REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE FRUIT INDUSTRY. 543 



go before a regularly constituted court of law. But the Committee feel 

 that the provisions of the clause and the possibility of obtaining the good 

 offices of the Board in the case of disputes with railway companies are 

 evidently very little known among traders generally ; and it is clear that 

 the average fruit grower is quite unaware of the existence of anything of 

 the kind, otherwise is it credible that there would have been only twenty 

 complaints of "unreasonableness" against the companies in sixteen years ? 

 The Committee desire to draw the attention of fruit growers and salesmen 

 to this most valuable provision, and strongly advise them to avail them- 

 selves of it in all cases where they consider they are not receiving fair 

 treatment at the hands of the railways. The Committee are also of 

 opinion that it would be an advantage if the Board of Trade laid before 

 Parliament, every year, a far more detailed report of their proceedings 

 under this Conciliation Clause than they appear to do at present. 



Foreign Competition and Hostile Tariffs. 



67. Much evidence was given on this subject. Many witnesses com- 

 plained of the unfairness of the present fiscal system of the country, 

 which, they said, resulted in the ruinous competition of foreign fruit, 

 and also in the exclusion of British fruit from foreign markets. The 

 remedies suggested were, first, the imposition of duties on imported 

 competitive fruit — though some witnesses expressly excluded fruit coming 

 from the Colonies from such a proposal — or, secondly, some power of 

 retaliation, or some alteration of our present system, so as to enable the 

 Government of this country to compel the foreigner to treat us as we 

 treat him. Among those who advocated the imposition of duties the 

 following may be mentioned : — the Canterbury Farmers' Club, through 

 Mr. Berry (though he stated that personally he did not agree with the 

 recommendation) ; Mr. Smith, representing the Maidstone Farmers' Club ; 

 Mr. Wood, Mr. Biley, Mr. Best, Mr. Kruse, Mr. Kerswell, Mr. Trevethan, 

 Mr. Macdonald, Mr. Bunyard, Mr. Meats, Mr. Sheppard, Mr. Buck, and 

 Mr. Chambers. Besides these, the following witnesses advocated some 

 alteration in our present fiscal system, so as to free this country from 

 what they held to be a state of dependence on foreign nations and 

 Governments, and to enable us to fight hostile tariffs by retaliatory 

 tariffs at home : — Messrs. Wise, Idiens, Rochford, Sams, Monro, Dennis, 

 and Langridge. Other witnesses, again, complained of the competition 

 of foreign pulp and cider, and advocated some fiscal change as a remedy 

 for these grievances. 



G8. A somewhat remarkable example was given by four witnesses of 

 the killing or stifling of an English export trade by the imposition of 

 duties abroad. It appears that some years ago a considerable business 

 was started in this country in the way of exporting hothouse Grapes to 

 • France for table purposes. It may seem strange that this country, with 

 its notoriously fickle climate, should export Grapes to sunny, Grape- 

 growing France ; but the fact appears to be that the French, though they 

 produce an immense crop of Grapes grown out of doors for the purpose 

 of making wine, had attempted little commercially in the nature of growing 

 first-class Grapes for table. Several English firms, therefore, who grow 



