The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-14
The Uniform Bill of Lading.

The variety of forms and conditions of
bills of lading issued by the railways and
water lines in various parts of the country
has long been about as vexatious to ship
pers as well as carriers as the various
forms of freight classification. Uniformity
in the bills of lading is admitted by ship
pers as well as carriers to be extremely de-
sirable, and to secure this the railways in
the Trcnk Line and Central Traffic essoci-
ations and the representatives of the com
bined rail and water lines finally evolved
form adaptable to all parts of the country
which they believe to be just and advan-
tageous to the shippers as well as the car
riers. The new form, however, says the
RoiIisdg Age, undertakes to guard against
misrepresentation and disagreement in
regard to the actual liability
of carriers under the common
law by specifically stating numerous cases
in which the carriers are not to be held
liable for loss or damage unless the shippers
previously agree to pay higher rate for
the insurance which is thereby included in
the carriage. These various exceptions to
liability have met with much objection on
the part of shippers, and it must be ad-
mitted that they have the appearance of
being one-sided and intended to diminish
the responsibility of carriers very greatly.
1t is argued, however, in behalf OF the car
riers, that their common law liability
is not diminished by the various exemp-
tions indicated, and that they should not
be obliged TO assume additional liabilI-
ties without increased compensation
Their attitude is thus stated in
communication by Chairman Blanchard:
''We stand ready to transport your prop
erty subject to our common law liability
so called, at just and reasonable rates. or
we will transport at reduced rates on just
and reasonable conditions stated in our bill
of ladiDg"
The feature of the new bill 70 which
greatest objection is made by the shippers
was the proposed addition of the words
mon negotiable but the railways have
already agreed to modify this, in conform
ity to the suggestions of bankers and
others, SO that the bill is really made nego-
table where SO desired. Some shippers,
however. still object to this. The oppesi-
ticn to the bill as Whole has been strongly
Indicated by several meetings of delegates
from various commercial bodies through
out the country held in Chicago, and after
considerable correspondence the confer
ence between these representatives of the
shippers aad the railway representatives
the opposition still continues. T re COM
mercIal bodies have formulated an amended
bill IF lading ana now await the action of
the railways in regard to it. Meantime
two of the lines from Chicago eastward are
securing much business by refusing to
adopt the new bill of lading, and some of
the shippers and newspapers are calling
for sboycott' upon the other lines The
disagreement between the carriers and
shippers on this subject is very unfor
tunate and ought to be speedily adjusted
1t would seem to afford an excellent case
for the intervention of the interstate com
meree commission, and to this the difficulty
will probably lead.