ROAD FREIGHT CHARGES

Southland Times, Issue 23437, 18 February 1938, Page 7

ROAD FREIGHT CHARGES

Discussion On New Schedule

OBJECTION TO SOME RATES

SITTING OF TRANSPORT AUTHORITY

A new schedule of freight charges proposed to be adopted by the Sou.aland Licensed Lorry Owners’ Association and the Gore and District Carriers’ Association was discussed at a sitting of the Licensing Authority for the No. 4 Transport District (Mr Victor Raines) yesterday. An application for the adjournment of consideration of the town carting rates because a new award would shortly be in force was agreed to. Mr C. A. Kerse remarked that he was anxious to see the gravel and sand rates fixed because of severe pricecutting that was going on. It was agreed to include them in the discussion.

Mr S. B. Taylor, representing the Gore carriers, submitted that the town carrying rates set out in the schedule, including those for gravel and sand, were satisfactory to all parties concerned.

Mr Raines said he did not propose to take any evidence at present on town carrying rates, either for Invercargill or Gore, except on gravel and sand charges. Mr G. E. T. Dorman, secretary of the Southland Licensed Lorry Owners’ Association, explained that the schedule submitted was almost identical with an agreement made with the Farmers’ Union in November 1936. He outlined the differences between that agreement and the new schedule, which he suggested should be adopted. THE NEW SCHEDULE The schedule submitted by Mr Dorman was, with the exception of the town carting rates, as follows:— General carting.—Minimum charge, 7/6 a trip over one mile; 3/- a ton for the first mile; 3/3 a ton for the first two miles; 3/6 a ton for the first three miles; 4/- a ton for the first four miles; 5/- a ton for the first five miles; plus 9d a ton mile thereafter; discount of 5 per cent, on manure and lime only if paid by the 20th of the month following delivery. Wool Charges.—Up to 3 miles at 1/a bale; 3-5 miles at 1/3; 5-7 miles at 1/6; 7-10 miles at 1/9; 10-11 miles at 1/11; 11-12 miles at 2/1; 12-13 miles at 2/3; 13-14 miles at 2/5; 14-15 miles at 2/7; 15-16 miles at 2/9. Plus Id a bale a mile thereafter; wool calculated at six bales to the ton.

Lambs and Sheep.—Up to five miles at a head, fat lambs, 3d; store sheep, 4d; fat sheep, 5Jd; plus id a head additional for every two miles and a-half or part thereof. Lambs with ewes to be charged the same as if the space were occupied by ewes. Truck rates an hour.—J-ton truck, 5/6; 1-ton truck, 6/6; li-ton truck, 7/-; 2-ton truck, 7/6; 2-2 J-ton truck, 9/-; 2i-3-ton truck, 11/-; 3-4-ton truck, 12/6; 4-5-ton truck, 15/-; 5-6-ton truck, 17/6; 6-7-ton truck, 20/-; over 7 tops, 22/6. Plus 1/- a freight mile. Milk carting.—Up to seven miles at fd and over seven miles Id a gallon. Waiting time.—s/- an hour in excess of half an hour. LIME AND MANURE Lime and manure sowing charges.— Grass land (flat) 2/- an acre for lime or manure or manure and lime, any quantity; ploughed land (flat), 3/- an acre for lime or manure or lime and manure, any quantity. Plus 3/- an, hour for each extra man supplied. Hilly, stony, swampy ground or orchards by arrangement Gravel carting and road maintenance work (excluding contracts by tender). —Hourly rates: 2-yard truck, 8/11; 2i-yard truck, 9/10; 3-yard truck, 10/8; 4-yard truck, 12/-; 5-yard truck, 13/6. Per mile in excess of 50 miles a day: 2-yard truck, 7d; 2 J -yard truck, 8d; 3-yard truck, 9d; 4-yard truck, lOd; 5-yard truck, 1/-. Plus in bach case If- an hour extra when employed on clay formation. Timber carting (per 100 s.f. railway measurement). —Up to 20 miles, with lift, 2/-; without lift, 2/3; 20-25 miles, 2/6; 2/9; 25-30 miles, 2/11; 3/2; 30-35 miles, 3/4; 3/7; 35-40 miles, 3/9; 4/-. Plus thereafter 4d per 100 si. (railway measurement) for each additional five miles.

Oats.—Calculated at 13 bags to the ton (or by weight). Burnt lime and loose hard coal.—l/a ton extra, any distance. Return loads to be charged at full rates, less 25 per cent, of the charge of whichever load is the smaller (same customer). Rabbit carting charges.—6d a mile from the point of the first collection of rabbits to delivery at the works plus 6/6 a hundred' rabbits 21b and over; rabbits weighing l£lb to 21b at 3/3 a hundred; no payment to be made for rejects or rabbits weighing under IJlb in weight. Extra labour.—3/- a man an hour extra. GRAVEL CHARGES Gravel rates, a yard (including royalty).—Unscreened: Inner area. Invercargill, 8/-; Gore, 4/-; outer area, Invercargill, 9/-; Gore, 4/-. Screened: Inner area, Gore 4/6; outer area, Gore 4/6. Furniture carting.—Town and country. Minumum of 12/6 an hour within borough area. Outside borough area: 12/6 an hour loading and unloading plus 2/6 a mile from garage to point of delivery. Plus additional 3/- an extra man an hour as required. Contracts as hereinafter defined may be entered into by the licensed operator at freight charges by agreement:— (a) A contract that is a written agreement signed on a certain day by the licensed operator and one person, firm or corporation, for the cartage of a specified class, of goods, excluding live stock and wool, for a total freight charge of not less than £lOO, the contract to be completed within 12 months. (b) Contracts for cartage for public bodies, dairy factory companies, freezing companies, limeworks and coal mining concerns, the contract to be completed within 12 months except in the case of public bodies. In giving evidence Mr Dorman said that provision had been made for back loading, the reduction being 25 per cent, on whichever load was the smaller. OBJECTION RAISED Mr G. Stevenson, who represented the Farmers’ Union, objected to an increase from Jd to id a gallon in the rate for carting milk. Referring to the lime and manure sowing charges, Mr Stevenson said he did not object to 2/- an acre for big quantities for grass land, but he thought there should be a reduction of 6d for smaller lots. He thought that the ploughed land rate of 3/- an acre was rather high and suggested 2/6. He requested a reduction from 3/- to 2/6 an hour for each extra man employed. Mr Dorman replied that the award rate was anproximately 2/6 an hour,

and he did not think that 3/- was too much to ask. Mr T. C. Clissold, for the Public Works Department, objected to an increase in the hourly rates for gravel carting and road maintenance work on the ground that they were not warranted. The department, he said, was getting the work done for less. In reply to a question Mr H. W. Smith, who also appeared for the department, said that the men employed by the department, most of whom had their own trucks, were making a good living. Men working in the Hollyford Valley received a slightly increased rate compared with those in town because of the higher cost of Smith, in evidence, said that the department considered the rates for gravel carting and road maintenance work too high for the work the lorries had to do. He thought that the department should have a separate rate or be excluded altogether. Mr Raines expressed the opinion that the question in dispute between the department and the operators should be the subject of future negotiation. It was agreed to leave it over till a rate had been fixed. HIGHER RATES URGED The rates previously fixed for carting gravel and sand had not been observed by a number of operators, said Mr Kerse. Since the prices in the new schedule had been fixed there had been an increase in the price of petrol and a new award had come into operation, and it was a question whether the prices proposed should not be raised. He suggested an increase of 1/- all round on the prices in the schedule. They wanted protection against pricecutting, he said. Mr G. C. Cruickshank supported Mr Kerse. He said that if prices were fixed they would be binding only on those subject to the restrictions of the Act. The only solution appeared to be that the regulations should be amended to bring the whole of the Invercargill urban area under the provision of the Act Mr Raines said that the position was that carriers operating in the city were

not under the control of the Transport Department. CLAUSE DISCUSSED In a discussion on clause (a) at the foot of the schedule, Mr Taylor suggested striking out the words “excluding live stock and wool.” Mr Dorman replied that the carters of wool were in an entirely different position from those engaged in the ordinary goods business; they were idle for half the year. Because of the nature of their business the association considered that they were entitled to protection. Mr Cruickshank mentioned that the timber carriers would agree to the limit of a contract being raised to £5OO. Mr Stevenson urged that the amount be reduced to £2O. He did not see any reason why stock and wool should be excluded from the clause. The sitting was adjourned to enable representatives of the lorry owners to confer with representatives _ of the Farmers’ Union on certain points.