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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 6, Issue 1 (May 1, 1931)

The Railways and the Farmer — (From Our London Correspondent.)

page 2

The Railways and the Farmer
(From Our London Correspondent.)

The Home railways, like those of New Zealand, always endeavour to do their utmost to help the farmer and stimulate farm operations generally. At the moment the four group railways have placed special facilities at the disposal of the Home farmer in the way of convenient road services linking the farms with railhead, and the quotation of cheap rates for the conveyance of farm produce, manures, seeds, and so on. There are at present about 13,242 acres of farm land under cultivation in Britain, the cultivation of corn occupying a large proportion of this acreage. In a single year one of the biggest Home railways (the L. and N.E.) handles some 6,300,000 tons of agricultural commodities arising on its system, as well as 14,000 horses, 1,355,400 cattle, 4,299,000 sheep, and 700,000 pigs.

Britain's annual consumption of potatoes works out at about 4,000,000 tons, there being 633,000 acres under potato cultivation. The general question of the marketing of potatoes to best advantage is one engaging the attention of a special committee composed of railway representatives, Government officials, the Farmers’ Union, and the selling organisations. By consent of all the parties concerned, an intelligence service has been instituted, in which growers are enabled to know the available stocks at or in transit to the various markets, and the ruling prices, so that they may select those markets most favourable, both from the viewpoint of power to receive, and price. All the Home railways place many helpful services at the disposal of the farmer in the form of railhead warehouses, railhead markets, fast vegetable and fruit trains, the maintenance of stocks of grain sacks for hire by the farmers, the provision of farm collection and delivery services by road vehicle, and the establishment of postal telephone services at country depots. In handling imported farm produce, such as New Zealand butter, equally admirable facilities are provided by the Home railways.