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Wheat (1) - Part 2
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3796-8. All over the world flour is exported in bags or barrels?—Yes. 3799. On account of the splendid quality of our wheat for flour making, it has often appealed to me?—You mean that flour mills should be established in all these places, and that the whole crop of wheat should be sent away as flour. In that case the necessity for bulk handling would be gone. 3800. by Hon J. F. ALLEN: The extra value of Australian wheat is for mixing with other wheats, is it not?—Yes. 3801. So that, if our crop were sent away as flour, its value in that respect would be lost. (The witness retired.) — — FREDERICK CHARLES KEYS, General Manager, State Wheat Marketing Scheme, sworn and examined: 3802. By the CHAIRMAN: You have had an opportunity, I believe, given you of perusing most of the evidence which has been submitted here regarding the handling of the Scheme?—Yes. 3803. Will you first make a statement on that evidence?—There were a few questions left over from Mr. Baxter's evidence for me to answer. Question 698, asked Mr. Baxter, referred to the sale of some wheat at Doodlakine. 3804. by Mr. HARRISON: I wanted to know what the result of that pick-up wheat was?—There was a sale of inferior wheat, pick-ups, of 1917-18; was it that? The Scheme know nothing about it at all. It was not sold at Dalgety's as agents for the sale of inferior wheat, but from inquiries made we ascertained the Western Farmers sold it. 3805. What did it fetch?—4s. a bag. They say, we have to advertise a quantity of sweepings, the fermentation of which was likely to set up in transit, was sold by the agent at 4s. a bag. 3806. It was no cost to the scheme at all?—They do not say so here. They say the amount was £14 8s. Whether there is a set-off against the gross price I cannot say. 3807. I happen to know about that particular lot, some was trucked prior to that?£it is still at Spencer's Brook. 3808. Not sold?— No. 3809. The particular lot sold to this farmer, if you got 4s. a bag—you cannot have got anything like that, because I feel certain no bags were found, the man did his own labour in cleaning up, and I would not have given 2s. 6d. a bag for it?—I could not say what was the fair value. 3810. It was wheat saturated with water underneath, and also a lot of grown stuff. I thought you would have had full particulars?—We wrote and asked them, and that is their reply. 3811. By Mr. BROWN: is that an isolated case of the Westralian Farmers doing anything without the Scheme's knowledge?—I do not know how many cases have occurred. We discovered a case at Carnamah. It cam under our notice by a truck of wheat in the Perth railway yard. it came from a man name Berrigan, of Three Springs. We thought we might have had some equality in the wheat. We had no record of the sale to him, so we wired to Berrigan and asked what the wheat was, and we found it was sold to him by the Westralian Farmers at Carnamah. It was sold to him and trucked down and he was apparently selling it in the City. 3812. The Westralian Farmers had no authority from the Scheme to do that?—No. 3813. By Mr. HARRISON: Did not the Westralian Farmers ask your authority as to that other wheat at Doodlakine?—No, they consulted neither us nor Dalgety's in the matter. 3814. have you any knowledge of how many bags were picked up at Doodlakine?—They say the result of the sale was £14 6s., so that there must have been 71½ bags. 3815. By Mr. BROWN: Was there a fair-sized parcel in the Three Springs lot?—I think two truckloads; what sized trucks I could not say. 3816. By Mr. HARRISON: Have the Scheme asked for particulars as to the Doodlakine sale?—we wrote and asked them if they sold any wheat there, and their letter is dated the 18th, which we have not yet replied to. 3817. Are you asking for further information?—We are writing for full particulars. 3818. That will disclose what bags, if any, were used?—Quite so. 3819. What I wanted to find out by asking for particulars about the Doodlakine wheat was in consequence of my contention that pick-up wheat, if of a character that would not pay to bag, and incur costs in freight, etc., would be a higher asset to the State by selling it locally, and I though this was a good instance of proving my contention, and I shall be glad when you get particulars to prove it?—If it would not pay freight we should have it carted away and dumped, or we should sell it if it had a marketable value. 3820. You gave no instructions to your agents?—We find to get a better price in the Perth market for pick-ups than locally. 3821. Have you tried before to sell it locally?—Dozens of times. 3822. was there not a case at Baandee, asking for an auction sale?—Not since I have been connected with the Scheme. There might have been prior to that. 3823. You know the Baandee siding?—I know where it is situated. 3824. There was a lot of damaged wheat of the 1916-17 harvest on account of the flood?—That took place twelve months or so ago, before I was connected with the Scheme. 3825. You have not come across any record of a request for an auction sale at Baandee?—It might be on the file, but I have not seen it. 3826. By the CHAIRMAN: What is your next question?—Question 731. 3827. That is a question asked in regard to the gristing?—I have got it down here, "How does the Pool lose by gristing Imperial wheat." 3828. The question leading to that was that Mr. Baxter, who had been given to understand that in the gristing of Imperial wheat the Pool is losing an amount per bushel that they could have got if the wheat was delivered to the Imperial Government?—In a sense, yes. If the wheat had been delivered good tot he Imperial Government. Now we are gristing a lot of Imperial Government wheat which is weevily, but the weevily wheat does not net us out 4s. 9d. But if good wheat were gristing it would. In other words the sale to the Imperial Government is 4s. 9d. The price the Imperial Government pay for flour is £11 per ton. The two things should agree. This is to say, b having wheat at 4s. 9d. and selling flour at £11 per ton. The two things should agree. That is to say, by buying wheat at 4s. 9d. and selling flour at £11 a ton, allowing for gristing charges and the sale of offal. there should not be any loss in the transaction. 3829. By Hon. j. F. ALLEN: Who is responsible for the maintenance of the Imperial wheat here?—They pay us an amount to look after it. On the 31st December last year we were supposed to hand over the wheat in good order and condition. At a certain point we agreed with the Imperial Government in regard to certain stacks. On the 31st December we had weevil in certain stacks, and we could not tender that to the Imperial Government as f.a.q. Recently I went into the question in Melbourne with Mr. Love and we have now settled up as to the wheat held at Fremantle. A lot of f.a.q. wheat has been shipped and some weevilly has not been shipped. On that weevilly wheat they are allowing us 3d. a bushel, that is to cover railage to mill and from the mill. That is a handsome allowance, because they need not have allowed us anything at all. 3830. By the CHAIRMAN: The responsibility of protecting the wheat and seeing that it is f.a.q. until the 31st December remains with the Wheat Pool?—Yes. Since 31st December the Wheat Pool is responsible for the ordinary good order and condition of the stacks. 3831. That has been relieved as far as the weevil is concerned? 3832. They are paid for that?—We are paid so much to look after the stacks by the Imperial Government.
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