Morton Sugar Mill Cane Tramway Under Threat

[billboltonREMOVE-TO-EMAIL@computer.org (Bill Bolton)]

Here's the latest news on the Morton Mill cane tramway system, cross
posted from the "Rustfans" mailing list.

********

Moreton Sugar Mill has been purchased from its foreign owners Tate & 
Lyle by a Belgium company Fina Sucre.

The new foreign owners have purchased a mill run down by its previous
foreign owners and in an effort to"save the mill" have proposed
closing and selling off the complete railway system and using trucks
instead.

Generally, the switch to road transport is not a good idea and 
elsewhere has proven to be a more expensive option in the long run. It
will also cost the local people and the state government a fortune in
repairs to local roads and highways plus the associated increased road
safety risks.

It will take 20-30 heavy road vehicles to replace one cane train with
predictions of over 70,000 heavy vehicle movements needed to service 
the sugar mill in the crushing season. The state government spent
millions moving the highway out of town to reduce the traffic and now
the mill wants to put heavy trucks through the centre of town every
few minutes all day all week.

Other mills in Queensland have improved and expanded their cane
railways to be very effective and safe operations while the management
at Moreton Sugar Mill, Nambour allowed their railway system to run
down over the last 5 years.

It is sad to see foreign owned companies stripping local industries of
assets and in this case an efficient, safe and environmentally
friendly rail transport system.

What can we do to stop this big mistake happening?

Write or email the local politicians, state politicians and local
newspapers. Here are some addresses:

Sunshine Coast Daily
PO Box 56
Maroochydore  4558
Fax 07 5443 5150
Email: edemail@a...

Noosa News
PO Box 56
Maroochydore  4558

Maroochy Shire Council
Shire Clerk
PO Box 76
Nambour  4560
Phone 07 5475 8501
Fax 07 5441 8338
Email: maroochy@m...
Web: www.maroochy.qld.gov.au

Note:    Nambour Town Centre is in Division 3 - Councillor Paul Tatton
         Also Division 9 - Councillor Leigh Rowan

State Members

WELLINGTON Peter William, MP (IND) - Nicklin
Shop 3, 51 Currie Street
Nambour QLD 4560
PO Box 265, Nambour QLD 4560
Phone 07 5441 6933
Fax:   07 5441 6255

DAVIDSON Bruce William, MP (LIB) - Noosa
Suite 3, 59 Mary Street
Noosaville QLD 4566
PO Box 1453
Noosa Heads QLD 4567
Phone 07 5449 8988
Fax:   07 5449 9719

BREDHAUER, Hon. Stephen Dominic (Steve), MP
Minister for Transport and Minister for Main Roads
Level 15, Capital Hill Building
85 George Street , Brisbane QLD 4000
Postal Address: GPO Box 2644
Brisbane QLD 4001
Phone:   07 3237 1949
Fax:     07 3224 4242

Tourism Sunshine Coast Ltd
PO Box 246
MOOLOOLABA QLD 4557
Ph: 07 5477 7311
Fax: 07 5477 7322
Internet Site Address: http://www.sunshinecoast.org


Here is some more information for you to consider if you choose to 
write.

NEWS, NOTES & COMMENTS  - OCTOBER, 2000
MORETON MILL

The new owners of Moreton Mill have announced a $4.5 million
investment program in the mill and an intention to boost the size of
its cane crop by another 3600 ha by 2002. In return for this the cane
railway system was to be closed down and all cane supplies brought in
by road. This would  mean the loss of at least 30 jobs in the cane
railway department at the Moreton Mill.

The Nambour Chamber of Commerce President, Gary Langford, supported 
any proposal which would ensure the mill's future. He did express
concern about the number and frequency of road vehicles entering the
town. He estimated one every eight minutes and indicated there would
be cause for concern over pedestrian safety and pollution.
      (Sunshine Coast Daily, 16/9/2000)

The future of Nambour's much loved cane trains is in doubt. The 
Moreton Sugar Mill has put forward a bold plan to scrap cane trains by
2002 and switch to 100% road haulage in a bid to remain economically
viable.

To survive in the new millennium style world of business which
features catch phrases such as "globalisation" the mill needs to
ensure its viability, and remain functioning.

The mill has about 120km of track with about 120 farmers supplying 
the mill which crushes 5200 tonnes of cane per day.
      (Sunshine Coast Daily)

COMMENT:  So the Moreton Mill is proposing to close its cane railway 
system, one of the worst blunders that could be perpetrated on the 
unsuspecting people of Nambour and the surrounding district. The
current cane railway system may be inefficient or expensive to
operate, but is it the fault of the cane railway? I would suggest it
certainly is not. The late owners of the Moreton Mill, who sold off
their assets because they could not get all they wanted from the
Queensland and Australian Governments have run the mill's cane railway
system into the ground with minimal funding for maintenance and
upgrading of the track system and no money for improving the 
locomotives and other rolling stock. The staff at Moreton Mill have
worked wonders with what little resources they have had but there is
just so much you can do if the funding is not forthcoming.

I have seen railways serving coal mines closed in favour of road 
transport, to save the jobs of the coal miners, only to have the mine
close a few months later anyway. There are many examples of this type
of false economy.

If the cane railway is closed and pulled up, it may make the mill less
attractive to other prospective purchasers. CSR pulled out of its
northern New South Wales mills after having just closed the tramway
system at the Condong Mill. The road transport company, when competing
against the mill tramway, undercut the costs to make their form of
transport more attractive but once the mill tramway was dismantled and
the farmers had just taken over the mill, the road transport company's
contract came up for renewal and, guess what, with no competition the
cost of road transport skyrocketed. The farmers were dismayed but
there was little that could be done as their tramway had been pulled
up.

The current crises in the Middle East and already high oil prices
threatening to blow out even more are a major concern to transport
operators. The change to road transport with the increased pollution 
and increased use of the world's dwindling supply of fossil fuels
should be a major concern to everyone. I would have thought that the
use of a cane train, with a 2 man crew (or even a driver only)
bringing in a load of say 500 to 600 tons of cane would be far more
efficient in the saving of wages, fuel and time. A truck, with a
single driver, bringing in 25 tonnes of cane at a time would take 24
trips EACH WAY to achieve the same task. 

Depending how the cane is to be loaded onto the truck and unloaded at
the mill, this could involve the driver in more time - each trip! Oh!
Of Course! There will be big cost saving to the mill company in not
having to provide and maintain the cane railway system as the cane
transport system will be the public roads, both local and highway. The
mill company won't have to pay for the costs of providing or
maintaining these roads, the ratepayers of the Maroochy Shire will as
well as the Queensland taxpayer.

Some locals have voiced some support for the proposed cane railway 
closure, anything to save the mill. But the cane railway closure will
still be no guarantee of the viability of the mill. The locals have
also voiced their opinion that there will be job opportunities in the
mill due to increased capacity and throughput as well as a need for
truck drivers. This does not hold either as any increase in mill
throughput and capacity will mean the need for more automation and
computer control - not more people. 

Likewise, the supposed jobs from the road transport side may mean a
short term influx of contractors who could live in Brisbane or
elsewhere and who will certainly not contribute directly to the
economy of Nambour. The road transport company could have its
headquarters anywhere outside the Maroochy Shire and control its
operation from there and this would not contribute anything to the
local economy.

Finally, there is the loss of a quality of life to those members of 
the public living next to the proposed road transport corridors. It
does not take a major mathematical calculation to work out if a road
truck carries 25 tonnes of cane and the mill crushes say 800 000
tonnes of cane in a season that it would take 32 000 truckloads to
bring the crop to the mill  and a further 32 000 empty trucks leaving.
Then of course there is the road transport of raw sugar from the mill
with empty trucks in and loaded out say a further 10 000 vehicle
movements. A total of 74 000 road vehicles in a crushing season of
about 22 weeks - 24 hours per day 7 days per week. 

That works out at about 1 road vehicle movement every three minutes.
What happens when there is an expansion and the mill wants to crush 1
000 000 tonnes of cane? Think of all those road vehicles on busy local
roads competing with both local and tourist traffic. The significant
increase in road accidents and congestion will probably start to scare
tourists away.

There must be an alternative to this very serious proposal. It may be 
a combination of road and railway transport but whatever happens it is
to be hoped that the cane railway system at Nambour is retained and is
upgraded and maintained to meet the requirements of a modern sugar
industry.  One only has to look at the cane railways around Mackay to
see what can be achieved. Trains up to 2 000 tonnes, single man
operation (experiments under way), combined road/rail transport,
altogether a very efficient method of operation.

******

Cheers,

Bill