CHARGES FIXED

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20506, 24 May 1938, Page 8

CHARGES FIXED

TRANSPORT OF GOODS RAGLAN COUNTY BCHEDULE FIRST RATES IN DOMINION (Special to Times) AUCKLAND, Tuesday Of considerable importance as they are believed to be the first to be determined in any transport authority in the Dominion, the charges for road goods carriage in the Raglan County have been announced by Mr E. J. Phelan, the No- 1 Transport Licensing Authority. Last month a conference between representatives of the parties concerned and officials of the Transport Department was held at Ngaruawahia when Mr Phelan reserved decision. The charges, which operate from the beginning of next month, embrace the costs for cartage of manures and all bagged goods, sheep, pigs, wool, bobby, calves, timber, furniture, sand, gravel, metal and spoil, firewood and small- goods. All carriers in the county are subject to the authority’s ruling, which has been made a condition of the licenses concerned. The authority has the power to review any portion of the schedules after they have come into force. Fixation was undertaken only because the parties interested failed to reach an agreement.

Details of Rates

Some of the charges included in the schedules are :

Manure and All Bagged Goods (minimum load two tons). —For one mile, 3s a ton; five miles, 5s 6d a ton; seven miles, 7s a ton, and thereafter at the rate of lOd a ton a mile. A rebate of 6d a ton is allowed where a client provides a man to assist in loading and unloading. Sheep Rates (minimum loads, fat lambs, 80, store or cull lambs, 100, fat sheep, 50, store sheep, 60). —Up to five miles, 12s 6d an hour for fourwheeled double-decked lorries and 16s an hour for six-wheeled doubledecked lorries; for a distance not exceeding six miles, 3d a head for fat lambs, 2£d a head for store or cull lambs, 5d a head for fat sheep and 4d a head for store sheep; for 20 miles, the respective charges are 7sd, 12£d and 10|d; for 40 miles, 12§d, 10id, 20£d and 174 d, increasing for each additional mile by id a.head for fat lambs, 3-16 d a head for store or cull lambs and gd a head for fat and store sheep. Pig Cartage.—Up to .four miles: Weaners and slips, 5d a head; porkers and stores, 9d a head; baconers, Is a head; choppers, boars and sows, 3s a head. For 20 miles the respective rates are: Is, Is Bd, 2s 4d and 4s; for 50 miles, 2s, 3s 3d, 4s 3d and ss. Any client may claim an alternative rate of 5s 6d an hour, plus 6d a mile for a four-wheeled truck, or 6s an hour, plus 7d a mile, for a sixwheeled truck, the distance to be calculated from and back to the carriers’ depot. Wool Cartage.—Up to four miles. Is a bale; 20 miles, 4s 6d a bale; 35 miles, 6s a bale, and an additional charge of 3d a bale for each additional two and a-half miles. The same alternative rate as in the pig cartage schedule for the employment of a four or six-wheeled truck is permissible. Farmers’ Union Disapproval It is understood the Farmers' Union intends to appeal against some of the charges. “These schedules were not viewed with satisfaction by the provincial conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union," said the secretary of the Auckland branch, Mr A. E. Robinson, yesterday. ‘ Moreover, as they are the first to be determined by the Transport Department, they will have a certain bearing on any other decisions that are pending." DEEMED EXOEBBIVE SOME FARMERS PENALISED A farmer making extensive use of goods services in the Raglan County expressed the view to-day that the charges fixed for the carrying of stock were definitely too high and he was of the opinion that it would result in farmers in the Te Anga district, at least, sending cattle to the railhead at Glen Afton, instead of having them transported direct to sale centres. Farmers who had no rail within reasonable distance would have to pay rates which they considered unfair. “INJUSTICE TO 80ME” CARRIER'S VIEWPOINT

The opinion that while the schedule of carrying rates as fixed for the Raglan County was quite fair to the haulers operating on the flat or undulating country in some instances they were unjust was expressed by a carriers’ representative to-day- He added that operators in the back country where grades were steep and surfaces uneven, were not receiving equitable remuneration from the new rates.

“The carriers," he added, “welcome the move to set fixed schedules of charges as it is a thing they have been seeking for the past two years. I understand that efforts will now be made by the carriers to have a schedule^similar to that for the Raglan County, for the whole of the area of tlie Waikato Valley, taking in Matarnata. Morrinsvillle, Te Aroha and northward to include the Hauraki Plains."