The protective-charge increases, 

 which are not included in the rail- 

 freight rate index, amount to 32}^ 

 percent. They apply only on fresh 

 and frozen carload shipments, which 

 constitute a small proportion of the 

 rail transportation of fishery prod- 

 ucts. 



Discussion 

 Combined index 



In table 7 is shown a combined 

 index giving fishery products trans- 

 portation rate indexes for rail 

 freight, rail express, and motor 

 carriers, and an index for all car- 

 riers combined. This index points 

 up differences in the rate of change 

 of transportation rates by the prin- 

 cipal carriers. The comparative 

 cost of the means of transporting 

 fishery products usually governs 

 selection of the carrier. The slow 

 growth in the use of air freight by 

 the fishery industries exemplifies 

 the importance of the cost factor. 

 Kail-freight and rail-express rates 

 have increased to a greater degi-ee 

 than motor-carrier rates. The 

 weighted index for transporting 

 all fishery products averaged 146.7 

 in 1952, as compared to 100.0 

 for the base year of 1947. 



Cautions on use of the indexes 



A caution should be mentioned 

 on the use of these indexes. If 

 the quality of the transportation 

 service declines or improves, it is 

 tantamount to a change in rates. 

 Such a condition is not covered in 

 the indexes. Although there have 

 been some improvements in the 

 transportation service to the fish- 

 ing industry, particularly in truck 



transportation, these changes do 

 not affect the reliability of the 

 indexes as now constructed. 



Another quahfication is that the 

 data cover a limited number of 

 routes over which fishery products 

 are transported; they do not rep- 

 resent the actual average of trans- 

 portation rates and charges for the 

 United States. The selection is 

 based on data from Market News 

 Service offices and on the expe- 

 rience of the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service in this field, and is designed 

 to be as nearly representative of 

 the national fishery-transportation 

 pattern as possible. If any mate- 

 rial changes occur, it will be neces- 

 sary to revise the indexes. 



The present study measures only 

 the changes of rates for transporting 

 fishery products by the principal 

 means of transportation. What ef- 

 fect rate changes have on volume 

 of shipments and on prices is diffi- 

 cult to isolate from the many 

 influences on supply and demand 

 in the fishing industry, but it is 

 reasonably safe to make some 

 observations. Motor-carrier rates 

 have increased less in proportion 

 than rail-freight and rail-express 

 rates, with a consequent widening 

 differential in transportation cost 

 that undoubtedly has accelerated 

 the shift to truck transport. By 

 reference to table 8, it can be seen 

 that, although the volume of ship- 

 ments varies from year to year, the 

 motor carriers' share of traffic rises 

 steadily. An additional indication 

 of the shift in methods of transpor- 

 tation is provided by a comparison 

 of the distribution, by type of trans- 

 portation, of receipts of fresh and 

 frozen seafoods at New York City 



