728 Railway Transport of Agricultural Produce, [dec, 



And the Great Western Railway similarly announce that : — 



"The company wish it to be known that if the agriculturists at any 

 point upon their system of railway will co-operate and agree to so aggre- 

 gate their consignments as to make up reasonable truck loads of the 

 different descriptions of their produce for consuming centres, the com- 

 pany desire to consider the subject with them, with the view of making 

 conveyance arrangements that should enable business to be done. The 

 company will be glad to send a representative to any point upon their 

 railway, to confer with intending senders upon this subject, and to 

 afford such information and advice in regard to conveyance rates and 

 transit as may prove to be required. 



"It has been arranged that when a mixed consignment of fresh 

 meat, dead poultry, dead rabbits, butter, eggs, fruit, or vegetables is 

 forwarded by goods train from one station to another station by one 

 consignor or to one consignee (one of whom will pay the carriage), 

 each portion of the consignment, provided that such portion exceeds 

 3 cwt., will be charged at the actual weight at the rate applicable to 

 the gross weight of the consignment, so that traders will obtain the 

 benefit of lower rates, if the minimum quantity is made up by a com- 

 bination of the various articles. For instance, a consignment of 3 tons, 

 consisting of 1 ton of fresh meat, 1 ton of butter, and 1 ton of apples, if 

 carried a hundred miles, would be charged as under : — 



£ s. d. 



Fresh Meat ... ... ... ... ... 1 4 2 



Butter ... ... ... 018 9 



Apples 015 o 



and not at the higher rates for 1 ton lots." 



Similar notices are issued by the other railway companies 

 dealing with agricultural produce. 



It may be well to add, as the fact is not generally known, 

 that when certain kinds of agricultural machinery (which are 

 only carried by the railway companies at the owner's risk) are 

 received in a damaged condition, having been broken in 

 transit, they may be returned to the senders for replacement 

 free of charge for carriage. A list of such articles is given 

 hereunder for the information and guidance of the agricul- 

 turists : — 



Agricultural machines and implements, including agricultural carts 

 and wagons; chaff cutters; corn crushers.;, oil cake mills; root cutters 

 and pulpers; and other machines for preparing food for agricultural 

 purposes ; but excluding harrows, iron ; land rollers ; clod crushers ; 

 horse gearing machinery; steam engines, portable, vertical, or horizontal, 

 in lots under 1 ton ; vegetable washing machines. 



Where to Inquire. — It would be impossible in an article of 

 this description to mention all the opportunities which exist for 

 effecting economies in the cost of conveyance of goods of 



