LOWER CHARGES SOUGHT

Southland Times, Issue 24599, 22 November 1941, Page 8

LOWER CHARGES SOUGHT

TRANSPORT OF FARM PRODUCE AUTHORITY RESERVES DECISION An appeal by the Southland Provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union for reduction in the schedule of charges for the carriage of goods was heard by the No. 4 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr S. V. Raines) at a sitting yesterday morning. The Southland District Motor Transport Association agreed to the reductions on condition that the contract clause in the schedule was eliminated, but the Gore Carriers’ Association opposed the reductions. The authority reserved his decision.

At the opening of the sitting the authority said the appeal had been submitted to the Minister of Transport, who had referred it back to him for reconsideration.

Mr George Stevenson, representing the Farmers’ Union, said the chief grounds of the appeal were that during recent periods the farmers had conceded an increase of 5 per cent, in charges to cover the higher cost of petrol, had foregone the discount of 5 per cent, and had allowed another increase of 5 per cent. Under present conditions such increases in freight charges were exorbitant. Conditions in Southland were different from those in other provinces in that there was a heavy cartage of lime. The present works had an output of 220,000 tons a year and new works were being started. The operators had the benefit of this big business and were running full time with full loads. FARMERS’ POSITION He submitted that the farmers were entitled to have their economic situation taken into consideration. They had received no increases in prices during the last three years. The farmers were entitled to look to the authority for some of the results of the co-ordination of transport which had freed the operators from competition. Considerable improvements had been made in trucks, which now gave a better pay load. The farmers were agreeable to lime and fertilizer charges remaining as at present, but asked for reductions for fat lambs, store lambs, store sheep and fat ewes. Mr S. B. Taylor, on behalf of the Gore Carriers’ Association, said that if the alterations were granted Gore carriers would be placed in an impossible position, as they would be operating in districts where two different sets of charges existed. The Farmers’ Union had advanced no evidence in support of its claims. The schedule had been fixed at the beginning of this year as far as possible on the known costs of operators. Those costs had risen since then and were still rising. Tyre costs and repair charges had risen and the costs of new vehicles were staggeringly high. An increase in drivers’' wages could be expected shortly. The proposed charges could not save individual farmers more than 10/- a year, but

would mean a great loss to operators. A tribunal would be set up to find a better basis for transport costs and the schedule should stand until its report was prepared. REDUCTIONS APPROVED Mr G. E. T. Dorman, for the Southland District Motor Transport Association, said his association was prepared to agree to the reductions on condition that the contract clause was eliminated. The operators were prepared to grant the reductions as a concession to their customers. Mr Stevenson said the farmers would seriously object to a differentiation of charges within the Southland province. In announcing that he would reserve his decision, the authority said the first schedule had been introduced in January 1939 on the meagre information available. Since then a considerable amount of information had been obtained and the latest schedule had been based on that. No one could compile a schedule which would give satisfaction to everyone, but he considered the present schedule was fairly satisfactory. A tribunal would be set up in the near future to prepare index figures of transport costs. It would be illogical to consider the ability of the customer to pay for the service received. Any adjustment should be made by way of general subsidy. He urged the parties interested to consider that an adjustment of the schedule was a costly matter and applications should not be made frequently.