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Wheat (1) - Part 2
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and he will not help them in what to strengthen them in some of the other lines. 4125. In business practices, when you have a large asset, it is the best to get the best men available to protect it?—Absolutely. 4126. By Mr Brown: How will you make the appointment in future if the scheme runs on the same way? —In the proposed form of agreement next season we will put in a special clause enabling the Government to dismiss any sub-agent who is thought to be incompetent, the Westralian Farmers dare not take the agency from them because they depend on them for other business. You could not expect any firm to injure their own business. 4127. No, the Government control will be responsible for saying whether the sub-agent is efficient or not? —Yes. 4128. The Minister will have power to dismiss? —Yes. 4129. And you will appoint a successor ? —That is so. in the carrying out of the agreement thus year with the Westralian Farmers there has been trouble on account of sub-agents having too much territory, working over too large an area. At Bruce Rock the co-operative company are working five or six sidings and the result is, when they get to the end of the season, instead of getting the wheat cleaned up quickly they go from siding to siding, keeping a certain staff employed, and they leave some very late, with the risk of consequent damage to the wheat. The amount of territory given to any particular agent should be limited, in view of the number of agents who are available. There should be one agent to one siding. 4130. By Mr Harrison: Would it not be preferable. with the small sidings and the small stacks, to clean them up quickly? —It would be much better, but generally speaking, that was done last year. Take the stations which are handled by the Bruce Rock Co-operative Company, and numbering, perhaps, half-a dozen; that company would handle 10,000 to 12,000 bags at each siding. 4131. the rolling stock would be a factor? —In the cleaning up, yes. But with one agent at one siding you have more working for you. If You employ direct agents at all sidings and pay them full commission, they are working for you and without any increased cost to then Scheme. there has also been a great deal said about overlapping of inspectors. The Westralian Farmers. ltd, have been greatly at fault in that respect this season. They have four inspectors, and although one of them has some experience, the other three have had none at all so far as I know, and those men have been put on to do work which they have never done in the past. The inspectors employed by the scheme have been there for years, and when they have made complaints against the Westralian farmers, Ltd., it has always been thrown back to us that our inspectors were employed by Dalgety's or by Dreyfus. that was their style. when I first took over the work I knew that the Westralian farmers, Ltd., had a very big contract, that they were a young firm, and that they were learning, and I desired the inspectors to give them every assistance rather than to criticise. I told him I did not want hypercritical reports sent in, and that unless something of a serious nature was likely to result, they were not to send any in. that policy was carried out. 4132. In Western Australia you would not be able to employ inspectors except those who knew the business, and who had previously been employed by the acquiring agents? —That is so. We had a case at Wickepin where our inspector reported that the agent was putting the wheat into the stack notwithstanding the fact that empty trucks were there. That report was passed on the Westralian Farmers, Ltd., and eventually we were told that the inspector was wrong and that such a thing had not happened. It is hard to conceive that an inspector would concoct a deliberate lie like that. 4133. that would not be likely to occur if the trucks were at the siding and had been delivered on the train the inspector was travelling on? —It would depend on the report he was putting in. Very often inspectors are asked to advise of the number of empties available at a siding, and if there were 14 on the train he was travelling on he would mention in his report. 4134. Would you call it negligence on the agents part? —Not at all. 4135. By the CHAIRMAN: You are speaking of the reports the inspectors give you after every visit? —The inspectors would give the information after having been at the siding. the Westralian Farmers, Ltd., were complaining that trucks were not available at the sidings. The Railway department said they were available, and I asked the inspectors to prepare reports to show the positions as they passed through the sidings. I found that in a number of cases the reports of the Westralian Farmer, Ltd., were not correct. 4136. I myself formed the opinion that either the Westralian Farmers, Ltd., were liars or that the Railway Department were liars? —I was in that position myself. There were two people, one declaring one thing and the other another thing. The Westralian Farmers were complaining that there were no trucks on the Kondinin line. I had arranged with the Railway department to run a special train there, and the Westralian Farmers said they could not get any trucks. The Railway Department insisted that there were plenty of trucks available, and they added that recently they had taken away from Kondinin the engine that was stationed there at our request because it could not be kept employed. Of course I had to believe the Railway Department. at another time my inspector reported that there were 50 trucks idle in the Narrogin yards, and that they had been there for several days. That was early in May. at that time trucks were standing idle everywhere, and I believed the Railways when they said trucks were available. 4137. Trucks standing idle in the Narrogin yard would not assist the Westralian Farmers, Ltd,. very much? —But they were there because there was no loading for them, there were no requisitions for them. These were surplus trucks 4138: Therefore the sub-agents were not sending in for the trucks? —It was coming to the tail end of the season, and it meant that the sub-agents wanted to drag out the work.. 4139. By Hon. J.F. ALLEN: What reason would they have for hanging up the work? —Just procrastination or carelessness, and perhaps only two men would be working in a stack of 10,000 or 12,000 bags, and trying to increase the length of the job. 41401. By the CHAIRMAN: Would that be the result of the reduction made in the cost of handling wheat at the sidings? —That should not affect it. One thing which might have affected the position was that the Westralian Farmers, Ltd., in their arrangements with the sub-agents definitely set out that the terms of remuneration payable were providing the wheat was shipped by the 30th April. I pointed out to Mr Taylor at that time that by such an agreement he was only buying trouble, that he was inviting the agents to impose an extra charge. He said that he would word the agreement more diplomatically, but whether that was done I do not know. 4141. If they were sub-letting the work they would have to make a profit? —The sub-agents would have to make profit. 4142. If a man who is handling wheat finds that the price is cut so that he cannot complete the contract he will delay delivering the wheat so as not to employ labour? —Quite likely. 4143. By cutting the price too much there is a tendency to more than equalise the position by the loss in wheat through wet? —It is never a payable proposition to pay less than a fair thing for a job. The scheme instead of gaining would lose. The rates paid to the agents were fair and reasonable, that was if they did not sub-let the work. I heard of one case where a co-operative society got a contract, sub-let it to a man who sub-let it again. 4144. There was a case where your inspector reported that trouble at a particular siding arose from the fact that they wanted the work done for three farthings. I questioned a witness about it, but that was denied? —I recollect that. I think it was at Kondinin. The work was hung up there because the man in charge was trying to get the sub-contractors to accept a cheaper rate. I forget the inspector who reported it. 4144a. The man who is doing the work said that nothing of the kind ever took place? —Our inspector.
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