1910.] Railway Transport of Agricultural Produce. 723 



to be loaded before the train is due to start. Consignors should 

 remember that an address which is legible to themselves is not 

 always legible to other people, and that the late arrival of their 

 goods at the station may cause loss not only to themselves, 

 but also to their neighbours, whose consignments are carried 

 by the same train. The following notice, which is typical 

 of the notices issued by railway companies on the points above 

 referred to, shows their attitude in these matters : — 



"The company earnestly wish to co-operate with agriculturists in 

 getting produce to its destination economically, expeditiously, and in 

 good marketable condition ; and it will be apparent that senders can 

 materially assist in this direction by addressing their consignments fully 

 and legibly, and by bringing them to the forwarding stations in such 

 good time as to enable them to be carefully loaded and dispatched by 

 early trains. It is also suggested that agriculturists should render due 

 attention to details of packing, in order to meet the varying requirements 

 ot buyers in different districts, and so that articles placed upon the 

 markets may be in the best possible condition for sale." 



Several of the railway companies have now on sale at all 

 of their stations from which produce is forwarded, light and 

 inexpensive boxes. For example, the Great Western Railway 

 Company and the South Eastern and Chatham Railway Com- 

 pany supply boxes as under : — 





1 



G.W.R. 











S.E.C.R. 









Ins. 



Ins. 



Ins. Price 1 







Ins. 



Ins. 





Ins. Price 





(Length) 



(Breadth) 



(Depth) Each 







(Length) (Breadth) 



(Depth) Each 



No. 1 , 



... iof 



x 7i 



x 3 2d- 



No. 



I 



... IO'i 



x 7i 



X 



3 2 |d. 



No. 2 



... 13 



x 9 



x 4^ 2-|d» 



No. 





... 13 



x 9 



X 



41 3d. 



No. 3 



- is! 



x iof 



x 5^ 3d- 



No. 



3 



- I5l 



X lOf 



X 



5 3*d- 



No. 4 



... i6| 



x ii£ 



x Si 3id. 



No. 



4 



... 16^ 



X 11^ 



X 



5* 4<l- 



No. 5 



... 181 



X 13 



< 6 4^d. 



No. 



5 



... 18^ 



x 13^ 



X 



6 5d. 



No. 6 



... 2li 



x 15 



x 7 5*d. 



No. 



6 



... 2l| 



x 14 



X 



7 6d. 



The inconvenience of returning empty packages may be 

 avoided by the use of these boxes. 



Small Consignments by Passenger Train. — For the con- 

 veyance of small consignments of farm and dairy produce by 

 passenger train the majority of the companies — at any rate, 

 all those who carry this traffic — have special low rates in opera- 

 tion. For example, the Great Western Railway Company's 

 scale for such goods is as given in the table on the next page. 



The other companies' rates for these goods differ very little, 

 if at all, from these. These scales enable the- consignor to tell 

 in advance what will be the charge of a parcel of a given 

 weight travelling to a particular place, and are also useful for 



3 E 2 



