Wheat (1) - Part 3

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5524. That is for the sacks they use?— It would be 13.3 bags per ton of flour.

5525. They are also allowed 2½ per cent. commission?— Yes.

5526. By Mr. BROWN: For selling the flour, do you think it should be added?—It depends largely on the conditions that governed the selling. The royal Commission for the Control of Trade had the offer from the millers to take the del credere risk to sell to bakers and customers with whom they dealt at that figure. I take it under existing conditions the customer may be the British Government or some big customers where the risk is practically nil.

5527. By the CHAIRMAN: It is not paid on the British order?—That would be very full value for local orders, for there are really no bad debts. Where the financial risks are eliminated, the 2½ per cent. would be good. You would have to give them some commission to pay for the handling.

5528. For the flour sent out to the bakers?—Yes.

5529. By Mr Brown: Would 1¼ per cent. be reasonable?—I think it would.

5530. From the investigations you made, the 7d. paid to the present time for millers working three shifts is not too high a rate for gristing?—I do not think it is in view of the increased cost to-day of the many materials used compared with the price previous to the war.

5531. Fifty per cent. bag charges and 1¼ per cent. on the sales?—If a man had small customers there would be more handling and book-keeping.

5532. That balances up with the big trade?—It all depends on the size of the orders the millers are receiving.

(The witness retired.)

The Commission is adjourned.

WEDNESDAY, 14TH AUGUST, 1918. (AT PERTH.)

Present: Hon W. C. Angwin, M.L.A. (Chairman). Hon. J. F. Allen, M.L.C | Hon. R. G. Ardagh, M.L.C. S.M.Brown, Esq, M.L.A. | T. H.Harrison, Esq., M.L.A.

JOHN SHILLINGTON, Superintendent of Transport, Government Railways, sworn and examined:

5533. By the CHAIRMAN: Have the Department considered means of cleaning trucks so as to prevent the spread of weevil when the new season's crop is being carried?—No, we have sought assistance but have received none. We applied to the Wheat Scheme, the people who fouled our wagons.

5534. They made no recommendation?—None.

5535. You realise that carrying new wheat in badly infected trucks serves to spread the weevil pest?—Yes.

5536. Did you seek assistance in writing?—I cannot say. Personally, I saw the Wheat Scheme when first we got the weevil in trouble in wagons. They told me it was a matter for us. I said it was not so, that if they contaminated our wagons they should clean them, or at least tell us know how to do it; they to bear the cost. They were not able to suggest any method of cleaning nor did they say they would accept any responsibility. To my mind the cost involved in what suggestions have been made would be about the value of the wheat.

5537. In that you are merely expressing an opinion?—We have carried this year, roughly, four million bushels of old wheat. To clean the wagons of weevil required to carry that quantity would be tremendous undertaking. Again, to keep weevilly wagons confined to weevilly wheat traffic would be imposing on the Department a penalty beyond our power.

5538. But if while carrying goods for me you infect them by the condition of your truck, is not your Department responsible?—That is for the Crown Solicitor to say. If it was you who gave me the traffic that fouled my truck and you afterwards complained of your second lot of goods being fouled, I should not think you had any case at all.

5539. But you would be fully aware in the first place that the goods were not clean and were liable to foul the tuck, notwithstanding which you took the reputability?—It would be for the Crown Solicitor. The Railway Department views this subject with some concern. We are anxious to do everything possible to combat the pest, but so far we have been unable to find a practicable and economical solution.

5540. You are aware that the Government Entomologist makes a study of this sort of thing?—The question has been referred to the Agricultural Department, but we got from them no valuable advice as to how to combat the pest.

5541. We have been told that wheat in transit on the railways is sometimes damaged by rain. I believe you have difficulty in getting covers?—It is almost impossible to get canvas for the making of covers.

5542. Is there no other way of covering the trucks?—No economical way. The difficulty is that whereas before the war the movement of wheat was confined to January, February, March, and April, it is now carried on right up to the present time.

5543. What is the cause of that?—They are not handling it at the depots with despatch they displayed at North Fremantle. Again, we cannot give them the same service as we did before the war.

5544. Is the delay at the depots owing to an insufficient number of men being employed on the stacks?—I cannot say. I only know that we have frequently had over 1,000 trucks of wheat under load, and that the output at the various sidings and depots would be considerably less than 400 trucks per day.

5545. Does that happen often?— Yes, and in consequence the wheat is an unduly long time in transit, because it is of no use bringing it along to further congest the depots. I have had to refuse to accept wheat. The difficulty was that the wagons would go into unattended sidings loaded with phosphate, and the farmer coming for his phosphate brought his wheat along. We went so far as to label the wagons, "Not to be loaded with wheat," notwithstanding which the farmer would take out the phosphates and put in his wheat. We have 200 or 300 unattended sidings in