FARMERS INDIGNANT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4558, 10 April 1942, Page 5

FARMERS INDIGNANT

THE CARTAGE QUESTION PETROL AND ALLIED PROBLEMS A VIGOROUS PROTEST At a meeting at Rangiatea of suppliers in the Ngahape, Mangaorongo and Rangiatea districts to the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, the following resolutions were carried: “That this meeting of Rangiatea and Mangaorongo suppliers wish to enter their emphatic protest against the cutting out of the return of their cans on return trip from factory in an effort to save petrol; whilst the Board of Education runs two trips to bring the children to and from school—instead of building houses out at the end of the runs. “These buses only do about eight miles to the gallon; as it is, they are using twice the amount of petrol, tyres, buses and roads which they should be using, by the running of double trips; , and the Dairy Company is in the same position in that they allow the carriers to alter their contracts to suit themselves, without authority from the settlers; so they run them from the town end, instead of out at the end of their jobs, where all the cream carting originally started from; and we wish to strongly protest to the insinuation in the company circular that ‘some of the suppliers have concessions in having their cains I returned the same day.’ “In the past, all the settlers made I their own contracts from the end of I the runs (that was before there was I a single country carrier in Otoro- 1 hanga, or before this Dairy Company I was in existence). “We also view with some alarm the I manner in which we are being chiseled I out of our just rights in the way of I petrol allowances being cut out. The I Dairy Company heads seem to think I that we are the only ones who should I go without the necessaries of life, I whilst the town’s people get all they I want. We are denied pictures, social I functions, etc.; and now we are to be I denied our paper, food, parcels, etc., I and asked to buy another set of cans. I

“We also wish to make a recommendation: “That all cream-carrying contracts in future be called from the out-end of the contract, and that will overcome all difficulties of returning cans and parcels on return trips, particularly when the butter, meat, bread, etc., stays in a can all night, and in the morning is not fit to eat.’ “We also suggest that the town deliveries of milk, groceries, meat, taxis, etc., be looked into, before the only communication many farmers have is taken away. “ ‘That a committee be set up to wait upon our local Director (Mr E. Phillips) to place before him our grievances.’ “That this meeting of suppliers enter a strong protest at the way in whiih the Suppliers’ Committee has been ignored in the past; and that the Company should disband these committees as they only seem to be “scapegoats” for some of the Company’s servants, • as their advice is neither sought nor acted upon.’ “This was specially noticeable when the change-over from butter to cheese was under consideration, and the allowing of carriers to run their jobs from the town-end instead of from the outer-end, and again when the cutting out of empty cans on return trips was arrived at; and also the arbitrary methods of doing these things.”