336 History of Inland Transport 



panics undertook the functions of carriers, provided waggons, 

 carriages and staff, and were authorised to make a charge for 

 the " conveyance " of goods. 



Parliament did not, at first, specify the amounts of the loco- 

 motive and conveyance tolls, but simply required that they 

 should be " reasonable," the expectation at that time being 

 that these tolls would be kept to reasonable limits by the 

 competition of the outside carriers. When it was found 

 that the outside carriers would not run their own locomotives 

 on the railway, and that the railways would do their own 

 carrying, the amounts which could be levied as locomotive 

 and conveyance tolls were specified in the special Acts of the 

 companies concerned. 



At one time, therefore, the railway companies were author- 

 ised by their Acts to impose three separate charges, (i) road 

 tolls, (2) locomotive tolls, and (3) conveyance tolls ; but in 

 1845 a " maximum rates clause " was introduced which 

 grouped these different tolls into a total charge something 

 less than the aggregate of the three. 



In proportion as the railway companies themselves per- 

 formed the duties of carriers, instead of leaving this branch 

 of the transport business to the outside carrying firms, it 

 became necessary for them to provide goods depots and ware- 

 houses, and to have a staff available for a variety of services 

 loading and unloading, covering and uncovering, etc. which 

 were necessary in the handling of the traffic. The companies 

 then claimed that for these " station terminals " and " ter- 

 minal services " they were entitled to make charges in addition 

 to the maximum rates, whereas it was contended on the part 

 of the traders that these services were included in the maximum 

 rates, and that the companies had no right to charge for them 

 separately. After prolonged controversy and much litigation, 

 the dispute was eventually decided in favour of the companies ; 

 but Parliament required them to distinguish the charges for 

 conveyance, terminals, and collection and delivery, and, 

 finally, by the Charges Acts of 1891 and 1892, fixed the 

 amounts of the maximum station and service terminals that 

 each company might demand. 



In the meantime much trouble had also arisen as the result 

 of the haphazard fashion in which the railways of the country 

 had been called into being. 



