TRADERS' DISADVANTAGES 217 



will hear quite unmoved by anger that his competitor fifty 

 miles away cannot meet him on approximately level terms 

 in Covent Garden Market because of railway charges or 

 railway delays. All are opposed on principle to preferential 

 rates being given to foreign produce, but a preference given 

 to one locality over another arouses neither enthusiasm nor 

 regret among agricultural consignors. 



The agricultural consignor of traffic seldom pays railway 

 rates himself ; these are paid by the dealer to whom his 

 produce is consigned. Milk traffic is a general exception to 

 this practice, and any change in the charges for carrying milk 

 is felt at once by the farmer ; but with regard to most other 

 commodities it is almost impossible to make him realise the 

 importance of the question, owing to the existence of the 

 custom above mentioned, and it is most difficult to get from 

 agriculturists any definite information as to rates and con- 

 ditions, when the same is required for official purposes. 



The railway companies have an immense advantage over 

 the traders in regard to legal matters. Not only do they 

 secure a hostage against ill-fortune by retaining the majority 

 of the principal legal experts, but each of the larger companies 

 also maintains as part of its equipment a legal staff who are 

 necessarily fully conversant with every branch of railway law. 

 If, therefore, a case is taken into court, it is not unfair to 

 assume that the matter of cost is largely one of indifference 

 to them ; their legal staff is merely earning their pay. 

 Naturally a railway company is always prepared to appeal 

 to a higher court, and thus to wear down its opponents. 

 The companies' costs do not, except indirectly, include money 

 out of pocket to anything like the same extent as do the 

 traders'. 



Largely owing to their indifference to the cost of litigation, 

 the railways make illegal charges, trusting that their strong 

 position will prevent their action being challenged. If any 

 trader, greatly daring, does challenge them as to the legality 

 of a charge and wins his case, he has not established any 

 principle applicable to his traffic. He must bring one action 

 after another on every illegal charge made against him. 



