In practice, however, the maximum tolls were rarely charged, and a great deal was left in the discretion of the railway companies—moreover, it is impossible for an Act of Parliament to fix the precise charge to be made for each particular commodity which may be conveyed over a railway, and, as a matter of fact, the articles specified in the Acts were comparatively few in number, the remainder being summed up in the comprehensive phrase, "other articles, matters, and things." In fixing its rates, therefore, a railway company had to classify these " articles, matters, and things," as nearly as might be with relation to the commodities which were actually specified in the Act. This necessity was met by the companies meeting in conference at the Railway Clearing-house, and drawing up a comprehensive list of the articles usually carried on railways, classifying them under eight different heads, according to their weight, bulk, value, and destructibility, in what is called the "Clearing-house Classification;" for instance: minerals, sand, and such matters, would be in the lowest class, while fresh fruit and fish, furniture, china, and other valuable or fragile articles would be in the highest. Each company then fixed its rates between each pair of stations for each class of goods in the classification, having due regard to its maximum powers; but in addition to these "class rates," there were always a number of special rates for particular descriptions of goods.
But the old order of things has been totally changed since the passing of an Act in the last session of Parliament, entitled "The Railway and Canal Traffic Act of 1888," the provisions of which will be more particularly described in the succeeding chapter. The general effect of it, however, has been to place upon the railway
