226 TRANSPORT QUESTIONS 



castle or Sunderland, rather than pay 315. 6d. per ton (nearly 

 double the truck rate) for smaller lots weighing a few cwts. each, 

 when by arranging through the secretary of their Fruit-Growers' 

 Association, or joining with neighbours for that mutual benefit, 

 they can not only gain the lower rate, but secure quicker despatch 

 by avoiding transhipments, and at the same time raise the reputa- 

 tion of their produce in desired markets. 



The difficulty experienced by railway companies in dealing with 

 small consignments of fruit and vegetables from country stations 

 to numerous towns is immensely greater than the handling of the 

 simpler parcels traffic regularly exchanged between large towns 

 to and from which large waggon-loads are daily passing. Those 

 waggons of parcels are easily worked by regular trains from the 

 sending to the receiving station, and systematically carted from 

 the latter, but the small consignments to or from country stations 

 necessitate repeated transhipments, and no railway company could 

 stand the extravagance of sending trucks with light loads direct 

 from every station to the destinations to which the various con- 

 signments are sent. 



It is difficult for growers without experience in railway working 

 to realize the above fact, yet it has to be faced. The extra cost of 

 moving vast numbers of light-loaded waggons would necessitate 

 the charging of higher rates, and thus further handicap the British 

 growers in competition with foreign producers, who collectively 

 send their produce in larger quantities which the railway com- 

 panies book in full truck-loads, and can therefore carry more 

 cheaply and far more quickly. 



For instance, Dutch, Belgian, and French produce in large 

 quantities leaving the near ports of those countries any week-day 

 evening, can be delivered in the London market the following 

 morning almost as soon as English growers can get their produce 

 on the market. But in the case of small lots of traffic for such 

 towns as Northampton and Middlesbrough, requiring transhipment 

 at junctions, so much time is lost in unloading, reloading, and 

 waiting for connecting trains, that the produce cannot reach its 

 destination promptly, consequently the bloom of the fruit or the 

 freshness of the vegetables fades to such an extent that lower prices 

 are realized. 



From the foregoing it is evident that by sending in large quan- 

 tities direct, the foreign growers are now able to send their produce 

 into London almost as cheaply and quickly as English growers 

 in the counties around that great city. Foreign growers can at 

 present successfully compete in London, Dover, Folkestone, and 

 Southampton ; but in view of the fact that they not only have to 

 pay higher rates to our provincial towns, but are handicapped by 

 the delay which transhipment of their smaller lots to interior places 

 involves, it seems clear that English growers have a decided 

 advantage in serving our provincial markets and gradually 

 strengthening their position, till ultimately they will be able to 



