Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-05-14
RAILROAD COMMISSION OPENS
UP TROUBLESOME QUESTION
OF pEMuRRAeE.
RAILROADS HOLD CAR SHORT.
AGE is FAULT OF SHIPPERS
Hold Rolling Stock Too Long unIsss
Penalties Are Attached = Carriers
AIIese Shortage Comes Thru insf.
ficieney Of ssrvies-PIans Laid for
Determining Merits Of Controversy.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des. Moines, May 14.-The railroad
commission, in opening up the demur-
rage question in its relation to car
shortage, raised a big issue that will be
hard to determine no matter what the
actual situation.
The carriers. thru the demurrage as
sociations, insist that the real trouble
as to car shortage is the holding Of
cars too long by shippers in process Of
loading or unloading; that the shippers
are not deferred by the penalty as
now imposed; and that consequently
the way to get more cars in service is
to force shippers to use fewer cars as
warehouses, and to do this by higher
penalty for holding cars.
The shippers, thru the commercial
bodies and associations, declare that
the car shortage comes largely thru in
efficient service Of the carriers: that
if they would give more uniform and
steady and prompt service there would
be very seldom any occasion for i'm
posing the demurrage penalty; hence
that increase Of the demurrage would
not in the slightest affect the car
shortage.
Issue Clearly Defined.
The issue is one clearly defined. This
was shown at the hearing which was
commenced in the hall Of the house Of
representatives Yesterday before the
railroad commission. The burden OF
proof of necessity for the increase fell
on the officials of the Illinois and Iowa
demurrage bureau with headquarters
in Peoria. This bureau does business
on twenty-six lines in Iowa, at LOU
stations. Its report is enlightening.
The bureau handled or reported for
demurrage 607,346 cars in six months
of last year. A part were on what they
cali a straight basis and a part on the
average agreement. They found thaH
1923 cars were delayed over seven
DAYS each. The bureau estimates That
if the SO rate was in force in Iowa as
in California there would not be more
than half as much car detention in the
Iowa territory. If all the cars had been
released within the free time by con-
si9nees there would have been restored
1882 cars a day for the use Of the pub
lie.
The shippers are prepared to make
showing that the conditions In Cal
ifcrnia are so entirely different from
this in Iowa that no comparison is
worth anything. They insist that most
of the delay is due to the irreguiartiy
with which cars are furnished shippers
and is no fault of the shippers, hence
that nothing in the way of demurrage
can affect this situation.
The case for the carriers was
handled by representatives of the de-
murrage bureau. w. B. Martin. OF Du-
buuue, took the lead in the fight
against the increase. A conference was
held with Secretary Wrightman Of the
Iowa Manufacturers Association and
the plans laid for opposing the demur-
rage increase. Others who We're pres
ent yesterday were: NJ. d. Smiley
Clinton; e. D. Wylie. Des Moines;
George T. Bell, Sioux City; Mr.. sund-
berg. Cedar Rapids; e. H. Draper.
Marshalltown: John O'Halloran. Clin-
ton: and Mr.. Harrison, Keokuk.