PETITION TO THE RAILWAY COMPANIES. 



565 



PETITION TO THE RAILWAY COMPANIES. 



A number of Fellows having urged the Council to again approach the 

 Railway Companies with a view to securing reduced fares, the Council 

 having twice hefore urged the matter on the attention of the Director.; 

 unsuccessfully, it was thought hetter that the Petition should be signed 

 by the Fellows themselves, in the hope of the weight of numbers succeed 

 ing where the influence of the Council had failed. A petition was there 

 fore drafted and sent out for signature to all the Fellows. It was signed 

 by nearly 8,000 of them, and forwarded with the following letter to the 

 Companies. 



Royal Horticultural Society, 



Vincent Square, Westminster, S.W. 



September 17, lii07. 



To tlie Committee of British Railways, 

 The Railway Clearing House, 



Seymour Street. 



My Lords and Gentlemen, — We, the President and Council of the 

 Royal Horticultural Seciety, having received a Petition signed by 2,725 

 Fellows of our Society requesting us to approach the Railway Com panics 

 of Great Britain asking that reduced fares be granted to Fellows visiting 

 the fortnightly Flower and Fruit Shows of the Society held in London, 

 beg to formulate this request on their behalf. 



We would point out that the Fellowship of the Society numbers about 

 10,000, representing all classes of Horticulturists, including the Horti- 

 cultural trade and Working Gardeners besides Amateurs. 



The Shows are exceedingly popular and attract a large number of 

 visitors, but existing railway charges preclude a very appreciable proportion 

 of our Fellows at a distance from attendance except on rare occasions. 

 We are confident that by a reduction of railway fare such as you already 

 allow to some Societies, the attendance of our Provincial Fellows would 

 be very greatly stimulated, and an enormous benefit conferred on work 

 ing gardeners throughout the country, and on the Horticultural trade. 



Further than this, the great educational value of our Sbows, at which 

 all new fruits, flowers and vegetables make their first appearance in 

 public, makes such increased attendance highly desirable for the improve- 

 ment of the produce of the country, and for the maintenance of its 

 pre-eminence in the quality of its fruit and market garden produce. 

 And we would point out that the orders given to the trade on these fort- 

 nightly occasions cause considerable Goods traffic on the lines. 



We are informed that special reduced rates are allowed (for example) 

 to the Royal Agricultural Society, the Bath and West of England Society, 

 and other Associations, bringing benefit to the Public and increased traffic 

 to the Railways; also to such other Societies as that for the " Promotion 

 of Christian Knowledge," and to individuals attending tbe May Meetings 

 in London. You have also, we understand, for several years permitted 



