Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/517

Rh the opinions of town councils, chambers of commerce and trade associations, and the Devon and Cornwall Conference formed in 1888 by certain corporations, mercantile and agricultural associtions, have strenuously pressed the traders' views; it was not their business to be the advocates of others. Throughout the long controversy respecting rates there has been an assumption that the traders' interest was necessarily that of the consumer, and that any reduction of rates must redound to the advantage of the latter. Familiar facts and theoretical considerations are against this. Either the trader is getting with present rates of transport fair profits, or he is not; on the first hypothesis, he has no grievance; on the second, it is clear that he will not lower his prices until he has obtained a fair profit. It may be easy to quote instances in which cost of transport appears to be an important element of price; usually, however, when the whole circumstances of the cases, including the profits of all persons engaged in distribution are known, this element proves to be comparatively small. In the recent inquiry complaints were made as to the rates for milk. One witness stated that the retail price of twelve gallons in London is sixteen shillhgs, of which the farmer gets six shillings, the railway company one shilling, and the dealer nine shillings. Does any one suppose that if the company reduced the cost of carriage to sixpence, the whole, or necessarily any part of the reduction would go to the customers'? Evidence was given as to alleged exorbitant rates for fish. Here are Mr. Acworth's comments.

'Take mackerel, for instance, sold at sixpence each fish, weighing say 11b.; the retail buyer pays £56 per ton, out of which the extortionate railway company takes, allowing for weight of packages, &c., certainly not more than £5. How is the remaining £51 divided?

If it be true, as the fish traders assure us, probably with perfect accuracy, that the fisherman does not get as large a share of the price as the railway company's charges amount to, there must be left a sum of £46 per ton to be shared amongst the various middlemen. Is this an ideally just division ? And is it not conceivable that the fisherman's dinner ought to be added to by the sacrifice, not of the ewelamb—the £5 of the railway company—but of a portion of the well-fed flock from the rich pastures of Billingsgate?'

Elsewhere Mr. Acworth says in his interesting volume:— ' For articles of ordinary trade we may say that 50 shillings a ton from door to door, frons the docks in London to the warehouse in Yorkshire,