Over Weight Grain Sacks.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1922, Page 4

Over Weight Grain Sacks.

RAILWAY PENALTY DEFENDED

WELLINGTON, Oct. 11. It was declared by Mr J. Bitchenci (Wnitaki) that owing to the unreason able attitude of the Railway Department in regard to overweight grain sacks, farmers in North Otago arc being driven to adopt motor tritction. He urged the Minister to remit a number of recent penalties. Thu Hun. D. 11. Guthrie, in declining the request, stated that regulation of the weight cf. sacks was decide . upon for humanitarian reasons, and ns a result of strong representations’ mud ■

ever a lengthy period that men cm-| ployed in handling heavy hags day alter : day continuously during the grain sea- I son not infrequently suffered injuries t which incapacitated them more or les- . for varying periods. Sacks alleged to contain four bushels and weigh 2-iOlb in the case of wheat, frequently woighconsiderably more than the specifier: weights, and as the practice at the time ? was to compute the rail charges at sc ninny four-bushel bags to the ton, the ; railway revenue was also a fleeted. Labour unions urged that the limit in weight in any sack ol cereals should he , 1001 b. This was impracticable but at-, ter a long investigation into the mat-' ter, it was decided that a fair coiupro- , mise was 2001 b. per sack. To provide, elasticity a margin of 31b. exclusive of j the sack, is allowed, so that the penalty j is not enforced in cases'where ti e weight | does not exceed 20Glbs, per bag, ineluded. This is considered a fair margin. fn the cases in which penalties have been enforced, the grain sacks have exceeded an average of 2.')!ilb ]R’r ; lag, the average weight in some cases' h-.-ing as high as 2271 b per bag. ! ••I am aware,” adds Mr Guthrie,:

•• that the penal charge for overweight sacks is severe, but it was made so designedly, to act as a deterrent in the interests of the b.tilth of the men who have to handle grain, and while I fully appreciate tlie diliiculties attending weighing in the fields, I regret I

cannot waive the charges imposed under the provisions of the by-laws. Grain is now carried by dead weight, 1-2 Kill) net to the ten. therefore the growers should, in their own intciosts, cp that the bags are, if anything, lighter than 2001 b net.' , .Mr Uitchener and .’dr A. Hamilton protested in the House against this i-ep]y, wbieb promised no relief from the high penalities, but they secured some satisfaction from a promise by the Minister that he would semi a railway business agent into the district to diceuss the matter with the farmers concerned.