The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-11
Santa Fe Loss and Damage
Campaign a Success.
Reduced Drain on Revenues
More Than 1 Per Cent.
SHIPPERS AID IN MOVEMENT
Reforms for Better Loading
and Unloading.
Topeka Officials Interested IN
New Work.

The keynote of the -Atchison, Topeka
& Santa TIE Railway company's loss and
damage meeting at ST. Joseph, Mo.
| September 80 to October 4, was sound
ed when the chairman, Mr.. F. A
Lehman, said:
This meeting is not to get out of
paying legitimate claims, but to elimi-
nate the causes of claims for loss OF
and damage to freight
| The organized movement in that di-
rection was started by the Santa Fe
| railway five years ago, and the results
| to date are most encouraging. Reports
at the ST. Joseph meeting showed that
a constantly increasing number of ship
pers heartily cooperate with the COM
pany by using scientific methods in the
preparation of shipments for transpor-
tation, while the company is doing it's
part by lnStituting reforms which call
for better loading and unloading, and
more careful handling of cars in
yards and en- route. Increased effici-
ency, therefore, already has brought
about a material decrease in the Santa
FEES loss and damage item, and the
campaign really has just began.
About 100 officials and employees OF
the Santa F'e railway attended the ses-
slonS of the loss and damage commit
tee, representing the traffic, operating,
mechanical, accounting and legal de-
partments. The committee meets
semi f. A. Lehman of Chi
cago, assistant to Vice President w. B.
Storey, is chairman. F. C. Maegly of
Chicago, assistant general freight
agent, is secretary. The committee
had a docket of 46 subjects, and to
clean up this volume of business the
members worked u hours day for
five days. The subjects on the docket,
all having to do with the causes of
freight loss and damage claims, were
in the hands of experts, who made
reports and expressed their views. Then
every body was given an opportunity to
talk. 1t was a sort of experience meet
ing. One of the rules of the commit
tee is that any member may say what
he pleases. At the conclusion of the
meeting the following announcement
was made:
with the view of eliminating the
causes of loss of and damage to
freight, station agents and division
transportation inspectors of the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
company, who have been instructed in
modern efficiency methods in han
ding all classes of shipments, will
give shippers, large and small, the
benefit of their experience whenever
called upon to do SO, that being a
part of their business under the COM
pany's policy of cooperating with its
patrons to the end that the best SER
vice may be afforded
Commenting editorially about the
loss and damage meeting. the st. Jo-
seph Gazette said:
Conventions of this. character
among officials and employees of the
Santa Fe, which has 1900 miles of
railway, originated in the mind of
President Ripley, than whom the
country does not contain a more sstrik-
a successful
man. The first convention was held
five years ago, at which time the
Santa Fe was paying per cent of it's
earnings into the loss and damage
fund. Thousands of dollars are paid
out each month by each of the great
railroads of the country to pay for
damage to goods in transit. To re-
duce this enormous expense and at
the same time to improve the service |
the road furnished it's patrons, was |
the first convention. How we'll he |
planned is best shown by the stare /
ments that the annual pawn ent of the |
Santa Fe to it's loss and damage fund !
has been reduced from per cent to |
less than 2, while the service of the !
road has been correspondingly i'm
proved.
And these annual conventions have
proved helpful in other ways. They
are not, as many may suppose, oc-
casions for mere pleasure seeking
the men, but periods of real
hard earnest work, when the prac-
-ica1 things in railway operation ere
discussed. They are conventions, in
other words, of laboring men who
work at their jobs every day in the
year. The railroads of the country
nave been having a hard time of it
or some years. What with our con-
inua1 insistence upon lower rates and
our everlasting demand for better
service they have been hard put to
make anything like a decent show
ng of profit on the money they have
invested. The only method under
heaven by which they can do this is
o work out certain economies
through the constantly improving ef-
fciency in which they handle their
business. And it is for this purpose
he convention in st. Joseph was
leld."