Evening star., 1898-12-16
Various Schemes Resorted To in the Scramble
for Custom.
Railway Line. Compete for Through
Freights-Work of Board of Trade
and Clearing House.

was in Washington lately, said:
Railway rates for the carriage of mer-
chandise in England are competitive. They
are also uniform. Such an apparent con-
tradiction of terms is really an accurate
description of the state of things in the
English railway world. y glance at cne
of the official railway maps of the United
Kingdom reveals n tangled mass OF hneai
complications, calculated to daze The un-
trained observer. One thing, however, Is
Gear To the mcst casual passing glance.
The network of lines, colored on the maps
iii different hues to represent the Fal.tus
systems. is spread over the whole OF the
country to an extent that, with the eXcep-
ton OF few patches in the east and north
east. demonstrates the absence &c any
monopoly of traffic by any one coniIany.
There are no less than four main trEnk
lines by which goods can be sent from i.ch-
don to all the chief Lancashire towns. and
presently there will be a fifth. I;acl of
these has its sub-nlain lines and branch
systems, radiating away in every direction,
and running over and under and 3lon;3stde
each other all over the kingdom.
The Chaotic State.
ITO detail the history of the traffic rates
question in this country would fill volumes.
There are blue books on the subject by the
score. But. speaking generally. things were
in a chaotic state until quite recently. Off
cial tables of rates were regularly pub
lished, which were never by any chance ad-
hered to. AS early as 1S,S an attempt was
made to classify goods for rating purposes.
This was done under five or six chief heads.
A prolonged era Of confusion and endless
pickering between consignors and con-
signees and carriers lasted until about the
year 1878, VIXEN parliamentary committees
began to be appointed on the question: In
strict accordance with precedent, these
committees effected nothing in particular
mi q hn
of trade reused itself to action. All the
great companies We're required to submit
complete scales of rates for the numerous
classes of merchandise. The board OF trade
djgcsted the matter for few odd years,
until finally, il January, 1893, a new ON
cial schedule of rates came into operation,
which represented the maximum beyono
which the companies were not allowed
to go.
However, while the board of trade had
been Illuminating. the companies had peen
regulating, with the result tnat the new
lists We're found in nearly every instance W
he higher than the maximum rates then
being charged by the companies Ihe con
sequence was they. were all abollSheu hNe
months afterwards This lame ana ihiIo-
tent conclusion somewhat dampened the
ardor of those busybcdes who had been
insisting that boards of trade knew much
better how to manage technlcal matters
than people who had heen useu 10 tiieii al
their lives tE -, IT,.
."Ehe outcome fe.the crisis was that the
present fairly workable arrangement was
Instituted by virtue Of which the com
Danies fixed the maximum rates pN pc
riodical conference. All traders or BODIES
of traders who have any substantial 3rieF-
ance TO veritilate have. the right OF appear
to the beard of appeal who VIII investigate
the matter and make any necessary repre-
sentations TO the companies respecting tnt
same. Any dispute involving important
technical matters may be referred py eitnel
partv to the railway cnmnssloherS. "ho
MI. md uyh IL
si0ns carry the weight OF a Judicldl ue-
..ThrOugh hooking"
..-rhe facilities for through booking Whicn
obtain on English railways, by virtue "t
which a consignor can in one deal pay the
charges for the conveyance of his goods
over two or more systems, is the ralsoh
d'etre for that gigantic institution, the
Railways Clearing House This important
esta bIishment is really the headquarters of
the English railway world, where the vari-
Gus companies secure an adjustment OF
their accounts with each other. 1t employs
7oa clerks and 800 more employees scatter
ed through the country. n every case
where the company conveys goods over any
part of its system which were originally con-
signed to another company the papers re-
lating to the matter are dealt with at the
clearing house and the proper amount OF
the total through rate apportoned to each
of them.
Thus the Midiand company may receive
a consignment of goods 10 the Newcastle
from London. They would convey them
possibly as far as Derby and then shunt
the truck containing them onto the Great
Northern company, who would convey them
perhaps as far as York There they might
be handed over to the Northeastern COM
pany. who would run them on to their des-
tination. Instead of the three companies
Settling with each other direct, the transac-
ton would be dealt with in the clearing
house. There the proper amount due to
ca ch of them would be decided and carried
to their respective credit accounts. subject
to certain charges on the two last named
for the use of the original company's truck.
The expense of maintaining this institution
is subscribed by the various companies in
proportion to the amount of business they
respectively pass through 1t.
And now word or two to the form
of competition between the various systems.
All rates being UNIFORM 1t follows there
can he no under-quoting of rivals prices.
But there are other ways by which the
large army of canvassers employed by each
company can Justify their existence. Very
interpStine not to say entertaining, are the
lodges to which the traffic manager will
resort in order to secure the patronage of
some important trader. OF course. he may
he able to offer superior advantages in the
way of close proximity, with consequent IA
cilities for more frequent service and later
collection, but this involves no specal call
upon his tact and genius. One way of al
tracing custom which is perhaps more
frequently resorted to than is any other
is the passing of goods classified by the
consignor under false head. 1t is not
meant to suggest that a goods manager
W ould allow boots to be classed as coal or
sugar as sand. But there are many writ
ten descriptions of merchandise not strictly
accurate and yet which cannot be called
hagrant!y fa'se VIII ch he firds it convenient
20 wink at For instance. finished wrought
iron shafts for driving mill gearing when
coated with some OPAQUE ruSt-Dreventing
composition. pass very well as painted bars
at a much lower rate In the same way a
box of hardwareIi comes less expensive
han a sewing machine in case while flu
ished gear wheels frequently degenerate
into iron castings 49,,
Another Method.
Again. a canvasserI may oblige trader
by offering to secure for him reducl on in
the rates some approaching large con-
signment of goods by special arrangement
with the other companies at the next con-
ference. BY so doing he secures the good
will of the customer and thus strengthens
his influence with HIM in the future A
frequent source of advantage over rivals.
but one which hasito BE handled with great
caution, is ready set cement OF claims for
compensation. for loss or damage in tran
cit IT off happeQS that n bip rnarchont