Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-24
ANOTHER VIEW OF oEmuRRAGE.

r. ANVIL HEn VIEW VI U6MUnnN06s
A gentleman from Wall Lake writes
the editor presenting another view of
the justice of demurrage charges which
should be read by every railroad mana
ger. He says:
Editor Times Republican: In your is
sue of the goth you have an able edi-
ltorial on "Demurrage Charges from the
railroad view point.
When empty cars are prom y re-
moved from sidings the merchais stlould
mot complain of an effort to secure
promptness In unloading; but when
DAYS at the same station where they
were unloaded. demurrage charge
locks like unearned rental. If you will
Investigate you will find that the state
rnent that the car question is serious
one" is but partial truth, and therefore
misleading. The shortage of motive
power" or of train crews" is more the
trouble than car shortage
Railroad officials want Ito make rec
ord" In their department, and so they
cut down the pay roll. The result is the
roads can not handle the rolling stock
lthey have. Trains are overloaded and
cars are set out before they reach their
destination. Empties can not be taken
promptly to where they are needed. and
the shipper and the merchant are there
by made to suffer loss.
This action Of the railroads calls for
demurrage charges to be paid by the
railroads to the merchant when cars are
Iunreasonably detained In transit.
What Justice is there In having car
ten days or two weeks on the road from
Chicago or Minneapolis to Iowa? The
only explanation of the matters is that
the car is detained on some side track
where 1t was set out from an overloaded
train; or 1t is detained at some division
point because there are not trains
enough sent out to move It,
Demurrage charges would be in order
lin, such cases. as we'll as with unreason-
able detention In unloading.
H. D. PECK.
Wall Lake, Iowa.
Mr.. Peck has scored one good point
when he wants the rule reversed so as
to impose penalty on the railroad for
delay in shipments. The railroad man
ager will reply that the habit of tying
up cars by the shipper so reduces his
available equipment of rolling stock
that his road can't move its business.
but when car of goods is once started
on its trip there is no one but the road
itself to blame for any delay In that
cars arriving on time.
All railroads are hard pressed for mo-
tive power in a busy season and 1t is
true that often empty cars are not
promptly moved, but it is also true that
economy in railroading demands that
| when crew and engine go north with a
loaded train provision must be made for
them to have load when. they come
south. The road can't afford to move
empties when there are loads ready for
shipment, and, as often happens, there
are plenty Of cars at the other end to
supply the demand If their loads could
be removed with any promptness. The
theory of the demurrage is that one
shipper on the north end ought to be
forced to release his car after reason
able time for the use of his neighbor
who has freight to go south. rather than
to force the railroad to move an empty
from the south end for the second man
while the first uses the car a week or
two for storage purposes. At some times
and on some roads empties must be
transferred from one end of the line to
the other. but if a slight demurrage