The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-11
P|LFERING GOES ON
PROBLEM SERIOUS ON THE WEST
COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA.
Precautions Taken in Panama Canal
Zone Result in Virtual Adjustment
of Evil There-ElabOrate Protective
Devices Employed

goes on goods destined for those ports
or in response to constant complaint
on the part Of the consignees In Mol.
lendo pilfering, so far as Bolivian goods
are concerned, has been reduced to small
proportions, in consequence an agree.
ment between the Peruvian and Bolivian
governments, which provides for the
prompter dispatch Of merchandise for
Bolivian destinations Nevertheless, the
problem of pilfering remains a serious
one at practically every port on the west
coast, according to Grosvenor NJ Jones,
a special agent of the department of
commerce.
Formerly it was the fashion to say |
that much of the pilfering took place |
in the Panama canal zone, and there |
was probably some basis for the state |
ment in the days when traffic through |
the canal was stopped by the slides i'm |
Caillard cut, and freight was badly con- |
gested at Colon and Balboa. 1t is prob |
ably true however, that even in those !
times much of the loss attributed to
pilfering was due to unusual handling
or exposure Since traffic through the
canal has been resumed on a normal
basis the loss from pilfering in the
canal zone has been reduced to an al.
most negligible point
Precautions in Canal Zone.
Goods transshipped at Colon or Pal
boa are stored in pier sheds Immediately
upon discharge. The sheds are large,
well built fireproof and can be easily
guarded and protected. Both in the
discharge from ship to pier and in the
reloading from pier to ship the Pan
anna Railroad Company exercises strict
supervision over all operations, since
it has charge of all port facilities, and
does most of the stevedoring. To pro
tect itself from claims for loss the
railroad company long since instituted
an elaborate checking system Checkers
not only take account of the number
and weight of cases and packages loaded
or unloaded on the piers, but also note
the condition of the containers as they
pass over the piers, and put aside for
careful inspection cases that appear to
be under weight or to have been tam
pered with, In many instances pilfer-
ing can be detected by a difference in
the recorded weight and the weight ON
arrival in Panama, though pilferers are
clever enough, as a rule, to substitute
articles of the same weight for those
they have abstracted.
Moreover number of watchmen and
detectives are employed by the Panama
Railroad Company Some Of the detec-
tives work as dock laborers The
watchmen cannot be in all parts Of the
pier sheds, and in a far corner Of shed
or a hold the stevedores may handle
case with such roughness as to cause
it 10 break open, enabling its contents
to be easily carried off. Detectives can
exert an effective restraining influence
in such cases.
Pifering OH ShipbOard.
It may be reasonably assumed that
much of the pifering now takes place
on shipboard between Panama and west
coast ports This is evidenced by the
frequent arrests of members of the crews
with stolen goods in their possession.
shoe manufacturer in Chill states
that robberes of shoes shipped as ordi-
nary freight were SO great that he has
been obliged to ship his product as
treasure, even to ports only few hun
dred miles distant.
A great deal of pilfering occurs also
at the port of destination. At all west
coast ports practically all ships anchor
in the bay or roadstead and receive and
discharge cargo by means of lighters.
While the hNndling of cargo by means
Of lighters offers prompter dispatch,
It also affords greater opportunity for
pilfering. Frequently the lighters must
stay in the roadstead overnight or long.
er because rough weather makes it uu
safe to move them to shore or because
the work Of loading or unloading them
has not been completed at the end of
the working day. Watchmen employed
by the steamship companies or their
agents are detailed 90 guard the light
ers, but frequently thieves eude the
vigilance Of the watchmen or oyerpOwer
them.
Transit sheds on the quays and piers
are not in common use at west coast
ports and great quantities of merchan
disc are stored on the water front with
out any greater protection than that of
tarpaulin covering. In Valparaiso
for example, coarse freight is dis
charged from lighters at the "maleCon,'
or quay, and may remain there for 8
number of days before it is removed
Each steamship company or agency
leases a section of this quay for stor
ing its goods, and employs one or more
watchmen to guard them; but since
there are no sheds and since, apparent
ly, the Valparaiso police exercise littl,
or no supervision over this part of tn,
water front, a good deal of pilfernl
occurs.
Pifering can be greatly reduced b!
the more general use of covered instead
of open lighters and by the employment
Of more watchmen in the bay and OF
the water front. The immediate appli
cation of these remedies would, how
ever, add greatly to the expense o
handling cargo at the west coast ports
The substitution Of covered for opei
lighters is now under way at few o
the more important ports of Chilli, bu
a number of years will eapse befor
the process is completed.
Metal Straps Help.
In addition to being made of goo
lumber, the case should be packed snug
ly so as to permit no shifting of cor
tents. To insure this the case shoul
be made with special regard to the siz
OF the articles it is to carry and, in man
instances, should have partitions o
braces to prevent shifting. Partition
also make the case stronger and pre-
vent the pilferer from getting acces
to the whole case.
Wooden battens around all edges G
the case not only strengthen the cas-