The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-07-29
THE DEMMURRAGE LAWS New Act of Congress Affects
 New England Present State Law UncOnStitu- tional-Uniformity Coming Through the Country-Gen- eral Results Beneficial

Boston, July. 29-It may interest readers in New England to know what is reported here as to the adop- tion of the national demurrage rules by the railroads. Some months ago a national convention of state railroad commissioners adopted code of rules governing charges to shippers and consignees for detention of cars. At that time there was doubt whether the interstate commerce commission had Jurisdiction over this matter; therefore, the commission then con- tented itself with recommending to alls the railroads of the country the adoption of these rules. The recent amendment of the interstate com merce act Gune 191O has so broadened the powers of the commission that there is no longer any doubt about their jurisdiction over this subject.
 An inquiry recently made of traf- fic and operating officials of the va rious New England railroads, reveals that it is their unanimous opinion that the New England railroads have got to fall into line with the rest of the country and adopt the national de- murrage rules. There has been some 'discussion about the effect of demur- rage statutes in Connecticut and Vermont, but it is reported that the different railroad companies interested have been severally advised by cOun- seI that these demurrage rules direct ly affect the use of inStrumentalities of interstate commerce, and that any state statute, conflicting with the na- tional demurrage rules approved by the interstate commerce commission, is necessarily unconstitutional as be- ing a regulation of interstate con- merce.
 Tn view of the practical certainty that the national demurrage rules will be soon in force in Connecticut, as we'll as in the rest of the country, it becomes important to those interested to know what these rules are.
 In the first place the free time for loading and unloading cars is fixed at AS hours, beginning at a. m. after the car is placed and the conSignee or shipper is notified.
 This is apparently reduction of the free time allowed in New England hand, as the 96 hours are now reck- oned from the time the cars is placed, the actual free time is in most cases at present much less than 96 hours. A postal card is mailed when the car is placed for unloading, announcing the fact to the conSignee, and he may not get this until some time has elapsed. Moreover, under the new rules, in the case of a car placed after a. m. on any day, the free times does not run until a. m. the next day, so that the actual free time may be consider ably more than AS hours.
 The national rules are also quite strict in their provisions to meet cer- tain complaints the existing rules.
 1. No charge can be made for de- tention of cars caused by bad weather
 If cars ordered so as to come at proper intervals are, by fault of the railroad company ''bunched" so that they cannot be promptly unloaded, no demurrage can be charged.
 The new rules will probably not practically affect most of those who have sidertracks of their own. Any one has a right to exact from the railroad an agreement that he shall havecredit for every car unloaded in one day, to offset an extra day taken for unloading another car. Very few owners of sidetracks use more than two full days on the average for load ing or unloading cars. While ship pers and consignees would probably prefer the existing demurrage rules to the national rules, they will also re- alize that the whole country, includ- ing New England will gain in prompt ness of service by having the national demurrage rules everywhere enforced. There iS less likelihood of the car shortages from which all business per- iodically suffers. There is also a less tendency to congestion of yards and sidings. which is perhaps the chief cause of delays in freight traffic.
 It is the feeling of the most thought full men here in Boston that whether they like the change or not, they have got to reconcile themselves to it. It is not possible for the New England railroads to stand out against the pressure brought to bear on them by the other railroads of the country, backed as it is, by the interstate commerce commission.