The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-10-15
After Winning From Rail
roads on Shippers-Bill
They Go Still Further.
TAKE UP CAR SHORTAGE DEALS
Now Advertising for Man With a
Complaint Against Railroads
Along That Line.

Indianapolis, Oct. 15.-When the last
general assembly enacted into law the
so-calIed shippers's bill designed to
eliminate existing railroad evils, the
Indiana Manufacturers and Shippers
association, which had been organized
by the leading manufacturers and ship
pers of the state to boost the bill
thought that it had fulfilled its mission
The reforms brought about by the bill
had been prayed for by shippers for
years. The passage OF the bin was a
realization of their fondest hopes and
dreams.
There were a few members, however,
who urged that the association remain
intact and keep alive the fight which
had been so successfully waged. These
members anticipated that other re-
forms would sooner or later be desired
On their advice the association decided
to keep up it's aggressiveness.
For a time following the adjourn
ment of the legislature the association
was inactive Some thought that 1t
had died Others asserted that 1t was
only sleeping and that an awakening
would come. Their predictions have
proven correct. The awakening is here
The association is once more CARRIED
in it's lighting toys. Future ARRAYS
with the old enemy-the railroads
may be expected at any time.
Sudden signs of life were shown last
week by the association when Its of
ficers appeared before the railroad COM
mission at Terre Haute to remind the
commissioners that they had the power
in times of car shortage to promulgate
rules regulating car distribution. This
was timely inasmuch as the Calora
Coal company had complained that 1t
was being Disseminated against, that
1t could not get cars in which to get
coal, while other companies, notably
those controlled by John Walsh, the
railroad magnate. had "empties" on the
sidetracks all the time waiting for use.
The officers of the shippers association
were interested in the case inasmuch
as Indiana manufacturers were ex-
periencing difficulty in obtaining In
diana coal for which they had con-
tracted. They insisted that the rail-
road commission had sufficient power
under the shippers bill to correct con-
ditions.
Following the Terre Haute hearing,
the association, through its officers. an
nounced that it was about TO petition
the railroad commission for a change
in the car service rules that would es-
tablish a debit-and credit system of
charging demurrage. Under the pres
ent rule. shippers are charged if they
hold a car longer than the forty eight,
hours designated as free time" but
they go unrewarded If a car is returned
under forty eight hours. The proposed
change would place upon promptness a
premium equal to the fine now imposed
for delay. Debts and credits would be
taken day by day. Such a system
settled once a month. Such a system
would be as near reciprocal demurrage
as shippers may now hope to expect.
IT has been tried with success in many
states and has tended to do away with
car shortages in times of heavy traffic
inasmuch as every shipper makes haste
to load and unload promptly that he
may gain the premium offered him for
haste.
Just now the association Is casting
about for a member with a grievance
not an ordinary grievance but one due
to inconvenience and annoyance suf-
fered by him because of delay on inter
state shipments. Complaints have been
numerous and the railroads have not
exerted themselves in Graduating the
evils complained of. The railroad COM
mission can do nothing in such cases
as the traffic is interstate.
Time and again the shippers have
been met by the retort from the rail-
roads that If they have suffered the
only thing for them to do is to seek
redress in the courts. This answer has
been sufficient in the past as the av-
erage shipper would hesitate a long
time before pushing his complaint in a
legal way. But the association IS now
prepared to back up complaining ship
pers. 1t will institute suits and carry
them through. Just now 1t is adver-
Using for man with a just complaint
The October bulletin issued by the as
ISOLATION asks that specific instances
OF delay be furnished. The best of
these viii then be selected by the as
sociation's attorneys and suits based on
them. The association feels that 1t
would benefit by healthy fight. 1t is
seeking trouble.