Dairy Co. Deputation

Northland Age, Volume XVIII, Issue 89, 19 August 1949, Page 6

Dairy Co. Deputation

STATEMENT TO COUNCIL Mr. C. B. Michie, leading the Dairy Company deputation to the County Council on Wednesday, addressed the Council as follows : “I am directed to inform you that in accordance with the undertaking given to your Council, my Directors have reviewed in detail the whole of the company’s cieam collection services with a view to ascertaining the possibility of reducing the maximum load on secondary roads. “The important factor 'f keeping loads on secocndary roads at the lowest possible level consistent - V'th the efficiency of the overall collection service has always been the policy of this company and, considering the number of such roads on which cream has to be collected, it is claimed that general efficiency in this respect has been achieved. It must be borne in mind that the Directors have a definite responsibility to their supplying members to operate the factory at the lowest possible icost consistent with overall efficiency, and in order to produce this result it is essential that from the arrival of the first cream lorry at the factory the flow of cream to the plant must be continuous. It is estimated that the present cost of operating the Company’s plant is £5/5/- per hour, and it would be obvious that any arbitrary re-organisation of cream collection routes in order to reduce the maximum load on a particular byroad could result in disorganisation of all following services. The annual cos: to the Company and the district on factory costs alone of any such increase in operating time is £ISOO approximately for each additional hour per day that the plant is operated. Least Destructive “It is evident from the previous discussions with your Council that the cream collection service during the greater portion of the restricted period is the least destructive of all the regular services operated through out the district in the public interest. There is, for instance, Cr. Dawson’s statement relating to Mangatoetoe road, to the effect that that portion of the road carrying the school bus two ways daily was in much worse condition than was the other portion carrying only the cream collection service, the reason being that the cream service during the major portion of this period is restricted both as to lead and number of trips per week. “Increased production in any particular district frequently necessitates a revision of the collection service, and in all such cases opportunity is taken to investigate the loading on any and all by-roads in that particular area with a view to load reduction where possible. It is a generally accepted rule that no one run can be viewed from the point of view of being a single unit, and in practice all districts, groups and individual services must be related to one another. Careful Consideration “The Company’s executive officers have given careful consideration to the several suggested alterations submitted by members of your Council, and the overall result of their findings was that by relieving the pressure on one particular secondary road the weight would immediately be transferred to another equally weak component of our roading system. For instance, an endeavour was made to give effect to the Council's suggestion regarding Church road, and although several alternative routes were investigated, it was found that the present collection rout? provided the best answer to the loading factor at weak points. It must b e borne in mind that Chureli road district contains some of our highest producing units, and under such circumstances the load factor over any portion of the route climbs very steeply and at some given point the truck must traverse an outlet road fully loaded. Te Rore Road “Te Rore appears to be a real problem road due to several main factors, viz : “(a) Production is concentrated and the volume large. “(b) It is a through road linking at either end with main routes servtwo distinct heavy production areas. “(c) A through service operated from either end would isolate a considerable portion of the main route concerned. “(d) The suggestion that the Victoria Valley service be directed through Te Rore road and then back track from Pamapuria bridge would slightly lessen the load on the Takahue end of Te Rore but would increase the loading on Braithwaite’i, Werner’s and Switzer’s roads, which in our opinion are weaker roads than is Te Rore. “It appears therefore that the only . answer to the existing problem so far as Te Rore is concerned is a general production increase in that collection area and the consequent in*.

creased radius of the supplementary service to include Te Rore as a starting point. There would appear to be no possibility of this eventuating in the near future. “Mangaioetoe road provides a direct link between two main roads lunning almost parallel, and it would 1 not be reasonable to expect that services covering the whole of this large supply area be so operated as to re- | strict the running on Mangatoetoe to one-way traffic, as by so doing one truck would be marooned and a considerable area isolated from the main collection service. Extended Collection j “Since our Directors last met your Council, this Company, as mentioned at the time by our Chairman, has extended its cream collection service to include Oruaiti, Paranui and Kohumaru. These two latter extensions are on weak side roads, and it may be possible at a later date, when all suppliers have decided to which Company they will supply for the current season, to rationalise the collection of cream on these two roads by agreement as between the two Companies concerned. Wish To Aid “It is not the intention of this Company, and it is assumed the same applies to your Council, that the reading position shall be used to influence the general principle of zoning as understood and operated throughout the dairy industry of this country. “Subject only to this qualification, my Directors again reiterate their assurance that it is the desire and the interest of this Company to safeguard our roads as much as is really possible. . “If, following consideration of the above statement and discussion with the Company’s delegation, there should remain any problems outstanding, the Board will be glad to at any time receive representatives from your Council.”