The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-02-02
COMMISSION HELPS
TO ADJUST CLAIMS
ANY One Who Has Just Debt
Against a Carrier Can Write
to Washington.
PRESENT PRACTICE OF
RAILROADS CONDEMNED
Unless Officials Speedily Make
Radical Changes, Matter
Will Go to Congress-.

| If any citizen of Salt Lake. Of Utah.
Idaho or anywhere else where these
words arc read, finds that any railroad
is duly delaying settlement OF his Just
claims against the road for injured or
delayed baggage and especially freight,
If this shipper Will clip thc opinion Of
the interstate commerce commission
published below. show it TO the claim
agent Of the railroad and AT the same
| time write a concise but full and def
| mite account of the matter, taking care
TO include all figures. facts and dates,
! 10 the interstate commerce commission
itself at Washington, d. c.. and inform
the claim agent OF what he has done
then tho shipper Will probably find
| prompt and satisfactory attention than
under the present long drawn out sys-
ten of neglcctinC or deliberately dodg-
| ing legitimate claims.
The delay AMI lodging on the part of
the railroads, part of which is cold
| bloodedlv Intentional and part of which
| is due 10 cumbersome business methods
IN the antique claim department, has
| suggested 30 many that the matter of
settling claims should be taken out of
the hands Of the railroads entirely and
should he handled by some third party,
probably under the control of the state
or interstate commerce commission
When a traveller OF a shipper has Il
claim be il inst or unjust. against
the railroad then and there the railroad
becomes the defendant, and by all rules
of justice and law should not be al
lowed to act as Judge and jury In its
own case,
Both Defendant and Judge.
A disintcreSted central claim bureau,
created and maintained by law with
proper officials who could promptly IN
spcct damaged property and pay for
| the same. latcr collecting from the
railroad, would 20 far toward cducat-
ing the public that unjust claims could
not he blackmailed out of tho rail.
roads and educating the railroads that
they could not deliberately dodge lust,
though small claims from otherwise
helpless individuals.
\ man on a stopover ticket IN Chi
cago. who lives in New York and is
going 10 Los Angeles cannot well afford
10 60 TO law over damaged trunk or
Il lost dress suit case. With q well
organized disni crested claim bureau
that has IT'S representatives. always al
| the passenger and freight stations the
.
utcs with moro fairness than under the
present unsatisfactory system whore the
railroad is both defendant aud Judge.
Concerning the present conditions in
regard 10 claims the interstate commerce g
commission. in the case Of Tyson 4
| Jones Buggy company Ns. Aberdeen a
AshhoTo Railway company ot al (No
( 27S5l decided December :. 1909, SAYS;
! without entering into the details Of
this complaint il viii suffice TO say
that. as presented on the plcadipgs. IL
/ involves a small ovcrchar9c upon a ship
ment Of iron wagon aXlcs made by the
complainant, in November, 1907. from
! Wilkes Barre, in the state Of Pcnusyi-
vania, 10 Carthage, in the state Of North
! Carolina. The overcharge resulted fiom
! the inadvcrtcnt collection NJ dcstina-
lion of the fourth class instead of the
fifth class ratc, as required under the
! published tariffs Of the defendants for
portion of the haul.
''Jhc complainant. being advised Of
The fact that the fifth class rate was
! the legal rate, made demand upon the
| Aberdeen 4 Ashboro Railway company,
! the delivering carrier and principal de
/ fendant tor q refund Of the ovcrchargc.
| That company. although il had collect
! cd the charges on the Shipment. ap-
Ipnrcntly declined TO investigate the mat.
ter at all. and contcnted itself with
! referring the complainant TO the scv-
eral carriers back along the route Of
the movement 10 the point of origin.
Appeals to Commission.
"'After a rather extensive but fruitlcss
correspondence in relation 10 the matter
the complainant called it informally 10
the attention of the commission, No
result followed from our efforts TO get
the serious attention of The principal
defendant TO the complainant S claim.
Finally this formal COMPLAINT was filed.
Promptly after copies of the com
plaint had been served upon the de
PENDANTS and they had thus been put
in y position where they were compelled
TO look into the matter it was asccr-
taincd that tho complainant 8 conicn.
tion was well founded and the amount
nG the overchargc was al once refunded,
In moving the dismissal of its pcti.
tion the complainant advises us that
il has number of such claims still
pending with various carriers, the set
tlcmcnt Of which IL has been unable 10
secure Notwithstanding IFS earnest cf-
forts in that behalf. and il asks that
some action be taken by the commits.
sion in order that shippers may secure
more prompt adjustment by carriers of
ovcrchargc claims. An order Will b"
entered dISmissing tho complaint upon
motion Of The complainant; bat we thinl;
bY The commission in relation TO the
practice Of carriers in such matters.
- From shippers in all parts of the coun'