June 2014 5.1Mb
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Free Copy In This Edition: Page Page Jute—to Wheat Bags 2 National Gallery of Victoria 22 Geelong Bulk Grain Terminal 4 China—Fast Facts 24 Harry Power—Bushranger 8 Made From Wool! 25 Donkeys 10 Elizabeth Taylor 26 Dr James E. Piper 12 Recipe—Fish Pie with Mash 28 Aboriginal Trackers 15 Word Search— Space 29 Corio—The Early Days Part 6 16 Banknotes: Mary Gilmore 30 Winston Churchill 18 150 Years Ago 31 Amazing Australian Records 20 Then… & Now 32 Until the Geelong Bulk Grain Terminal opened in December 1939, nearly all wheat grown in Victoria was transported in bags made from jute. Jute is a natural fibre, second only to cotton in amount produced and variety of uses. It is mainly grown in India and Bangladesh with some also grown in Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Thailand and China. Jute is taken from the stem of the Corchorus plant, most commonly referred to simply as the ‘jute plant.’ The jute is harvested and then allowed to soak for a few days in water before the fibres can be stripped off and left to dry. It is then transported, often by bicycle rickshaw, to collection points before being taken to mills where it is processed and turned into the familiar fibres found in sacks, on carpet backing, in pouches and even in wallets. Harvesting jute in India For centuries, jute has been an integral part of the culture of East Bengal (now called Bangladesh). In the seventeenth century the British East India Company started trading in jute. Jute barons grew rich, setting up factories in Bengal as well as in Scotland, and then selling manufactured jute products worldwide. For example, more than a billion jute sandbags were exported from Bengal to the trenches of Europe during World War I. Huge numbers were also exported to the United States to bag cotton. Used to make burlap, hessian bags and gunny cloth, when jute was used to transport any grain, the bags were most commonly called ‘cornsacks,’ since the bags were originally ordered by farmers in South America to ship corn out of Argentina. In Australia, until the turn of the twentieth century these sacks held 4- bushels of wheat each. One bushel equalled 27.2kg, so each full wheat bag weighed up to 109kg! Imagine having the job as a railway or shipping labourer (called Lumpers) whose job it was to lug the huge bags around all day. As Australia’s wheat harvest grew into the millions of bags each year,* the cry of complaint from Lumpers rose, supported by the Wharf *Australian farmers yielded an average 17.5 bushels of wheat per acre, requiring the purchase of six 3-bushel cornsacks for each acre. Each bag cost about 4s. (40c). Thus, Australia was compelled to import tens of millions of the bags from East Bengal each year. By 1918, Victoria alone had stockpiled 60,000,000 bushels of wheat—the equivalent of 20,000,000 jute bags. The huge stockpiles of wheat bags were often ravaged by plagues of mice. 2 Labourers Union. In 1904 a call went out to purchase 2-bushel bags from India instead of 4- bushel bags. A trial with the 2-bushel bags was conducted, however shipping agents were not willing to bare the extra cost. The following year (1905) an agreement was struck to use a standard 3-bushel bag for wheat, A group photo of labourers (Lumpers) although the 4-bushel bags remained in circula- working at Corio Quay loading wheat bags from carts and railway trucks onto tion for some time afterward. These smaller bags shipping headed for England during WWI. still weighed in at over 81kg each, a testament to the strength and endurance of these lowly-paid labourers. Union representatives pushed for smaller bags right up until the 1950’s, but the problem was eventually solved when mechanized lifting/loading/ unloading devices took over most of the heavy work. During the normal life of a 3-bushel jute bag it was used 10-15 times. The farmer used it 5-6 times to cart his wheat to the silo. Then it usually went with the wheat to a flour miller, who in turn branded and sent it full of flour to the baker. The baker sold it to a bag merchant who sold it to another miller, who then sent it to another baker. As it wore, the same bag would then be used for bran and pollard. After the poultry farmer and the produce merchants had given it fair wear it would probably end up as a doormat, or carrying coke for a gas company. Yes, these sacks were very versatile indeed! During WWI (1914-18) Victoria had bumper wheat crops. However, with the war in Europe drawing on all resources, Australia could not obtain its full order of cornsacks from India. Rationing of bags to farmers meant that some crops were spoiled before they could be properly harvested and the grain stored. Also, handling costs were becoming exorbitant, as more and more land was prepared for wheat cultivation, requiring an even greater number of bags, along with the labourers to lump them around. It was time for grain to be transported in bulk. [See next page] Bulk grain storage and handling is most commonly being used today. There is also an ever-growing market for grain transportation in shipping containers. Yet, bagged wheat still has a market, catering for niche varieties of wheat, as well as for distribution to countries where bulk grain handling facilities do not exist. While wheat bags are made from synthetic fibres today, we can still marvel at the amazing Loading bags of wheat onto a freighter natural qualities, versatility, and history of jute. docked at Cunningham Pier in 1957. 3 From the time the Port Phillip District was settled in 1835, grain had been placed into bags, sent to Geelong or Melbourne by wagon or train, and sold through merchants and shipping agents. The cost of bags, freight, handling, and agents fees meant that the farmer received only a small portion of the sale price of the wheat he grew. While the few grain merchants and shipping agents became rich men, the farmers pleaded with the colonial government for cheaper handling costs and a better return on their wheat. Even before the beginning of the 20th century, a proposal to move grain through bulk handling facilities, instead of in bags, was seriously considered by the Victo- rian railways and the government. Railways employees were sent on a tour of the system set up in the USA, and came home with glowing praise of what they observed. However, the prohibitive cost of building such facilities (estimated in 1900 as costing £100,000) became a political bouncing ball for the next 35 years. The bumper wheat crops during WWI (1914-18), were accompanied by limited numbers of jute wheat bags and huge mice plagues. The losses suffered by farmers initiated a desperate plea to the government to again seriously consider bulk grain terminals. Terminals were slated for Williamstown, Geelong and Portland, with smaller terminals at railway stations throughout the state. Corio Quay, in North Geelong was set aside for construction of the Geelong terminal. The Railways Commission estimated that there would be a saving in costs to Victori- an farmers of up to £425,000 every year. The entire system was now costed at £1.5 million ($3 million). The Victorian govern- ment approved the project, and in 1918 the Imperial Government in England agreed to fund it. However, rebuilding England after World War I took all the The grain silos under construction in 1938. Each circular silo holds over 80,000 bushels resources the British Government had at (220 tonnes) of wheat. their disposal, and so the bulk grain project 4 in Victoria, Australia was again put on hold. By 1925 the Victorian government was warned that the entire annual wheat crop was now at the mercy of the supply of jute wheat bags from India. A failed jute crop, industrial trouble in India, shipping disputes, or another war could easily ruin local farming production. The working house (elevator tower) is As a result, a Parliamentary Board appointed raised to its full height in 1938. Elevators by the Government recommended that bulk and conveyors installed inside the facility grain terminals be immediately built as a could move up to 64,000 bushels matter of urgency. However, project costs had (1,740 tonnes) of wheat every hour. now ballooned to over £3 million! Unable to find the money, the proposal again stalled. Nine years later, in June 1934 the Victorian Government introduced the Bulk Handling of Grain Bill, seeking funding for the £3 million scheme. Debate raged on for another 2 years before finally, in August 1936 a tender for £31,483 was accepted to excavate and build the concrete founda- tions for the terminal at Corio Quay. Williamstown Bulk Grain Terminal Work commenced on September 9, 1936. Contractors from Melbourne and Geelong The Geelong Bulk Grain Terminal was started toiled over 3 years, slowly raising the first in 1937. The required electric motors concrete silos from the ground to over 32 and conveyors arrived as WW2 began, metres (106’) into the North Geelong sky. allowing the terminal to be completed. The taller working house, which contained However, the Williamstown Terminal was the elevators, eventually rose 61 metres started a year later than the one at Geelong. (200’) making it the highest structure in In 1938 the concrete foundations were poured at a cost of £40,000.