East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-12-02
SMALL SHIPPER
IS CHAMP|ONED
NEW DEMURRAGE RULES
PREVENT DISCRIMINATION
200 900 Miles of Railroad Accept New
road Commission-Big Corporations
Have Been Violating Demurrage
Rules

Washington, Dec. 2.-Yesterday
uniform set of demurrage rules, which
will do more to prevent discrimina-
tion between shippers and to give the
small man a chance, than any ether
act since the passage of the anti-re-
bate law, was put into effect
on more than two hundred thou
sand miles of railroad in the
United States. The adoption of the
rules, which, by agreement among
the railroads and states railroad
commissions will be made uniform
all over the United States. is the first
real piece of constructive regulation
of railroads ever done by the inter-
state commerce commission, and the
credit Of the accomplishment is due
largely to Commissioner Franklin X.
Lane of California. whom President
Roosevelt once described as the best
man on the interstate commerce
commission"
The rules were adopted at Wash
ington recently by the National As
sociation of Railway commissions,
composed of the federal and state
idAlN dN NtllllllSSlOllS anu WHICH Is
purely an advisory body, having no
existence under the law. They were
threshed out by committee which
worked for a year. holding meetings
in various large commercial centers
to which both shippers and railroad
men were invited. Commissioner
Lane was chairman of the committee.
After the adoption of the demur-
rage code by the association, the traf-
fic managers of the biggest railroads
in the country recommended their
adoption by the roads and they will
go into effect at once.
Big Shippers Violate Rules.
In the course of its Investigations
the committee unearthed an astound-
ing condition of affairs. 1t found
that big shipping interests had sub
stituted violation of demurrage rules
for the old habit of demanding re-
bates and that by refusing to pay de-
murrage charges. they maintained a
supremacy over other shippers who
were forced to return cars on time
or pay the consequences. THE "pri-
yate car" was being used. the COM
mittee found. practically to eliminate
smaller shippers, because no railroad
could exact defRurrage charges from
shippers who owned their own cars.
In the old days, the steel interests
of Pittsburg had been able to amass
millions of dollars annually by ex-
acting rebates from the railroars on
pain Of diverting their traffic or
building their own line. The COM
mittee found that the steel barons OF
today had varied the program slightly
by refusing to return empty cars on
time or to pay any charge for keep
ing them overtime In one case a
steel foundry diverted its traffic
amounting TO se.eral hundred thou
sands of dollars year to another
line, because a railroad insisted on
collecting a demurrage charge OF
$3.50 The common practice was fol
the railroads to charge this up t.
weather and punching of ears" rath
er than risk losing the traffic of th'
big fellows.
The Rules Adopted.
This has all been swept away b.
the new code. which provides briefly
% All private cars in railroad serv
ice are to be subject to demurrag
rules (2) Forty-eight hours FIRE
time will be allowed for loading o
unloading all commodities. but on
day extra will be allowed when car
are held for re-consignment. switch
ing orders or inspection. CD Indus
tries owning their own tracks an
switching engines will not be allowe
any extra time. (4 At the expira
tion of free time charge of 81
day or fraction will be exacted. g
No railroad can refund demurrag
charges unless weather conditions ar
such that the freight will be damage
by loading or unloading or unless
is impossible for the shipper to &c
to the car. co Shippers can averag
their demurrage charges at the end {
each calendar month by receivin
credit for the cars they have loade
or unloaded before the expiration {
the free time.
Use Cars for Warehouses.
Among the most flagrant abuse
that the committee remedies by II
new code are those Of shippers usin
cars for warehouses while waiting f.
a rise in prices under the guise