CHAPTER XVIII. 



FROM THE FARM TO THE MARKET-PLACE. 



A MOVE in the right direction was made by 

 the Postmaster - General when he extended 

 and cheapened the cost of telephonic com- 

 munication between the producer and the 

 market salesman or retailer. As the telephone 

 is rapidly superseding the telegraph at country 

 post offices, I fail to see why the telephone 

 should not be used in the same way as in 

 towns by a payment of twopence a message 

 instead of an annual subscription of £3, which 

 is a heavy speculative item for a small holder 

 to bear even in co-operation with two or three 

 others. When this has been brought about, 

 and small producers have sensibly agreed to 

 bulk their goods to the station by sending one 

 waggon-load together instead of each sending 

 a few packages in separate carts, we have yet 



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