§ Mr. ACLANDasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware of the widespread dissatisfaction amongst the strawberry growers in Hampshire owing to the decision of the London and South Western Railway Company no longer to provide vans fitted with shelves for the conveyance of this fruit; whether it has been proved by experiment that this retrograde step will have a very deleterious effect on the condition in which the fruit will arrive in distant markets and represent a serious loss to the growers from consequent depreciated values, and whether he is prepared to take action, in conjunction with the Minister of Transport, to induce the railway company to reconsider their decision?
Sir A. BOSCAWENThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With regard to the second part, an experiment with vans without shelves was conducted in 1921, and I am informed by the growers that the condition of the fruit on arrival in London was unsatisfactory. I am making representations to the Ministry of Transport on the question.