PREFERENTIAL RATES ON FOREIGN PRODUCE 265 



In the poultry fattening districts of Sussex, Mr Rew 

 found some complaint of the heavy rates on fowls 

 brought from Ireland for fattening. The increases made 

 in 1893 had been lowered three months after, but no 

 return had been made of the overcharges. Mr Rew 

 adds: "Probably this was the case in many instances, 

 and the railway companies, therefore, made a consider- 

 able profit by the action which was on their behalf 

 admitted to have been a ' mistake,' and was condemned 

 by the Select Committee." 



The same complaint comes from the dairy industry in 

 Derbyshire, where cash or monthly prepayment had 

 been insisted on, so that the overcharges in 1S93 were 

 practically irrecoverable. 



The strongest feeling has been expressed by many 

 witnesses that the competition of foreign produce has 

 been unfairly intensified by the policy of the companies 

 in giving preferential rates to imported articles, to 

 such an extent as to substantially operate as a form of 

 protection to foreign products. Further, the increases 

 made in 1893 were applied only to home traffic, thus 

 aggravating the evil. 



The natural market for corn from the South Midlands 

 is in Birmingham and the " Black country." But the 

 rates on corn from the distant seaports are equal or 

 lower. If the rates were in fair proportion it would 

 mean an addition of 3s a ton, or 9d a quarter, to the 

 value of the corn. 



The rates on cheese from Leicester, about half-way, 

 are slightly in excess of the rates on American cheese 

 from Liverpool to London. 



Mr Berry, as a representative both of the Central 

 Chamber of Agriculture and of the Mansion House 

 Association, gave, to illustrate many hundreds of 

 similar instances, figures showing the differences in 

 railway 'charges on foreign and home produce for the 

 same distances. 



Thus, the through rate from Calais to London for 

 butter is £1 ; the water rate, including dock charges, 

 being 15s, leaving 5s for local rate from Dover to 



