§ MR. FIELDTo ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that the Great Southern and Western Railway Company of Ireland, disregarding the practice prevailing with the English railway companies to charge agricultural machines, implements, and other exhibits transferred from one agricultural show to another, at half rates at owner's risk, if such articles are certified by the exhibitor to be unsold, charge in respect of such articles full rates; and whether he is prepared to use his influence to put an end to this treatment in the interests of agriculture.
(Answered by Mr. Bryce.) The Department of Agriculture are informed that the arrangements as to charges for the carriage by railway of agricultural machines, implements, and other exhibits, from shows in Great Britain differ somewhat from those which apply under like circumstances in Ireland. In England it appears that such exhibits are charged at full rates going to shows and at half rates when returning, upon being certified as unsold. Unsold exhibits conveyed from one show to another are charged at half rates. In Ireland exhibits going to shows are charged at full rates, as in Great Britain, but are carried back free if certified as unsold. The traffic from show to show is charged full rates in Ireland. The Department 498 are not aware that exception has been taken by any Irish exhibitor to this procedure as adopted on the Great Southern and Western Railway, but it would seem that an English firm, which some time ago exhibited implements at an Irish show, objected to being charged full rates when the goods were carried by railway to another show in Ireland. Traffic of this kind from show to show in Ireland is stated to be very small, and the Department have no information to show that Irish exhibitors are desirous that the system of charging adopted by British railway companies should be substituted for that now in operation in Ireland. The Department are also given to understand that the charges for the carriage of agricultural machines and implements as a whole are lower in Ireland than in Great Britain. In these circumstances it does not appear necessary to make any special representation to the Irish railway companies on the subject.