Arizona republican., 1915-02-12
REDUCTION OF
 DAMAGE CLAIM
Santa Fe System Has Low est Percentage of Loss as Result of Good Work of Loss and Damage Com
 mittee

Reducing the claim payments from $200,00O pear in 1909 to $l33,OO0 for the last fiscal year, was attributed to the good work of the Loss and Damage committee, which met in it's eleventh semi-annual session here yesterday. Figuring the increase in freight business since 1909, tine per centage of loss by claim payment is reduced from one percent to GA hun dIedths of a percent of the freight revenue of the A. T. and s. F. coast lines.
 This curtailing oi leakages in the revenue department is called the why and wherefore" of the loss and Gamage committee-in other words its excuse fer living.
 The figures on which these sums are based, are not supplied by the railroad but by the interstate com merce commission, which has ad- NiSed the carriers to look into this very important matter on more than one occasion Now, yearly reports are submitted to the federal com mission for investigation and re view. result of it's calculations is the statement that in nine years, loss and damage claims have in- creased 337 percent, while freigh, revenues have increased only 109 per cent in the same period The in
 crease in the claims is said 70 be abnormal, and it is to remedy the i situation that the coast lines have 1 Deen holding their conferences. Many 1 carriers believe that the prompt set
 dement's of claims constituted good
 stopping the leaks by obiterating
 the cause is the only proper system
 And the reward for the. energy and
 thoroughness with which the com
 mittee has worked, has been to
 realize that the commerce commits
 sion has selected the coast lines
 lDout which to make this statement
 Freight loss and damage claims
 paid by this system are the lowest
 doing in excess of million dollar.
 worth of business annually and car
 rying a general tonnage of mixed
 merchandise
 The eleventh semi-annual session
 of the Santa F'e coast lines Loss anG
 Damage committee was called l.
 order at ten q. m. yesterday morn
 ing at the K. of P. hall by the per
 manent chairman, l. l.. Hubbard, whf
 is general superintendent with head
 quarters at Los Angeles. In open | Yr,I 4l.1 T
 ed his thanks to the officials of the S. F. P x P. and others for thell
 cordial invitation to bring this con ventiOn to Phoenix, it being par ticularly desirable that many of thu employees, especially those in Cali
 fornia have first hand knowledge of conditions in this vicinity, as con
 volume of passenger business i handled from this state.
 w. A Drake, general manager 0
 the $. F. r. and P. lines extended the welcome of this state to tit assembled railroad men and foilowe' by preaching q little sermon on tn need for more cordial cooperation first among the employees themselves and s.cond between employees of th
 road and tfeir patrons. He pointe' out the fact that the interests of th . carrier are so interwoven with thos of the patrons that it is necessar. 5 that the latter be served in tn l best possible manner.
 ? After MT Drake spoke, ChairInal Hibard reviewed the accomplishment of this organization for the fiN years it has been in existance.
 The rough handling of loade' equipment carries a heavy penalt. in the claim account, the loss iron l this source being 5S percent of tn ? total amount paid out. That tn ? subject might have the fullest pos | siDle discussion, the meeting was fa ) vored with an address by $. |
 Bean, mechanical superintendent wit < headquarters in Los Angeles, who i in direct charge of the machinef. for this part of the system. In ad l dition to this address each divislcl r superintendent briefly recounted tn : experiences along these lines as the affected tn territory under his jur
 iSdtctiOn.
 Train and engine men from al over the system offered their sug gestions as to the best method t : secure maximum efficiency in hand ling trains. Before the subject wa passed F. C. Smith, assistant ai brake instructor of the system brief ly outlined the rules governing tn
 handling of air brakes.