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when kept in a more natural atmosphere. We want the steamship companies to 

 provide clean accommodation. There must be nothing there that will give an odour 

 to the fruit, and there is nothing that will take an odour quicker than fruit. The 

 moment the fruit takes the least odour, that moment it begins to decay. It will not 

 keep under such circumstances at all. If there be any disagreeable smell on board 

 a ship the fruit will be very apt to take it up, and anyone with a sharp taste, will 

 quickly notice it it in high flavoured varieties. I refer, particularly, to vessels carry- 

 ing cattle. In vessels of that description they have to be very particular indeed — in 

 fact, I almost question whether they will be able to separate the cattle and the fruit 

 departments so as to keep the fruit free from contamination. It is possible that 

 they can, and I hope they can. This matter of vessel accommodation is one that we 

 should press very strongly, and I believe that if our steamships plying between 

 Montreal and British ports would pay more attention to this — and we have brought 

 it before them several times — it would be an easy matter for us, as members of the 

 Fruit Growers' Associations, to go to the people and advisa them to go into fruit 

 culture on a much larger scale than now. Moreover, we would be able not only to 

 ship our winter fruit in much better condition than heretofore, but we would be 

 able to ship our fall fruit and summer fruit. We ought to be able to ship those 

 varieties. I tell you, there is more money in summer and fall apples in Great 

 Britain than in the best winter apples, if we can land those apples there in 

 anything like fair order. The people of Great Britain want fruit at that 

 particular season, and they are willing to pay for it at that time. We have fine var- 

 ieties of summer and fall fruit that we can ship now — varieties that would take the 

 eye of the Britisher at once. But we must have the accommodation in order to do 

 that. I believe we can get that in the way I have mentioned, and also by means of 

 ventilated cars. They have cars enough of that description, and they would supply 

 us with these if the steamships plying across the Atlantic would give us thorough, 

 accomodation in carrying the fruit. This is a matter lying with the steamship com- 

 panies. If they want to extend the fruit trade of this Dominion, that is one of the 

 most important points to take into consideration for the accomplishment of that 

 end. If they do that it will enable us to go to the fruit growers all over the Domin- 

 ion and advocate an increase of cultivation. Thei-e is no trouble in getting that if 

 we have these arrangements satisfactorily made with respect to ventilation. I 

 might say that the line I examined was the Beaver Line, at Montreal. I went over 

 one of their vessels and examined their system of ventilation, as well as their system 

 of cold air by the fan system. I must say right here that I believe in giving honour 

 to whom honour is due, and when we are dealing with these public corporations I do 

 not want to put one against the other, but I wish to give honour where it is due. In 

 my experience, the Beaver Line has done more for fruit growers than any line ply- 

 ing across the Atlantic, simply because they have put that accommodation on their 

 vessels. Since they have done that I have not heard a single complaint nor a bill 

 of damages presented for a single cargo carried yet. We cannot say that of the 

 other lines. Against the Allan Line and others, too, bills upon bills for damages have 

 been presented. Cargoes that have been watched to their vessels and watched 

 while being taken on were found on arrival to be damaged, and badly damaged. 



Me. Torrance. — I would like you to establish that. 



Mr. Allan.— You can have the floor when I am through. Since the cold blast 

 was put in the Beaver Line steamers we have not received notice of one single claim 

 for damages. • If the representative of that line is here he can say if they have 

 received any such notice; but we have not. We have heard of innumerable cases 

 with the other lines. Then there is another difficulty when we come to the bills of 

 lading. The difficulties with respect to the bills of lading have no end to them 

 The bills of lading of the present time were evidently invented about Adam's time 

 or thereabouts. I do not know of a more one-sided contract than the bill of ladino- 

 than we are compelled to use. It is not a fair contract. The carryino- company is 

 not willing to undertake anything, and when there is a bill of damages they always 

 meet you with this bill of lading. They are protected at once, while the poor 



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