Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-01-25
DEMURRAeE BILL.
Reports OF Commissioner Lane and
Harlan on the Subject

Especially interesting in the face of
the agitation towards the enactment OF
a reciprocal car demurrage bill are the
reports of Commissioners Lane and
Harlan on this point Under the head
ing of Car shortage, insufficient trans
portation facilities etc. these men,
bers OF the Interstate commerce COM
mission are quoted as saying; THE
enactment of reciprocal demurrage
bill will not build railroad track, equip
ment, enlarge and simplify terminals
nor transform incompetent operating
officials into first class railroad men,
but 1t might stimulate, energize and in
some cases revolutionize the methods
of delinquent railroads so that they
would render the service which they
were created to render. This is the
theory of reciprocal demurrage. But
that of itself Ii VIII enable the railroads
to render adequate service is not dem
onstrated by experience" Reciprocal
demurrage and the reciprocal demur-
rage bill is aimed TO create happy So
luton Between skipper and the rail-
roads. A railroad charges demurrage
per diem of a shipper who holds car
after delivery date. The reciprocal de-
murrage bill is modelled after the Texas
car law which charges a railroad COM
pany s25 per day for car it fails to
deliver TO shipper
pertaining 10 demurrage arrangements
are paid careful attention In Utah be-
cause all western railroads are. to use
terse phrase, up against it, for
motive power and equipment with
which to handle their constantly in
creasing business.
Continuing, the quotations In tho
commission report says, Perhaps the
most serious congestion that exists at
In a In hn
day is TO be found In Galveston-in a
state suffering from car shortage, but
In which there is on the statute books
one OF the simplest reciprocal demur-
rage laws to be found In the United
States. In u statement by Hon. Q. B.
X. Colcuitt of the railroad commission
OF Texas IS found this pregnant pas
sage: I'VE have law in Texas which
provides that shippers may make stat
utory requistion for cars. depositing
one-fourth OF the freight charge from
point OF or origin of the freight to its
destination and when such requisition
Is made the car must be furnished
within a specified time or else the rail-
road company must pay to the party
making the requlsition demurrage at
the rate of S25 per day. This demur-
rage is reciprocal, and where the ship
per or conslgnee does not unload such
cars within IS hours after the same Is
delivered demurrage at the rate OF s25
per days runs against the consignee."
The Texas court of civil appeals has
held in suits brought by individual.
that under this law the railroad COM
panies cannot be compelled to furnish
cars Tor loading at points beyond the
lines Of the originating road and as
the railroads are acting accordingly
the movement of freight is no quicker
than II is generally throughout the
United States. Cars are tied up at
junction points with loads waiting to
be transferred or exchange OF empties
and thousands OF cars are lying still
beyond the lengt hof time movement to
destination and returned would have
consumed Western railroads have
their best men deyoting all energy and
skill towards evolving a plan Ia relieve
the present scarcity OF equipment, as
little relief Is promised by the steel and
rolling mills and foundrles whose or
ders are now months ahead OF their ut
most capacity. The railroads sp... they
want to be left alone with their trou-
hles, while western lawmakers seem
tempted to run railroads by statutes.