TRANSPORT QUESTIONS 145 



men as regards trusting the sale of their produce beyond their 

 own observation ; and a practical and practicable method of 

 overcoming this difficulty would be hailed with satisfaction. It 

 seems to me that an important duty might be performed if the 

 Department could organise groups of agriculturists in various 

 districts who would be willing to join together in forwarding 

 butter, cream, eggs, honey, fruit and vegetables, mushrooms, 

 game, dead rabbits, dead poultry and such-like products to selected 

 markets and manufacturing towns ; the Department, or some 

 subsidiary authority, undertaking the selection of the persons to 

 whom the consignments were to be sent and guaranteeing fair 

 treatment and due payment to the farmer. 



It has always been my opinion that any wide and compre- 

 hensive movement to be of a useful and lastingly beneficial 

 character to agriculturists ought to emanate from and be 

 conducted by themselves. There have in the last few years been 

 great, stimulating and educational influences at work, and these, 

 combined with certain elements of prosperity that have appeared, 

 are making the farmer more regardful of outside influences than 

 was formerly the case. If he is assisted with a due share of 

 guidance and protection, and (from my point of view) if he is 

 encouraged to believe that the railways would be his best friends 

 if he would co-operate with them and regard them as such, there 

 are great hopes of better times, in any case for the smaller forms 

 of agriculture. 



Sir Joseph Wilkinson expressed the view that these senti- 

 ments were universally felt by those responsible for the 

 working of railways, always having regard to the varying 

 requirements of the different portions of the country ; and 

 he continued : 



I would add that my company will be glad to meet in friendly 

 conference any agriculturist who may have practical suggestions 

 to make upon any point of mutual interest, and we are prepared 

 to respond to all invitations and to send experienced officers 

 to attend and give information at any and every meeting of 

 farmers which may be summoned or brought about in our districts 

 in connection with the renewed interest that is happily being 

 awakened in agricultural matters. 



As will have been gathered from what has already been 

 told in the section on " Earlier Efforts," the railway com- 

 panies were attempting at this time an almost hopeless task 

 in endeavouring to secure combination for transport and sale 

 without that preliminary education of the producers in 



A.o. L 



