The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-30
Reciprocal Demu1rage Problem.

A live question Of the day is that
of reciprocal demurrage It looks sim.
pie in any rough statement OF it. The
railroads are not giving the people the
service they should receive. Under
their arbitrary, rules penalties attach
to delays IN prompt return ef@equip-.
ment, and the receiver who falls to;
unload within the time limit fixed pays.
the railroad for every car thus re-
tanned for every day that passes But
the shipper or receiver, when he wants
service from the roads, has no; ,assur-.
ance Of getting it. Put to great In
convenience and sometimes suffering
heavy financial loss from their failure
to meet his legitimate, requirements, he
naturally chafes under penalties. put:
upon him, feels that it is a poor rule
that will not work both ways, and so is
for demurrage in reciprocal operation.
To devise rule that will operate
successfully is not 50 simple as it may
look. Merely to penalize a road for
failure to deliver empty cars at des-
ignated point within a certain time
after requisition is made would not
eliminate the present bad features.
There must needs be a time limit for
cars in transit and a penalty for cars
failing to make, on the average, fixed
number Of miles a day; or the law
might combine both features. The diff
Guilty. of, following cars from end to-
end of a journey, of accounting for
delays and fixing responsibility, would
necessitate great labor in. bookkeep-
ing and accounting. There is active
railroad objection on that ground -,
The idea occurs that reciprocal act
might enable shippers to connive with
railroad officials for indirect rebating,
or, a shipper knowing the inability Of
a road to meet certain demand at
certain times might make a requisition
beyond actual needs, profit by penal
ties collected, and thus defeat the in-
tent and purpose of the rule. 1t is not
to be assumed that this would be done,
but it. is. a possibility that must be
given some consideration. =. H.. =.
Other things enter into it that make
it a complicated matter, but it would
seem that the greatest stumbling block.
in the way Of anything too severe is
the right Of the roads in their prop
critics. The supreme court Of the United
States has decided that railroad need
not allow its equipment to leave its
own rails. The roads do, not avail them.
selves Of this except upon occasions.
Probably it is to their own interest not
| to do SO. But they could do it.
Take the Illinois Central. It has
$4,000 Of the ordinary freight cars.
The actual tonnage, could be handled
with $4,000. It carries a surplus to
provide for requirements at crop
moving time, but also because it is an
originating road. Heavy tonnage orig
mates along its lines for points far
removed. A shipper in Mississippi may
load a car for Boston. The Illinois:
scarcely gets within a thousand miles.
Of destination. It turns the car over
to another line at the connecting point.
and loses sight Of it for an indefinite
period. The per diem charge is rec
ompense in part, but the fixing Of re-
sponsibihty and the payment for
reciprocal demurrage for delays ii.
transit would necessitate some close
work, yet without transit penalty OF