Wheat (1) - Part 2

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the Wheat Scheme. They the fix the rate at which you have to sell the wheat. The Wheat Scheme actually fixes the price. 2810. Suppose you could not get that rate?—It means railing the stuff to Perth whether it brings that price or not. 2811. You have to send it now whether the price is fixed or not?—Whether it ultimately brings that price or not. 2812. You say if they fix that price and give you an opportunity of selling at that price?—No; to leave the local agent to fix the price. 2813. The farmers' representative, who owes his employment to the farmers, should fix the price at what the wheat should be sold to his employers for?—The man who is employed by the farmers would not be there if he had not the interests of the farmers and of the scheme at heart. That is an assumption that there would be some suspicion on the part of the farmers so far as their agent was concerned. If they had such suspicion that would have the alternative of giving the man the sack, and they would have no hesitation in doing this. 2814. There is a possibility of some such thing being done?—If a man is so foolish as to attempt to run a thing on any but fair lines, it would be possible. 2815. We have had evidence to the effect that if an individual had a right to sell this wheat when he was stacking it, it would be possible for him to make arrangements with the farmers to sell at rates below its value?—The possibility might come in with an individual but not with a representative of a company such as the local co-operative companies. 2816. Is it not more likely to come in with a representative who has to look to the men to whim he is selling for his employment, whereas the other man does not look to them for his employment?—I cannot imagine anyone being at a siding unless he was dependent on the farmers for his employment. 2817. He is not dependent on the individual farmers of the district for his employment, but is appointed by the Scheme?—At present he actually is, as the local co-operative companies have been controlling all the labour in connection with the wheat at the various sidings. 2818. That does not apply all through?—I am speaking for my own district. 2819. You think it is more likely to be free from that if the co-operative societies have the right of selling instead of the private individual?—Yes; I think it would have the effect of eliminating suspicion. 2820. By Mr HARRISON: Do you think before such sales took place the inspector representing the Scheme ought to review the commodity before the sale?—That all depends on whether the man at the siding was considered to be a fit and proper person to fix the rate. I think the managers of the co-operative organisations would be quite able to put a fair estimate on the value of the wheat at the sidings without waiting for an inspection. (The witness retired.)

VIVIAN ROBERT JEFFREY, Manager, Yilliminning-Kondinin Co-operative Company, sworn and examined:

2821. By the CHAIRMAN: I believe you wish to make a statement to the Commission regarding the working of the Wheat Scheme?—The subject I wish to deal with is the great loss consequent upon bad arrangements with the railways. The regulations this year provided that we were to truck from all sidings at the same time. I used my utmost endeavours to secure trucks from the railways, but practically throughout the whole season we were unable to get supplies of trucks. We would get them spasmodically, one or two at a time probably. The train would come along and leave us half a dozen or a dozen. The first arrangement with the Westralian Farmers, Ltd., was that we were to get the wheat away quickly, that is was to be in depot about the end of April; and on that understanding my co-operative company let the contracts for the handling of the wheat by the lumpers. The prices we arranged with them were very satisfactory to them, and enabled them to make really good money during the time that they could work. In receiving the wheat they made good money; but when it came to trucking they found that they could not make food. The prices we were offering those men and paying them were not at fault. It was simply the railways. One day when I went out of the office when one of the lumpers had gone away to see the doctor. With that lumper's mate I loaded a rake of trucks that happened to be in the yard. We all know that lumping is a fairly difficult matter unless a man is suited to it. I had not done any hard work for a few months, but the other man and I loaded just on 900 bags in the day. At the price the co-operative company was paying that gave us close on 30s. apiece. The lumpers were perfectly satisfied with the rates they were getting, but I continually have trouble with them because they could not secure trucks, and although they could earn 30s. in one day they could only get in about one day's work per week. I used every endeavour to get trucks. I used to ring up the station master controlling our section, and I would ring up my different men along the stations, and so I would get the exact train tonnage that was loaded at each siding; and I would communicate that information to the station-master and ask him to arrange for special trains to come along and pick up this wheat, and so empty the trucks and return them to us empty. I did not get too much satisfaction there, and I then got in touch with the district superintendent at Narrogin, and also with the transport department. I pointed out to them that at one period I had about 300 tons of wheat loaded in the Tinkurrin siding, which had been left there for a period of five weeks. At Harrismith siding I had a greater quantity than that, and the first of that wheat had been there a little over four weeks. I communicated these facts to the transport officer at Narrogin, and asked for empty trucks; and the reply I got was, "We have no trucks." I said, "No, probably you have not, because they are all out along the line fully loaded, and have been there for upwards of a month." I asked the transport to send out engines, and they said they could not do it. There was such a congestion of wheat on that line that the railways instructed us not to load for a fortnight, though we did not take much notice of that instruction. If there was a truck available we loaded it. Of course the railways did not supply us with too many empties during that fortnight, and eventually they got that wheat away. The whole trouble was that, in the absence of any warning that the wheat was going to lie there for such a lengthy period, no arrangements were made for the covering of the stacks. The consequence was that with the heavy rains we had up to the present the stacks got wet for a considerable depth. One of the instructions I received from the Wheat Scheme, through the Westralian Farmers, was that if a stack got wet I was to upend the bags and dry them. I tried that. It may be all right in the summer time, when you get one wet day and then a few fine says; but I found that after I had upended the bags it came on to rain again and caused the stack to get wet further down. Owing to its remaining there for such a lengthy period, this wheat required a tremendous lot of rebagging, which has added to the cost of handling. Another factor tending to cause rebagging has been the exceedingly poor quality of bags supplied to the farmers during last season. We were under instructions, when railing wheat to the depots, to use every care that the wheat went in in sound bags, and where re-conditioning was necessary we had to get the bags from the Wheat Scheme. One of the Scheme's inspectors was there at one period, and we asked for bags. He promised to send us them at once, and through his agency they have never arrived yet. I wired the Westralian Farmers on, I think, the 3rd June, urgently asking for bags, and they submitted this urgent wire to the Wheat Scheme on that day. It took the Wheat Scheme six days, in response to an urgent wire, to instruct that bags be sent. I was waiting there for these bags, and finally I took the matter into my own hands and procured bags locally, because my lumpers informed me that they had 400 bags of wheat there ready to re-bag, that there was wheat pouring down the stacks—it was raining at this time—and they said they were up to their knees in wheat, and it was not good to them, and they were going to toss up the game unless they got bags at once. I hurried around the farmers in my own district, and I borrowed and practically stole bags, and bought bags, just to keep