat swells, and has a tendency to become moisture resisting after a certain point has been reached.

2102. The wheat had been out in the wet several days?—Several days is not a sufficiently long period for that. Some of it, I think had been in transit for perhaps a couple of weeks or even a little longer.

2103. And we had rain almost daily all the time that wheat was out?—We had very strong winds also, and wind is a great drying factor for wet wheat. Wind is better than sun, because the wind dries quickly and, as compared with sun creates very little growth.

2104. By Mr. HARRISON : Wheat in that condition, after it is dry, goes into the stack?—Yes the re-conditioning stack. There was no other place that it was fit to go into.

2105. The state of the bags in itself would prohibit you from putting wheat into any other stack?—Yes. If we attempted to ship it we would be in trouble with the mate straight away. The mate, if he was alert, would simply refuse such wheat; and most of the mates are keen and alert.

2106. Damaged jutes going into a stack which may have to stand for a period would endanger the solidity of the stack?—There is always that tendency.

2107. By the CHAIRMAN : Was that wheat smelling very high when it arrived in the trucks?—Yes when it came in. When it went into the stack, it had had further rain, but it had also benefited by a much greater proportion of drying air. It went in a lot drier, and perfectly cool. There was no hot bag went into those stacks with my knowledge or instructions. I do not think a single hot bag went in at all, because I had most reliable men there.

2108. You are there most of the time yourself?—Yes; all over the place. But that wheat can never come out good wheat. I have seen wheat in a more wet and heated condition loaded at the vessels leaving Fremantle wharf than we thought of stacking there ; and that was by farmers also.

2109. Was that since the Scheme started?—Yes. That wheat was put in during the early days.

2110. Is it not possible for that wheat to be turned down on reaching its destination?—Yes. At that time the shipper was supposed to carry the risk of his cargoes. How far that is put into operation, I am unable to say, but the shipper was responsible for the outturn of his cargo, and there has been plenty of wheat shipped which in normal times would never be received as f.a.q. by the man at the other end. But needs must when the devil drives, and in times of necessity such as were then being experienced, the consignees were possibly compelled to take delivery and say very little about it.