New-York tribune., 1906-12-16
NOT SATISFACTORY.

This arrangement did not prove satisfactory,
however. as many of the roads would forget to
report mileage on the foreign cars on their lines
and thus cars got lost" by the original
efs Car tracers would chase them all over the
country. from road to another. or travelling
without any clew pick them up wherever they
could find them and start them back toward
the original owners. This would not however
prevent the agent at the first stop the empty
made from loading it up again and starting II
or IN different direction. So it went from bad
TO worse till. in self-defence. the railroads had
to take hold of the question and formulate
some plan by which the difficulties they were en-
Couniering could be overcome The roads with
me largest equipment necessarily suffered the
most Tor their cars We're the most widely
scattered, while the roads with a small eoup-
nlell were The greatest benefciares of the con-
1uslon and managed to do their business for the
nus PdtL on borrowed equipment which did
hot cost them anything If they did not choose 10
~ II OF car uacers did not come upon it.
IN consequence of the confusion that had
sIoNn out or the mileage system, the executive
'ihCidls OF the roads Of the country got together
again on the question and agreed 70 a ner diem
cIdIse oil :" cents a car. no matter what its
.iiIdIdcIef' that was used by road other than
oie owner II car coming from New York
Tor instance over the Pennsylvania system was
delivered to the Alton, at Chicago to be taken
10 ITS destination on the latter road the Alton
Hdu d certain time in which to deliver the car
ana return il TO the PENNSYLVANIA These time
allowances We're necessarily regulated according
10 lne destination of a car. If at the expiration
., 0 me ume the car was not returned TO the
PehnsyIvania, the Alton became subject to A
charge of - cents a day for such time aS rho
car renamed on its lines. whether in use or not
ms charge runs up 10 thirty days, and after
Jlat the roads agreed among themselves that
any road retaining the car of another road would
De penaIiZed at the rate of 81 a day for the use
or retention or the AS a result of this svs-
TEN the redistribution of cars to the owning
lines after they have been sent to their destina-
tons on other lines has been greatly accelerated
Freight officials that would hermit per diem,
charges 10 accumulate against their road unless
they could show all their own eduipment en-
ployed ana the foreign earning a good sun,
over and above the per diem charge were called
INTO court and when ii was seen that ii was
intended TO enforce the system regarding
freight all hands quickly got together and
foreign cars We're returned to the nearest tunc-
ton poi Int Of the road owning them that could
be reached.
II they could be sent ont loaded so much the
holding the cars in the hope of eventually
getting a load If the foreign car could he used
TO good advantage on the road in whose posseS-
sion II happened to be for the time being there
was no great concern about the per diem charge
up 10 the end of thirty days, but if the car was
detained after that period. a more than good
cause had TO be shown TO offset the dollar a dav
penalty that was then eXacted. When the pen
atty period came around the officials of the road
becoming liable made IL their business to get the
car on their lines, If they could not get it
back TO the original For If II went on
another line then that road became responsible.
| not at the dollar penalty, but again at the per
diem rate, until the second road had retained II
thirty days In this way a road might have a
car out several months and never receive more
| than the per diem charge for il, owing TO the
| fact that II would go TO different roads before
| the penalty period came around on any one OF