390 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 



Finally, the conclusions at which I have arrived 

 may be summed up thus : — 



(1) That the British railway companies, instead 

 of being in any way hostile to British agriculture, 

 are profoundly interested in its welfare, for many 

 reasons, apart from the amount of agricultural 

 produce given to them to carry. 



(2) That they have already offered, and are 

 continuing to offer, abundant evidence of their 

 willingness to do all they can to help the farmers 

 — short of granting rates and conditions which 

 would render their operations altogether un- 

 remunerative — and that what they now ask is 

 that the farmers, in their turn, should meet them 

 half-way, and so organize their business as to 

 either avail themselves of advantages already 

 open to them, or to be in a position to present 

 a stronger case when they advance further sug- 

 gestions. 



(3) That in foreign countries changes in agri- 

 cultural methods and a widespread resort to 

 combination have brought about remarkable im- 

 provements in agricultural conditions ; so that if 

 the British farmer wishes to compete successfully 

 with foreign produce he must be prepared to 

 conduct his operations, as far as possible, on the 

 same lines, and not content himself with cherish- 

 ing grievances against the railways because they 



