New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-04
BUSINESS CURBED
BY BAGGAGE LAW
Jewellers Declare Charges
Under Cummins Act
Are PrOhibitive.
WOMAN'S FARE, l7c;
COST FOR TRUNK, goo
Travellers and Railroad Ofn'
Gals Indignant at lncon-
venience and Expense.

The jewellers trade is probably the
hardest hit by the new Cummlns bag
gage law Prominent members or tne
Jewellers Board OF Trade, at ID
Maiden Lane. declared yesterday that
/. would be absolutely Impossible 1ot
the wholesale jewelry and diamond
merchants 70 carry on business and
live nm 70 the letter of the law.
baggage committee" held meet
ing 70 consider the situation. The
meeting resolved itself into stormy
session Of Indignation and protest, but
no definite action was taken: Ludwig
Nissen, president Of the Jewellers
Board Of Trade, said:
at will be absolutely impossible FOR
jewellers 10 travel with trunks, as tney
do. and carry on business. In the or
dinary course Of business there are
some 1000 or 1000 trunks constantly
on the railroads throughout the coun
try. The high values OF me stocks IN
these trunks Will MAKE the charge Tor
TRANSFORMATION and insurance under
the new law prohlbltlve.
The law Is one of the most arol-
trary and the most damaging among
all the laws passed during the last hve
Years 10 restrain and curb business.
Ostensibly il was introduced for the
purpose OF preventing the railroads
from fixing limitation on the value
of trunks. but | don't believe Senator
Cummins had in mind what the effect
would be-
Il il not uncommon for a jewelry
salesman to carry a trunk with con
tents valued at more than 100000.
One large jewelry firm in the city has
three statesmen on the road, each of
whom, carries a trunk Of their precious
wares valued at S250,000. It was
/ pointed out that il would cost this firm
, between $4,000 and $4,000 a week to
I live up to the conditions of the new
law.
Under the law the insurance rate is
the same for short or a long haul.
A salesman Of the large firm referred
to makes a week trip TO Philadelphia,
to Baltimore. to Washington and back
to New York On such trip he
would have to pay excess baggage OF
$3.50 between each city. or a total Of
s 900 for the round trip.
The baggage men at the big railroad
terminals were having their troubles
Yesterday in enforcing the law. Many
objections were voiced by travellers,
who did not like the inconvenience and
delay of having to nil out the required
declarations, and especially the pay
mcnt of the insurance premiums TO the
railroad companies. Those travelling
a short distance we're the most dis
gruntled. IT, many cases the insurance
Oh their baggage came TO more than
the railroad fare.
/ One woman, travelling to Newark
with a trunk which she valued az
81 1000. could not understand why she
should have to pay 90 cents insurance
on her trunk when her fare was only
4 II cents The law makes 1t misde-
meanor for passengers to undervalue
the contents of their trunks.
Railroad officials were indignant yes
terday at the suggestion that their
| companies were instrumental in get
| ting the Cummins bill through Con
gress, by lending their support TO il
! Some pointed out that the extra ex-
pense imposed upon the roads in carry.
, ing out the provisions Of the law would
be greatly in excess of the losses Gov
cred by the insurance premiums.
An official of the New York, New
Haven & Hartford said that it was the
railroads business 10 throw down al
the bars in the way Of passenger traf
fc, and not 20 prejudice the travelling
public or place obstacles in its way, a,
apparently resulted from the enforce
ment of the Cummins law by the In.
terstate Commerce Commission.