FARMING AFFAIRS

Lake County Mail, Issue 32, 14 January 1948, Page 8

FARMING AFFAIRS

RAILWAY GOODS SERVICE The Railways Department has notified Federated Farmers, that provided wagons are released promptly from stores, no difficulty vs anticipated in meeting all orders for the seasons harvest.

That reply was received as a result of representations -made by the Dominion Agriculture Section Council of the Federation that to assist in the urgent national need for increased production of cereals and potatoes, flour millers, grain store proprietors, the Railway Department and transport operators should handle produce for six days a week during the harvest season in order to avoid any deterioration of the produce held at farm because of lack of transport. Last season, owing to lack of transport, grain was held in the paddocks for as long as six weeks before it would be taken to the store.

The Minister of Railways Avrote in reply that bis department did operate a six-day service and could, on occasions Avhen the demand Avas urgent and essential, continue to Avork on the seA'enth day.

Since April last, 45 new Avagons had been built in the department’s! oavh workshops and approximately oneseA'enth of an order of 1500 Avagons from Great Britain had already been placed in traffic in the South Island. The remainder of the order would be released progressively as shipments arrived from overseas. Providing arrangements could be made Avith the grain stores for the prompt release of Avagons, no difficulty Avas anticipated in meeting all orders for this season’s harvest.

It had, however, to be recognised that the Railways Department Avas primarily a transport organisation and could not be expected to provide storage space in wagons for incoming grain. In short, the success of the whole operation was the quick turn-round of railway wagons at the grain stores.

WEIGHT OF WOOL BALES Eeports received by the New Zealand Wool Board and passed on to Federated Farmers, indicate that some Woolgrowers are not keeping the weights of their bales within reasonable limits. Unless growers are prepared to cooperate and keep the weight of bales at approximately 4001bs gross, a heavy penal charge might be imposed on overweight bales.

When agreement was. reached in the middle of the year with the Storemen and Packers’ Union to revoke the Wool Packing Order, growers were asked to adhere as closely as possible to the 4.001b limit. Many similar appeals have since been made, but if present practices continue and the revocation of the order is abused, penal charges will have to be imposed or the Packing Order .will be reinstituted and no flexibility given.