Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-13
|. C.. c, BILL OF LADINC GOES
Simple Form Accepted by Shippers
and Railroads Alike.
BECOMES EFFECT FIRST OF MONTH
Not All the shippers Desired, hut the
Best They Could Seeure, and
So Everybody is
Happy.

shippers and railroads alike will accept
and use. the simple form Of bill of lading
recommended by the Interstate Commerce
commission after November l, and II either
has any objections to its workings. they
will be filed in regular form, according to
F. ]. Mcvann, chairman Of the uniform
bill Of lading committee Of the National
Industrial Traffic league. who is home
after attending important committee meet
ings In st. Louis and Chicago.
In the words of William Hodgdon. freight
traffic manager OF the Pennsylvania lines
west OF Pittsburg, ut Is better to settle
any differences in an orderly manner than
to have a rough and tumble fight between
the draymen Of our shippers and our plat
form men,"
This expresses the sentiment Of Mr.. Nc
Vann. secretary Of the Omaha Grain ex-
change. who introduced the committee re-
port at the Chicago meeting and supported
the resolutions urging the shippers Of the
different organizations composing the traf-
fic- league. to accept gracefully the bill
Of lading recommended by the Interstate
Commerce commission and give It time to
work.
HOdEdOn f. Satisfied.
Mr.. Hodgdon was invited to go to the
ShiCdBO conference ana the outcome OF IHe
meeting was entirely satisfactory to him.
there being no fight whatever by the
league against the eastern roads, or roads
in the official classification territory. which
have accepted the bill recommended by the
Interstate Commerce commission. A re-
porter for a Chicago paper gave a report
which represented that the league was
lighting the new bill of lading and the
railroads In the eastern classification, the
story" afterward getting place in news
services, which has given shippers gem
orally a wrong impression OF the work
done by the National Industrial Traffic
league and implied that Mr.. Hodgdon was
thrown over the transom.''
According to Mr.. McVann, the Interstate
Commerce commission went over q large
number of proposed forms of bills of lad
ing and evolved from them one which the
commission recommended to shippers and
railroads. At the time the commission
published the forms the comment was
made, in the words of the commission:
ut is not claimed to be perfect and ex-
perience may develop the need Of further
notifications, but 1t represents the most
intelligent and exhaustive efforts of those
who undertook its preparation to agree
upon a bill Of lading which should be
reasonably satisfactory to the railroads
and the public. 1t is, of course, more or
less of a compromise between the oppos-
ing interests, because on the one hand 1t
imposes obligations OF an important char
acter which the carriers have not hereto
fore assumed, and on the other hand re-
tains exemptions to which some shippers
may object, and perhaps not with sub
~stantial reason"
shippers Agreed to Accept.
The railroads in the official classification,
including some southern lines which bit
terly opposed a uniform bill of lading,
accepted the new form and the league
was advised that the western roads
would accept 1t November /. Though some
members of the league found objections
at a meeting in st. Louis and wanted q
rough and tumble" fight against it, Mr.
McVann and President j. c. Lincoln Of the
National Industrial Traffic league had
urged the shippers to accept the bill the
same as some of the railroads had and
await developments. 1t was not all the
shippers wanted and some had objections
but they quite agreed with the interstate
Commerce commission that it was the best
adjustment which is now practicable of g
controversy of long standing which affects
the business interests of the entire coun.
try"
Both Mr.. Hodgdon of the Pennsy lvania
and the chairman of the bill of aiding com.
mittee of the league agreed that the Inter.
state Commerce commission
ton for a simple bill of lading was an i'm.
iprovement on present forms, and November
l shippers and railroads alike will begir
the use of the first uniform bill Of ladins
which is such an accomplishment that the
National Industrial Traffic league and
shippers all over the country feel the three
years controversy has not been for moth
ing.