CARRIAGE OF LAMBS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18581, 15 December 1934, Page 14

CARRIAGE OF LAMBS

GISBORNE DEVELOPMENT MANY LORRIES ENGAGED LONG DISTANCES COVERED ...The carriage of lambs ami sheep fcy motor lorry in tlio Gisborne district has developed to an enormous extent, and at present from 50 to 60 lorries are engaged in this worn. Long naulagcs are often made to bring fat lambs to the freezing works at kuiti, and trips to properties 4.> miles out front Gisborne are not infrequent. At this time of the year lorry traffic is heavy, for not only is the freezing season reaching its peak, but wool is still coming in from tin* country in large quantities. Strings of motor trucks are sometimes seen on the road, and often it one lot was joined' together in the form of railway trucks a fairly large train w,Quid' bo formed. Ou a recent afternoon, no less than 13 empty lorries were noticed going out to the country on one route alone. Some of the larger motor lorries are able to carry more sheep than a railway truck. The lorries used vary in size, atod their capacities range from 50-to 150 lambs, those more popularly used holding between 80 and 100. Six-wheelers are able to take as many as 150 lambs, and throe such vehicles are ‘operated from Gisborne and another at Tolaga Bay. There arc no three-decker lorries in the Gisborne district, us in Hawke’s Bay, for the weight restrictions on the roads of this district make it impossible to add a third' tier. Tho doublerdecker type, most used in Gisbotne, has another pen over the driver hj cab.

The lorrying of sheep has grown very rapidly. It is only a few years ago since practically all the fat sheep and lambs wero brought by drovers to the freezing works, but tho quicker transport tho more popular method, of weight to the lambs soon made iorr> thansport the more popular method. It has been stated that the bruising of lambs received at the freezing works has increased since the motor truck began to be used' extensively, but this complaint has not had any effect on the popularity of motor transport with the lamb fatteners of the Gisb.orna district.