Increasing Use of Containers.

In the endeavour to reduce risk of damage to merchandise, arising through rough handling, a great deal is now being achieved through the use, in Britain, of containers. These are now used by the L.M. and S., L. and N.E., and Southern Railways, and recently, the last-named line has acquired many new containers, largely of the insulated type. Chilled meat from New Zealand is regularly handled by container service between Southampton and London, and banana traffic is also dealt with. Of late, containers have been employed for handling egg traffic from France (the eggs being loaded through in containers from the French ports to London). In dealing with banana traffic, of which there is now a heavy tonnage passing from London to France, containers are proving most useful. The fruit is loaded in the containers at the London docks, and these are worked by express trains to Southampton where they are transferred to the Southern Railway steamer. The contents of the containers remain untouched until the arrival at Havre, at which port the fruit is distributed to the buyers. The container service provides an ideal means of handling perishable traffic, and in the course of time, equipment of this kind will no doubt be employed for the movement of miscellaneous freight which, when dealt with in the conventional manner, involves considerable handling.