Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1915-09-09
COMPLICATED" FREIGHT RATES.

Yes, OF course, theyI re complicated. Don't we know!
once upon a time we prepaid the freight on certain goods ship
ped to Colorado from Waterfowl. We particularly admonishcd the
agent at TINS end OF the line that we d"in want any 'eomr back
w wye sad we wished to prepay the freight IN full We aid So-mt!
There'was only a matter Of forty-tour dollars and fortyfour cents,
OF something like that, at the other end of the line.
We tried it a second time on a shipment involving only "A few
dollars We laid stress upon our desire to prepay in full, with no
W. pea e ne ageht at inc "' o'"op emo OF inc me M n'
sought an explanation. We got it, lie sand that the AGENTS at Wa
believed him. We knew they didn't
So, one bright morning when the hiItops we're rcspIend"nt in
the glories of the suns beautiful tnts, and when the peaches were
taking on their maiden blush and the pears were beginning to make
6 6ne s mouth out th water shsrt we sn sent ., forth rd,o " s1np men ,d t" South Sou" t n4k ;a".,n, VIE
as he knew how to figure freight rates, we wanted to prepay IN
n4Ht he Shpi r. the he , did. '"' We r,n %H in 'G :"Ho ni! T THyI Irir md
at the Dakota end of the lime had 20 'l"i II? Or shut up IN ORDER
to get our compliments.
Then one fair day, after we had returned from the golden west,
we instructed our Colorado representative to ship to us, prepaid, Ger
tain goods. We told him to explain to this smart Colorado agent
that he had slipped a cog in his former reckoning. 50 h, figured
right down to brass tockS. Our Colorado representative prepaid tn"
When we put up at this end of the line we uphraidcl the Wa
tertown agent for these numerous deIinquencies. lie mildly sug-
gested that we We're the chap that the railroads had long been look
ing for--some one who could figure freight rates!
Within the past several months the Saturday News has had rx-
perience with no less than half a dozen Of similar cases-in fact,
more than half of the prepaid freight was not prepaid at all, except
ing in part.
It seems to be a case wherein the receiving agent is always
smarter than the shipping agent. 1t holds good even though the
shipment be reversed.
We have cudgeled our brain in vain to find a solution. 1t has
occurred to us again and again that if the receiving agent can de-
wise a means for accurately computing freight, it's strange that the
sending agent cannot.
Again, if it be so extremely difficult to ascertain the correct
freight charges, why is it that the man who pays the freight at the
point Of destination never gets anything back? Why is it that the
mistakes always and invariably are made so that shortage is shown
and never an overpayment? Why is it that now and then some poor
sun-ofa.gun does not get a refund of excess charges paid at either
the receiving or the shipping end of the line2 Has such a case ever
occurred? Well, if so, Wen offer a cash prize for evidence of the
factl
We have often wondered whether railroad managers have ever
given tins matter the consideration that it deserves, We have often
Wondehred why these railroad managers have not sought to re-
duce. friction to the minimum, thereby Strengthening the position of
q series OF what the public can but regard as inexcusable blunderss
We are stl wondering, although not exactly still!