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Wheat (1) - Part 2
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3691. I will say this for you, if you will not say it, that if the Railway Department are charging £10 per ton for these third class rails, many of which were purchased new for £7 per ton— — ?— The Works Department comes into the matter, too. I would not like the whole of the blame to be put on the Railway Department. 3692. The CHAIRMAN: It is a distinct and definite robbery of the farmers of this State. 3693. Mr. HARRISON: I endorse that. 3694. WITNESS: A lot of the new rails which cost about £8 to £10 per ton, are being put into us at about £15. 3695. By the CHAIRMAN: If those rails are put in market value, the departments will have to pay for them at the same rate when they get them back?—But the Scheme will be saddled with a lot of third class rails. 3696. You remember that Mr. Hedges wanted to run a line out of his farm to junction at Bruce Rock?—Yes. About 15 miles I think it was. 3697. You remember one of the principle reasons why it was important to get third class rails suited for the work?—I have a recollection, but I was not brought into it. 3698. I was unfortunately— but none were to ne found, no rails were suitable, and I again repeat, they have found rails for these sidings since and are charging £10 a ton, which is robbery. 3699. By Mr. BROWN: How many miles of rails are there in sidings?—About 11 miles; that is the total. 3700. They found rails somewhere for these?—Yes. 3701. By the CHAIRMAN: Who put the lines down?—The Railway Department found some of the rails, the Stores Department some, and the Railways some of the rails. 3702. Can you tell me where you got the return from?—I can get it. If I knew you were going to ask me the question I would have brought it up. 3703. Can you supply the Commission with what class of rails were used , the quantity of new rails, the quantity of second class rails, the quantity of third class rails, and where the second and third class rails were taken from, the time they have been in use, and the reason of condemnation?—I can get that for you. 3704. The Commission would like a return of that, the quantities being kept separate, with the price charged for each class?—If I had known I would have had a comprehensive statement for you. The Scheme are very sore over this and they say they are not going to pay, they are going to bring the matter before Cabinet rather than pay these heavy charges. 3705. The Scheme at present are responsible for this £101,281?—Yes. 3706. And the amount is to be deducted from the amount received from the Australian Wheat Board for the wheat?—Yes. 3707. Which will mean a reduction of the farmers' dividend?—Yes. That includes the five per cent. usual Works commission. The Railways charge us 10 per cent. for everything. The sleepers, we supply them. 3708. Take the plans, which are really skeleton plans?—Of the sheds, yes. I will show you those. 3709. These (indicating) beams are made of oregon?—No, karri. Some of the posts are karri but not all, as we could not get them at all in jarrah, but where they are karri they are powellised. 3710. I saw in the report that so much was charged for Oregon?—No, we never used any Oregon. 3711. by Mr. BROWN: This is going to be more or less a permanent roof, not a roof on top of the bags?—It is following Professor Lefroy's idea. 3712. the roof will stay there when the sheds are empty?—Yes. 3713. by the CHAIRMAN: The five per cent. charged for the work by the Works Department includes supervision?—Yes, and my time and things like that. The surveys of the shed also. 3714. The survey is not charged in addition?— No. 3715. That is included in the five per cent.?—yes. 3716. By the CHAIRMAN: Do you not think for a plan of this description—it does not take much engineering skill to draw—that three per cent. is pretty high where there is an expenditure of £101,000 involved?—We are not charging three per cent. on the £101,000. 3717. You are charging it on the £70,000 odd?—We did not charge on the iron. That was paid for by the Scheme. 3718. By Hon. J. F. ALLEN: Who are "we"?—The Public Works. 3719. By the CHAIRMAN: How many officers have you engaged supervising the erection of the works?—We have a man at each depot. 3720. What time did it take to construct, approximately?—Five months. 3721. So that the Scheme had to pay approximately £2,400. That is the charge so far. 3722. So that the Public Works Department is also making a profit out of the Scheme?—I do not think they are making much profit, if any. It includes railways, fares and things like that. The accountant can give you all the particulars. I think it is a fair charge. We have knocked out the iron which is a pretty big lump, but the Railways are charging us 10 per cent. on everything. 3723. For everything they are doing?—Yes, I will give you that in the statement. I can give you exactly what we have to do. We are making the sheds wider this year, 80 feet instead of 40 feet. We are making a close lined floor. 3725. You have some difficulty in getting sheeting for the protection of the bags for the sides?—Yes. 3726. Is the cost of that expensive at the present time?—It is about 5s. per lineal foot of shed of 80ft. wide. 3727. Did you ever go into the difference of weather boarding?—The reason that was not gone into was that they want frequently to get at them, and if you board them up you cannot. 3728. It would be a protection from the weather?—Yes, but still they frequently have to lift them up. When a man crawls over the stacks and finds any bags particularly affected they open the sides, pull up the curtains and get the bags before the weevil goes too far. That is a technical thing in connection with the handling of the wheat that Mr. Keys can tell you about. 3729. Would that not apply to the flour?—We leave areas all round inside the shed, and they stack it in certain lengths. under the Imperial Government order we have alley-ways every 100 feet for ventilation, so that a man can walk all round. 3730. Would it not pay so as to have proper protection from the weather?—There is an awning over the sides. 3731. Would it not pay for the proper protection of the wheat from the weather as it has to stand for months if not a year, that the sheds should be made in the style they are at North Fremantle. The bags are kept away from the wharf?—At North Fremantle you can only load on one side. 3732. By Mr. BROWN: Is it intended to run trucks on each side of the sheds?—Yes. Mr. Sibbald when he had 40 feet had in mind that they could not get the men to work more than 20 feet. in actual practice they work 40 feet. consequently we save one line of rails using soft sheds. 3733. By the CHAIRMAN: Could you not run a line down the centre of the shed?—You could not put a locomotive in the wider sheds. We use the mechanical loaders. and to have covered in the space between the present shed would have run the cost of the shed up. 3734. Can you tell us anything about the cost?—So far as dunnage is concerned, it would cost another 17s. a running foot to put in an extra row of dunnage. I cannot get any naphthalene; I have been trying to get oil of tar. 3735. By Mr. HARRISON: Is it not a fact that oil of tar affects the flavour of the flour?—That is what all wheat men say, and they find that the three lower bags are tainted with it. 3736. As a miller I have been given to understand that flour is contaminated by oil of tar?—Yes, all millers are against Professor Lefroy on that. I have been trying to get lime. 3737. How would you lime it?—It would be unslaked lime. I have inquired into the lime process. Mr. Barrett. who is a maltster, is a great advocate of it, but the millers they do lime the wheat, but they after
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