St. Landry democrat., 1884-08-16
SERIOUS CHARGES.
They Affect the New Orleans
Pacific Railroad
Seriously.
From the Dosoto tsfansfeld) Democrat, Aug
EXCESSIVE RAILROAD CHARGES.

EXCESSIVE RAILROAD CHARGES.
From the Desoto tafansfield) Democrat, Aug. /
The failure of all railroad legislation
during the late session of the Legisla-
ture, and the loud and repeated COM
plants OF OVer-charges on the part OF
shippers, as against the railroad, has in
| duced lis to look into this matter some
what, and we find that the custom of
oVer-charglng is 80 constant, repeated
and bare-faced, as to at once raise the
| presumption that it is systematic
scheme to swindle the public. Nearly
every merchant OF this place has, COM
planned, that but little attention Is paid
to their own tariff rates by this railroad,
and that it is q common occurrence for
them to pay enormous freight bills, III
which the error is so palpable that even
the railroad agent admits the fact when
he receives the money, but tells them
plainly that he had no authority to cor
rect the same, and so they have to pay
the Oyer-charge or do without the goods
until the freight bill can be sent to
headquarters, and after going through a
a long course Of Red Tape, come back
corrected. There is, perhaps, not sin
gle merchant in this place, or even Gu
the line of the New Orleans Pacific
Road, but has suffered from this gross
injustice, to call it by no other name.
However, to give our people an idea Of
the outrageous manner in which such
things are practiced we will give one
longer ago than last week. A merchant
of this place had nineteen barrels of
molasses shipped from Morgan City.
The shipper agreed to deliver the mo-
lasses in Mansfield at stipulated price
per barrel. When he shipped the goods
he notified the merchant to pay the
freight bill, deduct the same from the
purchase price, and remit the balance.
The goods come promptly to hand, and
after the merchant had paid the freight
he found that it exceeded the purchase
price of the nineteen barrels of mOlasses
by ST. 80. Thus the shipper lost his,
molasses, and found himself indebted.
to the purchaser to the amount of this
excess of the freight over the purchase
price. Of course this is an unusual
case, but to find over charges that are
admitted to be such, and the agent will
not correct, is q thing SO common as to
have been experienced by every mer-
chant that has ever done business with
this road.
This state of affairs is outrageous, and
as the peoples representatives bave
failed to give tnem relief, something
should be done in the premises, and as
long as our judges don't ride on free.
passes, we believe the remedy cant be
had in the courts. If a merchant ships
a lot of goods to this depot, and the
charges are erroneous, and so admitted
by the agent, we bell there is some
process of law that will compel them. to
deliver the goods upon the payment OF
the proper amount. There is no law to
Justify the railroad in forcing a person
to pay more freight than is due, and if
some merchant has the backbone to test
this matter, they will find such to be
the case. If the railroad should be fore
ed to pay q few cost bills every time
such errors occurred, it would not be
long before the agent would be antiioF-
i1ed to promptly correct all errors that
are paiable on their face. 1t is AN out
rage upon the people, that the recent
bill offered by Senator Vance, was de-
feated by the Legislature, but we be-
iieve they can find some relief by an
appeal to the courts. Let some one try
It on.
We have always been favorable TO a
liberal railroad policy on the part of the
State government, but we don't believe
in any such high handed robbery, as is
now being praeticed by the New Orleans
Pacific Railroad.