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shipper or fruit grower, whoever he may be, who is prosecuting this business, has no 

 remedy. I instanced in my last annual address to the Fruit Growers' Association 

 of Ontario an actual case that occurred with the Allan Line. I took that one case as 

 a substantial case. Two hundred barrels of apples were bought by a firm in Covent 

 Garden, London. In the first place, they were about a month in transit, and the 

 damage upon those 200 barrels was something like £106. I know what condition 

 they were in. i saw them and examined them for the party who was selling, and 

 also examined them on behalf of the parties who were buying them. I say that 

 those apples were in the proper condition to be shipped : I saw as to the packing, 

 and I know they should have landed in perfect order; but the result was the report 

 we got back. I published that, and it will appear in my annual address with the 

 names of the parties concerned. The report was that there was a large quantity 

 of cattle manure immediately above — I presume, on the deck above — the apples. 

 The report said over the apples, and I take that to mean on the deck above. A 

 complaint was made to the steamship line, but they could not see where they were 

 liable. The apples were all safe. When they were taken out, however, they were 

 at a boiling heat. They were in cider, and hot cider at that. Still, there was 

 nothing wrong there. No negligence — everything was done all right. In that case, 

 however, I blamed the Grand Trunk more than I blamed the Allan Line. The 

 Allan Line were to blame for allowing the apples to go upon the steamer in such a 

 state, as they were evidently not in a condition to be shipped. 



The bill of lading should give us the guaranteed count. I see no reason on 

 earth why it should not ; yet we are refused that all the time. If I ship ten barrels 

 to a friend in any town in England I get a bill of lading for ten barrels. If there 

 is anj- reason why I should not get a bill for 10,000 barrels if I ship them, 

 they should give us a guaranteed count. We find a loss there, because we do not 

 get that count. We invariably find a shortage. I do not wish to suggest where 

 that shortage comes in ; but we say this much, that we do, through an arrangement 

 with the agents once in a while get the count. We have succeeded in getting the 

 count, and never knew a shortage under the circumstances. I presume there was 

 no shortage. In fact, the report we got from the vessel was, that there was no short- 

 age. I have not known a case yet whei-e they had a count where they did not get 

 the proper number of barrels of apples; yet, on the other hand, where there is no 

 count but the shipper's count marked on the bill of lading there is a shortage almost 

 every time. It scarcely ever happens that we find the correct thing. They naturally 

 say our account is astray then. I see no reason on earth why the railway or steam- 

 ship companies should not give us a count. It is very little trouble, and it would 

 encourage us to go on in the shipment of fruit, and encourage us to go on in the 

 growth of fruits. We have, on the whole, lost in this very matter. It is quite a 

 heavy loss. 



Another point that works against us is this : I believe the railway companies 

 and the steamship companies here have considerable difficulty in getting the rail- 

 way companies in Britain to give the rates corresponding with the through rates 

 that we get here. In other words, as 'I understand it, the railway companies 

 in Britain charge local rates, and we can get no advantage, thei'efore, in going 

 to the inland market anywhere. Frequently where we want to ship to Manchester 

 or Birmingham or a market of that description, where it has to go from the sea- 

 board by rail, the companies here almost always, so far as I know, repeat to us that 

 the rate will be so-and-so, and it is local freight from the water delivered to the 

 point where we want to ship. That is one point, but how best to call for a remedy 

 there I don't know. I believe our companies here could do a good deal towards 

 remedying that by working with the companies there. Probably they could do a 

 great deal more than wo could, because we cannot get hold of them on the other 

 side of the Atlantic. That is one point. Then the bills of lading seem to be all on 

 the side of the company. I have one here- — ^one used by the Grand Trunk. 

 They are not liable for delays in the carriage of perishable goods; neither are they 

 liable for shortage. Take, for instance, a case : If you ship a car-load of apples and 



