The effect of these special rates is to secure the traffic to the Bavarian State and Hessian railways, and prevent its passing over the Prussian and Dutch railways. The Rheinisch Westfälischen private railways grant contract (Abonnements Special Train) tariffs for the conveyance of coal from the Ruhr district to Nederlandish stations in fixed consignments of at least 200 tons, and not exceeding 300 tons. The adoption of these rates has principally been prompted by the competition of the water service on the Rhine. They include haulage to the sidings or depôts; and they are granted only to traders who contract to send at least once a week for one year a consignment of from 200 to 300 tons to Nederlandish stations. Thus it will be seen that in Germany the carriage of traffic in large quantities is charged at special or reduced rates. A similar principle has been recognised in this country also. It was held by the Court of Common Pleas, in the case of Nicholson _v._ Gt. Western, that “Clause 31 of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 17 and 18 Vic., is not contravened by a railway company agreeing to carry at a lower rate, in consideration of a guarantee of large quantities and full loads at regular periods provided that the real object of the railway company be to obtain thereby a greater remunerative profit by the diminished cost of carriage, although the effect may be to exclude from the lower rate those persons who cannot give such a guarantee.” The effect of such a system, however, has been complained of by smaller traders as favouring the larger ones; and in this country, it is not in practice generally acted upon. The basis of through tariffs between Germany and other foreign countries is the normal mileage rate to the German frontier; but with the view of encouraging the export trades, reduced rates are charged in favour of international traffic. The Dutch are also desirous of developing their transit traffic; and with that object so called “exceptional rates,” based upon lower mileage rates than the ordinary tariffs, are charged from places of production in Germany to the Dutch ports. Thus, there are “exceptional rates” for, amongst other things, heavy iron and steel goods from manufacturing towns in Westphalia to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and they are as much as 37 per cent. lower than the ordinary rates. These German-Dutch rates are invariably lower than the ordinary rates to inland towns lying between the forwarding station and the port. The following are some of the exceptional rates in force, compared with the ordinary rates to inland towns for shorter distances:--