Railway Rates: English and Foreign - James Grierson

Article.	Ouest.	Est.	Nord.	Paris Lyons Medite- ranee.	Orleans.	Midi.	Etat.
	Class.	Class.	Class.	Class.	Class.	Class.	Class.
Ironmongery	4	2	2	2	2	3	2
Colours (common) in Casks	4	1	1	1	3	3	4
Manure	6	6	6	6	4	Spec’l	6
Flour	4	4	4	4	3	3	4
Wool (raw)	4	2	2	3	3	2	2
Machinery (packed)	4	3	3	3	1	3	3
China in Casks and Crates	3	1	1	1	2	2	1
Raw Sugar	5	4	4	4	3	3	4
Potatoes in Bags	5	4	4	4	3	3	4
Window Glass	4	3	3	3	2	3	3

In Germany, Holland and Belgium there is no such classification as is in force in this country. Generally speaking, goods of all descriptions, except wagon loads of 5 and 10 tons, are charged according to weight, irrespective of their nature or value. In Germany the railway tariff consists of 8 classes, viz.:—

1.	Grande Vitesse	which includes articles of all
		descriptions carried by
		passenger train.[38]
2.	“Stückgut,” or	Which includes articles of all
	“Piece” Goods.	descriptions of less than 5 tons
		carried by goods train.
3^A1.	Wagon Loads	Articles of all descriptions in
		truck loads of 5 tons not
		mentioned in the special classes.
4^B.	” ”	Articles of all descriptions in
		truck loads of 10 tons.
5^A2.	” ”	Certain articles specified in
		the classification, in truck
		loads of 5 tons.
6.	Special Tariff, I. }
7.	” ” II. }	Ditto in 10 ton lots.
8.	” ” III. }

The system actually existing in Germany is a compromise. Previous to 1878 different systems existed in North and South Germany. The classification in use in the former was governed by the value of the goods; while that in force in the latter was framed with particular reference to their weight and measurement. In that year, however, an attempt was made to reconcile the two systems; the “Reform Tariff,” as it is called, was established on all the German railways. There was a concession to the Southern system; rates for goods in covered trucks in five or ten ton lots were adopted. The North system, on the other hand, was recognised by establishing the Special tariff classes, in which the relative value of the goods has been taken into consideration. The actual classification is therefore dual; it is a compromise between two totally different systems. Obviously it does not accord with the requirements which have been put forward by, or on behalf of, traders in this country.

In Belgium, also, there is practically no classification except for traffic in full truck loads. The tariff consists of—

Tariff No. 1		Articles of all descriptions
		up to 5 kilogrammes (11 lbs.)
		carried by passenger trains.
Tariff No. 2		Articles of all descriptions
		carried by ordinary passenger
		trains, but chiefly articles
		of all descriptions up to 200 Kg.
		(4 cwt.) carried by goods trains.
Tariff No. 3	— Class I.—	Goods of all descriptions from
		8 cwt. and upwards, conveyed
		by goods trains.
		{Certain goods specified in
	” II.—	{ the classification, in truck
	” III.—	{ loads of 5 tons.
	” IV.—	Certain goods specified in
		the classification in truck
		loads of 10 tons.

For Tariffs 1, 2, and Class I. of tariff No. 3, there is practically no classification. All goods up to the specified weights are included, without reference to their value or nature. Only in respect of the wagon-load classes of tariff No. 3 does any classification exist. In this classification, which applies to all the Belgian railways, about 639 articles are enumerated. It is assumed to be framed with reference to the value of the goods, the mode of transit, the amount of the company’s responsibility, and the circumstance of the goods being carried in open or covered trucks.

In Holland, the classification is very similar to that which exists in Germany. Goods are divided into two classes, i.e., “Stückgut” or “Piece” goods, to which belong all consignments less than 5 tons carried by goods train; and “Truck Load” goods, which includes goods in truck loads of 5 or 10 tons, or which pay as for those weights. The “Stückgut” class is subdivided into two classes, and the “Truck Load” class into four classes. The total number of articles enumerated in the classification is about 242. Although the bases of the tariffs charged for conveyance differ, the classification is practically the same on all the railways in Holland. The following is an example of the classification of goods on the Dutch Rhenish Railway. It will be seen that such articles as coffee, cheese, butter, in consignments of less than 5 tons, are included in the same class as coal, coke, gravel and raw iron; a feature not likely to be imitated by admirers of the “scientific classification” supposed to exist abroad.

	In Lots of
DESCRIPTION OF GOODS.	Less than 5 Tons.	5 Tons and above.	10 Tons and above.
Bark, asphalt pipes, petroleum, vinegar, clay
drain pipes, oils, paper, trees, butter,
fresh meat, coffee, spirits, cheese, hair,
dyeing earths, pencils, sugar, sumac	II.	A
Raw tobacco, pitch, lithographers’ stone,
cabbage and vegetables in bulk, herrings,
window glass, dye-woods, cotton yarn,
Glauber-salts, soda, cotton twist, wool, jute	II.	B
Raw asphalt, ashes, potato meal, beetroot,
seeds, sheet iron, iron pipes, iron wire,
lime, linseed, cake, lead, parts of machines,
pasteboard, corn and grain, raw sugar, iron	II.	C
Guano, grindstones in the rough, stone
troughs, coal tar, worked stones, sleepers,
spath millstone, fuel, marble in blocks	II.	D
Raw iron, cast iron, gravel, wood, coal,
limestone, pebbles, raw chalk, clay, manure,
coal, coke, turf, ore, tiles	II.	D	S R

This diversity of system and practice will give some idea of the difficulty experienced in framing a classification suitable to each country, or, indeed, to various portions of the same country. The difficulty will be still better understood by observing the different manner in which goods placed in the 2nd Class, under the Railway Clearing House Classification, are classified in other countries.