Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-10-20

LEHIGH VALLEY QUITS
DEMURRAGE BUREAU

The Lehigh Valley announces lts
witbdraway from the Car Demur-
raea Bureaus in its territory. ana
will handle demurrage anairs
through its W organization AFTER
November list. By this new ar
rangement the company Will De De.-
ter able to prevent the delay Incl,
lent to the holding Of cars, n VIII
expedite traffic In such a manner as
to benefit the railroad, the shippers
and the public in general.
The same action has been taken
by other roads.
The institution known as the Car
DemuTrage Bureau was formed
some twenty years ago. The prln-
cipal object was to minimize the de-
tention Of cars by shippers n con-
signees as well al to Insure equal
treatment of shippers by all the COM
panies. The bureaus function has
been to keep track Of the cars placed
for loading and unloading and held
beyond the allotted time, to hasten
the release OF these cars, and to de-
termine upon the amount due to the
railroads In the form Of demurrage
CudfRtS lot@ uhhCSCoodiy
The present uniformity in demur-
rage rules, according to a code sane
toned by the Interstate Commerce
Commission, has made the joint bu-
reaus unnecessary. Every railroad
company is required by law to pub
lish the rules in force on its lines,
and to live up to these rules. 1t
would be against the interest Of the
railroads to practice evasion, and
there has been evident, on their
part, no disposition to do so.
Furthermore, in the last few
years shippers and consignees have
come to recognize the benefits OF a
practice that compels the prompt
loading and unloading OF cars. The
time saved is as valuable to them as
to the railroads. They have learned
that, as a result Of the rules against
the detention of cars, they get more
efficient service from their employees,
and. in the long run, experience
much less loss through delays grow
ing out of car shortage.
1t has come to be the accepted
opinion among most railroad men
that Car Demurrage Bureaus consti-
tute a needless expense. In the ter
ritory of each of the large railroads
there are several Of these bureaus,
each one covering a certain geo.
graphical section and serving the
Grads operating therein. All the
roads served contribute to the ex-
pense of conducting the bureau in
each section.
For example, in the territory OF
the Lehigh Valley railroad are the
New York and New Jersey, the
Philadelphia, the Northeastern
Pennsylvania, the Central New
York, and the Western New York
remurrage bureaus. Every one OF
these creates an administrative ex-
pense for the company. Under the
new plan the work will be perform
ed by the company and concentrated
at one point. Here will be received
the reports from all ove the system
and complete information relative tt
the whereabouts Of undoaded cars
will be accessible to the officers o
/ the company at all times. The re
suit will be at once less expensive
and greater efficiency.
1t has been proposed that some
sort of action be taken by railroads
concerned, at competing points, t.
have joint inspection and joint re
ports upon delays to cars. Such al
arrangement, Ii 1t is adopted, vii
entail no such elaborate mschiner.
as that of the present Car Demur
rage Bureau, and will not interior,
with each company's rapid solution
of it's own demurrage difficulties.