The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1881-07-30
The English Railway Clearing House,

Situated, near Euston Square in. Lon
don Is a vast establishment concerning
which there has hitherto. been, much, il
nSrSpce eyeisin' England itself. tits.
ae sRailwly Clearing House, and, its
purpose is the settlement of the innum !
cradle end GoM plicatAd cross accounts
between the railroads. Several hum.
bred clerks are engaged in this work.
which paaitfAyis a very laborious one,
but the routine of the establishment has
never Been ex planned until lately. Mr..
Hugh Carlisle, an Englishman resident
at Riga, has, however, been able to PEN
etra,e theI mysteries, of the Clearing
House, and has given an account of its
operation in pamphlet printed in Ger
man. His object is to urge the adop-
ton Of a similar system for the Russian
j I'd SEEDS; ihSt ithg Railway | Clearing
@He Val l4stsblishel lsS long ago as
4849,s when railroads were III their in
fancy and began with four clerks, who
took charge Of the accounts OF two COM
panies, that from London to Darlington,
and that,from Mahchestertto Hull. In
1876 the total. number of officials was
1900, and It had become a great cen
trail organization for all the railroads Of
the kingdom, of which there are now
about . lhiadied. 1t is pfesided over by
committee selected from the directors
of the vAtoas companies which meets
four times a year; and, besides, more Or
less frequent meetings are held Of gen.
! eyal managers, Of goods managers, OF
!. freight agents, as we should call them,
and; Of various other subordinate rail.
road officials. The Clearing House deals
not only with the accounts of the com
panies, but also with all questions which
may arise between them; and therefore
every branch of the railroad business i.
represented in it. '#'' ''4 q.
There are. departments for goods
traffic or freight, for passenger traffic
for running Of passenger and freight
calsl fot lot sttl4lss, land for measuring
and recording distances. The tota
sums brought into account in 1876 were
about 1872 500, 900, and the cash balance!
actually handed over were $l0,0N,OOO
The settlement. forms. made out in tn,
freight 'deps4 thiiaeht contained abou
five and half million items, and in thu
passenger department three and q hal
million. The number Of passenger ant
ffaght lar nil(s tot which. gh{r3esl Rt
Hsecdmpule4 1af about y4sS;9Od 90
: Ind NH lost bagkee department In
quired concerning $500, missing, Missing arti
cles. ~ 1 "'''f' II
Every station sends each month to tn,
freight department of the Clearing
House q report Of the goods despatched
from it and those received by it. Their
|.weight is given, together with the mum
bers of the cars in which they are load
ed, and the freight charges, in whicl
charges for loading are included. Tn
dekH4enk TIL ia 3ohrntes the report
Of goods despatched with those Of good
received, and II It finds any difference
ana :Niaaccqracy ststement'' is sent i
each station, with margins left for reply
II thA dth4pty isl NIT stiuA deireh p]
4 the dign4 }ntri}s, wlih arr lhddj ia
! bi9nns: ate consulted. When the Re
pq2k> tafe( fa fIf1ight re
III s%ls1i ssss - r asu fsss
at 80 much per TON spn theigross traffic
Each company receives monthly state
ment in which its proportion Of th
freight charges Is e3cfretb6 datet hihe
and clearly set 10Th VIA Il
In the passengef p2rtmekt b simtla
t. !aIths s ss. s'sssi
ing station, and they ore then compare
With thd aAtionIteper1 The business
somewhat complicated by the fact thu
} vsryoohpa1tas hound b issub 4 ticke
from any Of its stations to any other sts
don In 6el khgddm.a There are, /
course, many stations between which:
ticket issilot Applied for once . yea
The clerk fills ont q card in such q cas-.
aldtAsps snpiptd TICKETS .ysqpire sp.
cial looking after by the Clearing HOUSE
hnros,sA kk0I ~ &,kAj 80 yiiNtaoA xw;%h ~,