Railway Rates and Charges 355 



Of late years far less has been heard, in the agricultural 

 world, at least, of these allegations of undue preference. The 

 whole position has been changed through the praiseworthy 

 efforts of the Agricultural Organisation Society in spreading 

 among the agricultural community a practical appreciation of 

 the advantages of combination, as adopted by their foreign 

 competitors, included in such advantages being the lower 

 rates which the railways already offer for grouped or other 

 large consignments. The excellent work carried on by the 

 society is calculated to confer, in many different directions, 

 much more benefit on market gardeners, dairy farmers and 

 agriculturists in general than would be gained by them 

 simply from seeking to persuade, or even to force, the railway 

 companies to carry at wholly unremunerative rates the small 

 consignments of non-associated producers, forwarded under 

 the least favourable conditions in respect to economical 

 transport. '. 



As regards the machinery provided by Parliament for dealing 

 with traders' grievances, there is, in the first place, the Railway 

 and Canal Commission, which, taking the place of the earlier 

 Railway Commissioners, was made a permanent body under 

 the Act of 1888. The Court consists of two Commissioners 

 appointed by the Board of Trade, and three ex-officio members, 

 chosen from the judges of the High Court, and nominated by 

 the Lord Chancellor, the Lord President of the Court of 

 Session and the Lord Chancellor of Ireland for England, 

 Scotland and Ireland respectively ; though in practice only 

 one of the three takes part in the proceedings in connection 

 with any case brought before the Court. The jurisdiction of the 

 Commissioners includes powers to enforce obligations under 

 special Acts, and to deal with questions of traffic facilities, 

 private sidings, undue preference, through rates, etc. 



Whether or not procedure before this body is too costly 

 for other than wealthy litigants to take advantage of is a 

 question which need not be discussed here ; but traders have 

 the further advantage of what is known as the Conciliation 

 Clause of the Act of 1888, which provides that " (i) Whenever 

 any person receiving, or sending, or desiring to send goods 

 by any railway is of opinion that the railway company is 

 charging him an unfair or an unreasonable rate^of charge, 

 or is in any other respect treating him in an oppressive or 



