The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-23
Tra fife Mem for Jobber
Has New and Hard Work.
Harry Oven
Henry Oven.

y TNHE term " INC Tlanusel5 ~ ' q =
plicable 10 great wholesale house N
II Chicago will be newt many readers :,
but when 1t is considered that one Q t
these great houses may handle SoOo
tons OF freight in and out every SIX
DAYS. It will be appreciated that the
X traffic managers Of many railroads nave
Nrood big cities on their lines which do not
"A originate half the business In the same
length OF time. Ii
So important has become the position OF
trnf1ic manager to the big jobbing house that
the traffic manager Of the railroad FREQUENT
#lv d hired away from his flrstwork and given
the more difficult and complicated place N
the traffic departments Of the wholesale estaD
llshme 1t. u q X SS ~ 5i$8 IS III
Department Result Of Evolution.
The dc pa rtmentis an, evolution Of the busl-
ness world. Competition has had more tha an
4 q full share in It. Inthis respect not only
the com petition OF the houses that puy ana
sell have figured but the ailroads that loao
and carry have allowed their Il ght Tor pusl--
ness to enter until the traffic manager Of the
hip wholesale house In Chicago virtuallyis
standing between the interests OF his own
house and the legislative functions Of more
a than 100 railway traffic organizations In all
parts OF the United States. Frequently the
Jurisdiction Of one Organization overlaps
the territory Of another, and In all the myriad
Z classlflcations, and rates, and rules mat
4 or einate in each OF these organizations the
traffic manager Of the wholesale house finds
situation quite as disturbing to his equa-
nImity as If a third house Of congress at
washington were legslating every day TO
the und ding of things as they had existed the
day before.
Cherries Show Nature OF Work.
Not long ago Chicago johbing house
shipped carload Of preserves to q southern
city. The car was routed through, loaded %
its capacity, and took the rate OF q full car
in the -. preserves classification-ar RI 70 that
is quite high enough when It is compared Win
the rates on some OF the cheaper goods.
Soon afterward there was q how from me
conslgnee at the south. Fie wrote not letter
ia the manager OF traffic In the Chicago
house, inclosing a heavy bill for extra freight
charges and demanding that the Chicago
house refund, as the prices quoted had been
free of freight charges. The Chicago house
set about discovering the wherefore OF the
ira freight, and received q note from the
traffic department of the southern railroad
which cleared away the mists OF everything
but the modus opcrandl Of tho classification
bureaus Of the railroads:
E 4" Concerning the extra charges on the car
in question:" read the explanatory para
graph, eve would remind you that at the last
classification affecting this territory Maras-
chino cherries were put In class 4, instead OF
class 8, where they had been before, In this
classification they take the same classltica-
ton MS bltters, not that they. are ana gous.
but for the reason that they are used IN So
looms to a great extent-perhapsi more so
than are bitters
These cherries had trarersed two or three
territorial traffic boundaries. only to be held
up / 200 miles away, unloaded IN part, re-
classified, and carried to their destination
with nearly $50 extra charges tackled on, OF
which the traffic department of the shipping
house had no possible inkling All LOT which
is an example showing how the traffic man
ager OF the jobbing house got his JOB and
may Ike ep 1t for a long time to come. M 48 Il
What Traffic Manager Does,
The position Of this ira file manager Is
especially trying, His department, IN It's
dealings With the carriers Sof the country, *
must concern itself With not only the out
going frelghts, but with the incoming goods
from The factories, For the safe. timely
and economical 7seelpt Of goods hy the
house, no less than for the same vrtuous
to patrons Of the business, the
traffic manager Is held responsible,
And here is iie'r5pportunlty for him to
take on the powers of omnipotence, II II were
as poss ble as It appears to him desirable,
For Instance the days are not few on the
calendar when he comes down to his work
10 find a protest from the house on his
desk asking why he ordered car OF stuff
over a certain line OF railroad where he
might have known It would stick IN a snow
drift and suggesting that he get the car In *
about four hours ahead OF the limited and
the fast mail And tho days are quite as y
plentiful when the sales department Is sur
prsed that two cars OF goods went Into n
washout In Nebraska when Kansas route
might have appealed to the traflic manager 4
as much the safer carrier!
Perhaps more troublesome Irritation comes
--S