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car, and when he got to Brockville he was shunted off. He was out of wood and 

 could not get any wood. The fellow evidently had not ever been very far ^'■°™; 

 home, or something else. He was the owner of the carload of apples. They leit 

 him there until his whole carload of apples became frozen, and he had the pleasure 

 of looking at it. He did not know how to get the wood. He did not know how to 

 keep the fire up, although it was easy for him to smash the head out of a barrel and 

 treat the men. Another man started out with a carload of apples, and I said ^o ".i"^ 

 when he was starting out: " What aro you going to do ? " He replied: " I ani tiling 

 up These two baskets just for the men's account. I am not going to be stopped along 

 the road at all." Sure enough, he had a few baskets of apples with him. n hen he 

 got to Brockville he was shunted off. Some cars were going to Montreal and his 

 ear was going to Coteau ai-ound to Ottawa. When he was shunted off he said : 

 " Gentlemen, you ain't going to leave me here ; are you coming m to eat some apples 

 with me ? " They had a jolly time there eating apples, and his car was hitched on and 

 he came on, while the other fellow was left there. He got out of wood, when he got 

 on his coat and said: "Here men, come in and have some apples." In a few 

 minutes he said: "1 am out of wood," and in a few moments more he had plenty 

 of wood thrown in. If you send a car of fruit it is shunted off at Brockville, on its- 

 way to Montreal, and it stands there four or five days for these fellows waiting to be. 

 tipped. That is the result of my experience. There is no doubt that barrels have 

 suffered considerably after they get on board the ship, though I must confess that 

 all I have ever shipped went in perfect order, with the exception of some that were 

 twenty days on the Atlantic. They were all black and bad. 



The President. — We haVe now listened to these two papers on the transporta- 

 tion, selection and packing of fruits. The gentlemen have each noted in their own 

 way important points for consideration. The most important points that we have 

 to take up, I think, in connection with them, are those which concern the railroad 

 and steamship companies, and so we have representatives of these companies here 

 who are prepared, no doubt, to give us their views on the matter. I hope that we 

 may arrive at some satisfactory result. In discussing those papers I will ask you 

 to bear in mind that it is our object this evening to arrive at some mutual under- 

 standing by which the difficulties presented to you may be overcome, and that the 

 transport of fruit may be facilitated, and that the lai'ge foreign market which is 

 now open to us, but of vvhich we cannot avail ourselves at present, may be rendered 

 valuable. I will, therefore, ask you to Cdnsidor the points raised in these papers, 

 and I trust those representatives of the transportation companies who are here will 

 favour us with their views on the matter. 



Mr. Watt. — Mr. Chairman and gentlemen — I have never had occasion to attend 

 so large a convention as this, but I have been at conventions of the kind, in which 

 the steamship people were made butts more or less ; but there is one thing — nothing 

 like show. A short time ago I was amongst some flour gentlemen, and there was 

 nothing wanted but flour. The cattle men in Montreal just now are having con- 

 siderable discussion. In fact, there is nothing to transport across the Atlantic but 

 cattle and cheese. Mr. Allan objects to sending fruit with cattle. I have heard 

 men object to sending their flour with fruit, cheese or other commodities. Each 

 gentleman thinks his commodities are all that we have or should have. The ship 

 is the final deliverer, so to speak. She has to stand the trouble of all previous 

 carriers who have carried the commodities to j)ort by rail. The goods are 'carried 

 partly by rail and partly by steamship, and the steamship happens to be the last 

 one, and she generally gets the kicks. That is her experience on that sco; e. There 

 is nothing which we carry as carriers which is moi'e perishable than fruit. There 

 is nothing more likely to suffer in course of transit. The difficulty we have is its 

 short-lived character. The steamship people have, as a matter of course, to estab- 

 lish the steamship service. We begin at the beginning of the season and carry on 

 business weekly or fortnightly the year through. You gentlemen are not ready to 

 give us anything in May, June, July or August. You have nothing to give us in 

 September ; but in October and November you expect the whole steamship service 



