Arizona republican., 1907-01-19
PHoENIx, ARIz, JANUARY 19. 1907
THE REVIVAL OF THE REBATE.


 There is not even a remote possibil- ity that congress will amend the pres ent railroad regulation law by a re- ciprocaI demurrage provision such as the dispatches of yesterday stated. the president had decided to suggest in a special message. on the recommends ton of the interstate commerce com mission In the first place, this would be a useless effort to accomplish the impossible. by legislation. The object of such an enactment, or We mean the intended object. would be to relieve the car shortage situation. but as We have already pointed out. the only legislation which could possibly reach that evil would be in an act to compel the car manufacturers and locomotive builders to enlarge their facilities and work faster.
 We have also already shown that the legislation of the last session on the subject of railroad regulation con tributed to the car shortage somewhat by the abolition of the demurrage sys- tenn. under which cOnsignees made due haste in unloading cars. as delay be- yond a specified time meant the impo sition of a fine. But now consignees take their time to unloading regardless of the clamor of the railroads and other impatient shippers for empty cars.
 The shippers themselves quickly realized the evil whdich followed the wiping out of the demurrage system. though it had been urged by them and was accomplished in their supposed interest Hence the organization of the National Reciprocal Demurrage| association. which advocated a system by which consignees could be fined for retaining cars too long and the railroads could be fined for not fur nishing cars on due notice.
 The words reciprocal and reel procity'' always sound sweet and fair and on the face of it such a reciprocal arrangement as the president will rec ommend seems fair. We must. though. take into consideration that when 2 consignee fails to unload cars within a reasonable time it is because he does not want to do so. Without the fine he has no special incentive to bestir him self But when a railroad fails to furnish cars it is because it is physi- 1 cally impossible to do so. It would l always be to its advantage to do so.
 The enactment of such legislation as it is said the president will advise | would make possible the revival of the abuses at which all railroad legis- | lation has been chiefly misunderstanding | There would then be relating under i the indirect sanction of the amended | law.
 For instance. a heavy shipper de- i sirous of making a favorable arrange | ment with the railroads would give ] notice that he would want a large | number of cars at a specified time. though actually a smaller number would serve his purpose; still he could apparently make use of the larger number. The railroad would be un- able to furnish this number. or would not furnish so many. but under the law would pay the favored shipper demur- rage The money under that name would be quite as acceptable to him as it was under the old and hateful name of rebates" Though the railroads might not willingly enter into such an arrangement they would certainly be forced into it just as they were forced into relating.
 The small shipper without the con- sent of the railroads could not be bene- fitted by this system for it would be unsafe for him to order more cars than he could use, with the expectation of collecting demurrage, for he would probably get his order filled.
 If this reciprocal demurrage idea had not the approval of the interstate commerce commission and the presi- dent We would imagine that it had originated among those who have grown rich from rebates. They and those who desire a recurrence of re- batting could think of no plan more in geniously framed for their benefit.
 As We understand it. the National