Broiler Industry Expands

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31680, 16 May 1968, Page 6

Broiler Industry Expands

The broiler chicken industry In Canterbury reared between 2.5 million and '3 million chickens a year, and it was estimated that the industry would produce an additional 500,000 chickens this year, a witness told the No. 9 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr J. M. Dwyer) yesterday.

The witness, Albert Hugh de Joux, is manager of Avon Transport, Ltd, a company which was granted an application to add one vehicle authority to its continuous goods service licence.

Mr de Joux said that the additional truck would be used in the carting of wood shavings and sawdust for the chicken pens. His company did all the litter cartage for the chicken broiler industry in Canterbury.

The work was done under contract for Wood Brothers, Ltd, and General Foods (N.Z.), Ltd. The litter, consisting mainly of wood shavings, was carted from 35 wood working factories in Christchurch to the poultry farms, Mr de Joux said. The litter had to be changed every 10 weeks and it had to be at least 6in deep on the chicken pen floor. Thus a large amount I of carrying had to be done. Mr J. A. Bretherton appeared

for the applicant company, and the application was not opposed. An application by Michael Anthony Ensor, of Christchurch (Mr B. L. Stanley), trading as Erewhon Courier, for a licence for an eight-passenger vehicle between Christchurch, Ashburton and the Erewhon sheep station at the head of the Rangitata River, was granted.

A director of Erewhon Park, Ltd, Owen James Patterson, said the company offered holidays on the famous Erewhon station, with special emphasis on shooting, ski-ing, hunting and other outdoor pursuits. On the basis of past figures, it was estimated that the vehicle, a diesel-engined, fourwheel drive station waggon, would be required to take two parties a week to Erewhon, plus 200 hunters a year. It was estimated that a third of the visitors to Erewhon would be overseas tourists.

A smaller vehicle and driver were required for the rather unusual type of holiday as notice of arrival given by overseas hunters, who spared no expense to make their holidays enjoyable, was often short, said Mr Patterson. Mr Ensor had experience overseas in the R.A.F., meeting persons of many nationalities, and he had also I had farming experience in

North Canterbury. The company thought he had the skill and the personality for the specialised job. Mr Ensor said he would be an independent operator, but would be based at Erewhon. A four-wheel drive vehicle was needed because the road to Erewhon station was- rough when the weather wa* bad. Many persons refused to take their own vehicles over the road. The passenger vehicle would also be required to make trips to higher country on the station itself. The authority also granted the transfer of a continuous goods service licence from Frederick George Kolkman and Raymond Claude Taylor, of Christchurch (Mr P. C. Champion), to J. B. Curline, Ltd, Lincoln (Mr J. A. Bretherton). The continuous goods service licence of Philip Stanley Southerwood and Robin James Pearce, Christchurch, was revoked from September 1, 1987. on the application of the Transport Department (Mr N. D. Henderson).

The authority granted the transfer of a continuous goods service licence (two vehicle authorities) from Maurice Bourne, Ltd, Kaiapoi, to Barnett Industries (North Canterbury). Ltd (Mr H. W. Hunter).