SHOULD CALF-COLLECTORS' BE ZONED?

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 168, 17 July 1937, Page 12

SHOULD CALF-COLLECTORS' BE ZONED?

Solution in Hands of Producers SAYS TRANSPORT AUTHORITY CHAIRMAN Apparently cream lorries are not tb only ones guilty of tho sin of ove lapping. Their brothers in evil are th bobby calf collecting lorries and judg ing from opinions expressed at a coi. ferenee of carrying and exportin, interests in Palmerston North yestei day, the solution is again in the hand of the producers. An informal discussion was intr. duced by Mr. P. O. Skoglund, No. i Transport Licensing Authority, who stated that possibly he might make representations to the proper quarters in Wellington on the subject. He read the details of the scheme drawn up in tho Auckland district which provided for the formation of a pool with all calves brought to a central depot where they would be auctioned to the buyers. After deducting the expenses of the pool, the revenue to be distributed amongst tho farmers pro rata. The main advantages would be the elimination of overlapping of trucks with tho saving in wear and tear on trucks and roads, drivers' times at present wasted in bargaining with farmers w'ould be saved, and costs would be reduced to the minimum. Mr. Skoglund said the only weakness he saw Was the double handling of the calves. He referred to othew schemes put forward including one which suggested that each firm should be allotted a definite area which would supply them with approximately the same number of calves which they killed last season. Southland district also had a scheme of its own. Mr. S. McDowall (Feilding) said the onlv way in which collection could function economically was on a rota system with only one carrier per road in the early and late periods of the season and only two per road in the Husk. It would not be difficult to define routes for the carriers who, if two to a route, would operate on alternate days. Such a scheme could be made operative at once. Members of the Feilding Transport Alliance had approved the scheme. To make tho scheme a success, Mr. McDowall admitted that the exporting firms would have to agree upon a uniform price for calves. Mr. Hastings (P.M.A.) thought the system of buying by live weight should be adopted. His organisation could not consider zoning as it had shareholders everywhere. For a time the P.M.A. had operated very with the payment by weight system but had been forced off it by having to for calves that should never have been picked up.

Mr. Stanton (Taranaki) thought the Feilding scheme a good one. As the carriers took their turn so would the exporters. Mr. Hastings said the scheme wouul destroy the goodwill that some firms had built up. It would mean that one day’s calves would go to this firm and the next day’s to that firm and it might be the farmer did not want them to go to either of those firms. Oojection was also raised by Mr. Cannop (Kiritaki), a farmer present, who said he would object to his calves going to the firm he did not want to have them. Why could not one lorry collect for all firms, with the calves tagged as picked up. Mr. Stanton said that idea would not work in his district where the works were widely separated. Air. A. G. Dear (Manawatu) considered that only the works nearest the point of auction could operate successfully with the calves taken to a central auctioneering locality. Air. Skoglund thought the whole business should be controlled by the producers themselves under a guaranteed price scheme from the freezing works, if a group of dairy factories got together, only two or three lorries would be needed. Air. McDowall: That is the Southland idea and a good one. Mr. Skoglund: It is a matter for the dairy companies. Air. Wilson (Wairarapa) said the Dairy Board had the matter under review and, he understood, intended to move along the lines just mentioned. The Wairarapa had so acted and were working satisfactorily with the carriers. An Eketahuna producer pleaded for more humane treatment of the calves during transit. This brought a carrier to his feet with the pronouncement that if there was any maltreatment, it was on the Air. Hastings: Buying by weight will do away with maltreatment. Mr. Wilson: Our carriers in tho Wairarapa refuse to pick up a calf undernourished. A delegate; But you have no competition over there. Air. Wilson: That is so; that is the beauty of no competition. Air. Alatthcws (Pahiatua); If some of tho inspectors of tho S.P.C.A. went around with us and saw some of the calves we are asked to pick up, the farmers would go "kite high.” Mr. Hastings blamed the carriers themselves for picking up underweight calves. If they agreed amongst themselves not to do so, then much of the competition complained about would be done away with. He urged tho carriers’ organisation to consider the point seriously. Air. McDowall: We are not a farmers’ educational organisation. Why should the carrier carry the responsibility? He might lose tho goodwill of that farmer. It should be the duty of the exporting interests to so educate the farmers. Air. Hastings: But a carrier is bound by legislatipn to see that he doesn’t pick up an underweight calf and is compelled to carry scales for the purpose of weighing. The onus is thrown on the carrier and not on tho farmer. To a suggestion that there were too

many lorries licensed for the work, the chairman said he would liko that proved to him. There was no doubt, however, that if the industry were organised, fewer trucks would be needed. At present he had to see that there were sufficient lorries available. He had been deluged with applications for temporary licenses for carrying calves on the plea that there was not sufficient transport offering. It was all a question of organisation and he would liko to see it solved. It seemed the real solution was in the hands of the producers.