100 AGRICULTURE AND TARIFF REFORM. 



iug is high, do not constitute a business return 

 on one's outlay. We speak of arable or mixed 

 farming, for milk-selling (which constitutes the 

 bulk of the remaining farming) is already more 

 or less a profitable business, employing, however, 

 the least labour, as dairying must always do. 

 " Farm better " is a maxim which may be applied 

 to small holdings, the number of which in the 

 national interest we desire to see largely in- 

 creased ; but it is not applicable to any general 

 extent to the average farmer or to the farm lands 

 of this country. 



Railway Rates. 



The question of railway rates is one which is 

 being dealt with by the Board of Agriculture at 

 the present time, and beyond saying that such 

 is 2^r/»z^ facie evidence that there is a case for 

 enquiry, we need perhaps hardly take up much 

 further space. 



However, we feel that there is a preference 

 given to foreign produce over that of British 

 farmers, and we have been told this by growers 

 on every hand. We are, moreover, of opinion 

 that, in many cases, the charges of railway com- 

 panies — apart from the preference indicated — 

 are too high, and, in fact, more than " the traffic 

 can bear," which, it is generally understood, is 

 the idea which guides the companies in the mak- 

 ing of their rates. Although the price of agri- 

 cultural produce has fallen enormously between 

 the last 20, 30 and 40 years, the railway rates 



