13 



sh'p at the same time, and I believe there is also objection to their goods reach- 

 ing the market at the same time, causing an overstock and sometimes a falling 

 in prices. 



I may say I am forwarding your letter to our Freight Traffic Manager, and 

 will ask him to communicate the contents to the Superintendent of Car Service 

 and our Superintendent of Transportation. I am sure both these gentlemen will 

 do everything in their power to assist in the shipment of fruit from Ontario 

 points to the west. 



Yours truly, 



W. B. Bulling. 



(3) Icing. This particular, though deserving- separate mention, will 

 be briefly dealt with. The second car, from Grimsby, arrived at North 

 Bay, according to the report received, with bunkers only one-fourth full 

 of ice, and three tons of ice werei added at that point- The amount added 

 to the first car at North Bay was about one ton and three-quarters. There 

 being no icing station at Grimsby, when the second car lelt there special 

 instructions were given for re-icing at Hamilton. This probably was not 

 done, and the car having been iced at J-iamiiton before loading on VVed- 

 ne'sday, was not re-iced until it reached North Bay on Sunday, Except- 

 ing this omission, the icing was well attended to all along the line. The 

 first car on reaching North Bay was about two-thirds full, and was filled 

 there- • When it reached Fort William it was full of ice, having probably 

 bee'n iced at Schreiber. No data were obtained with respect to the total 

 amount of ice consumed, nor would such data be of much value by reason 

 of the infinite variety of weather conditions that surround different ship- 

 ments. 



Under this head the attention of the reader is diretted to the remarks 

 on icing in the letter quoted jiust above. 



(4) Charges. News was received at St. Catharines, before the first 

 car was sent out, respecting the reduction of freight rates from 84 cents 

 to 66 cents per hundred for mixed fruit. It is likely that our cars were 

 the first to benefit by the more favorable rates- The change made a dif- 

 ference of 1^6 on each carload, 9 cents on a bushel of apples, and nearly 

 4 cents on a box of peaches. 



The new rates for icing not having been fixed when the transporta- 

 tion charges were sent in, a flat rate of $16 was charged, which brought 

 the total charge up to 74 cents a hundred for a carload of 20,000 pounds. 

 Before plans for the experiment were completed, the authorities of the 

 Dominion Express Company were interviewed with a view to shipping an 

 express load on one of the Company's patent ventilated cars. A request 

 was made for a quotation of rates on carload lots from St. Catharines to 

 Winnipeg. The Dominion Express Company not having rail connection 

 at St. Catharines, the quotation was to include the Canadian Express 

 charge' from St. Catharines to the point where the Dominion Express would 

 take charge of the car. After consideration, the company offered to carry 

 the car, upon payment of the local rate of the Canadian Express Company, 

 30 cents a hundred, and a further.charge of $2-25 a hundred for the portion 

 of the line over which the Dominion Express ran, making a total of ff2-55 

 a hundred- To this an alternative was offered by the company, namely to 

 ship the fruit by electric line to Port Dalhousie, tranship to boat for car- 



