REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE FRUIT INDUSTRY. 551 



therefore, it is a form of business more suited to a fruit dealer than to a 

 fruit grower. Any such retail distribution would be much assisted by 

 the provision of greater facilities in the parcel traffic on railways, and it 

 has been suggested that if the parcel rates were simplified for weights 

 up to 301b., so as to be dependent on weight only, and not on both 

 weight and distance, a great advantage would be secured, and the traffic 

 in such parcels would probably develop to the same extent as has the 

 traffic in smaller parcels by post, to the benefit of producers and consumers, 

 and of the railway companies as well. 



90. The Committee have heard a considerable amount of evidence in 

 favour of the use of non-returnable boxes for packing the better classes of 

 fruit. The return of empties is a cause of annoyance and expense, and 

 it is said that the deposit left on the hire of baskets in Covent Garden 

 amounts to thousands of pounds a day, which money might otherwise be 

 laid out in the purchase of fruit. Boxes, if stamped with the grower's 

 name, enable the grower to become known on the market and to obtain 

 higher prices ; it is also a great convenience to growers to have their own 

 boxes, and not to be dependent on the arrival of empties for the packing 

 of their fruit. On the other hand, some growers appear to be satisfied 

 with the baskets at present in vogue. Whilst refraining from expressing 

 any opinion of their own as to the best method of packing, the Committee 

 consider that the shortcomings of some British growers in not giving 

 sufficient attention to the subject of grading and packing, and not studying 

 the requirements of consumers, is one of the chief reasons of their failure 

 to compete successfully with the foreigner. 



The Ravages of Birds. 



91. A good many witnesses complained of the great amount of 

 damage done to their crops by birds, especially bullfinches, starlings, black- 

 birds, thrushes, and sparrows. Of these the greatest offender is probably 

 the bullfinch, which attacks the buds, and in many cases destroys whole 

 crops. There can be no doubt that this grievance is well-founded. The 

 destruction of all vermin in country districts, the curtailment of the area 

 of cultivation, and the protection afforded to wild birds by recent legisla- 

 tion have upset the balance of Nature, so to speak, with the result 

 that they have multiplied to such an extent as to become a positive pest 

 in some places. Apparently, however, considerable ignorance exists as to 

 the provision of the Wild Birds' Protection Acts, growers not realising 

 their powers, and fearing that if they destroyed the birds they would be 

 infringing the law. This, however, does not appear to be the fact. 

 According to Mr. Clark, K.C., there is a certain scheduled list of birds 

 (mostly rare birds) which nobody may destroy during a certain close time. 

 With regard to all other birds (i.e. birds not in the schedule) a similar 

 close time exists for the general public but the owners or occupiers of 

 lands ; and any person or persons authorised by them may destroy them 

 during the close time. On looking at the schedule, it appears that bull- 

 finches, starlings, sparrows, thrushes, and blackbirds are not included in 

 it, so that, according to the general law, fruit growers have an absolute 

 right to destroy such birds all the year round on land owned or occupied by 



