Sugar-beet Haulage—a Solution
Page 26
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THERE is a vast difference, of course, between 1 the quantities involved in meeting the season's requirements for a sugar-beet factory and those quoted in the 'article on epage 106 of this issue. dealing with the transport for supplies of peas to a canning factory. The underlying principle, however, is exactly the same in both cases. It is the collection of farm produce over a large area, from scattered farms, in varying quantities, and their delivery to a central point.
The essential for economy is that deliveries should be spread evenly throughout the day, every day that the factory is .open to receive supplies. In that way waiting in queues, for egress as well as ingress, can be avoided. That object was attained in the case of this pea transport by efficient organization. It was achieved by putting the work into the hands of a competent and efficient administrator, a haulage contractor of repute and experience.
The fundamental difference between the methods in vogue for the two traffics is just this. In the case of peas the factory took responsibility for the haulage. It was the factory which placed the contract in the hands of the haulier, who saw to it that the work was done. efficiently and economically. He did that for his own sake. In the case of sugar beet that responsibility devolves upon the f4rmers. They make their own arrangements independently, generally speaking, of the requirements either of the haulier or the factory. Chaos thus originates at the source of the traffic. It is accentuated by the fact that there is not the slightest cohesion or co-ordination amongst the hauliers who are engaged on the work. In this, . more than in any other branch of the industry, they show themselves to be unorganized.
Attempts have been made to reduce some of the chaos, notably when S.T.R. attended a meeting of sugar-beet hauliers in Wellington and endeavoured to persuade them to put the organization of the next campaign in the hands of a committee elected from themselves. That attempt failed and the reason for its failure was symbolical, in that it was due to jealousy and disagreement amongst those whom it was intended to help.
The solution of the problem is in the hands of the Sugar Beet Corporation. In all future contracts it should .buy the beet at the farms, itself taking the responsibility for its haulage. It should then place that haulage in the hands of a reputable haulage contractor, stipulating that he so organizes the work that the beet floyvs regularly and evenly into the factory. To that end it will have to give him complete control. of all deliveries. He will work in conjunction with the factory field men in a manner similar to that described in connection with this collection of the pea crop.