The sun., 1918-07-23
FREIGHT DELIVERY.
objection to tho Proposed New Han
ding System.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SvN--str: Side
o. back door freight delivery as IL to
begin here August IS win not workout
In big New York as It likely does In
small country towns.
In these the local truckmen can daily
drive or motor to the one or two rail-
way stations or steamship wharves, pick
up freight consigned to some Of the
dozen or two merchants in the few busi-
ness blocks Of Main street or Broad
way, returning to said stations with
their outgoing shipments.
But this will not work here, with the
thousands of pieces Of freight daily re-
ceived and consigned to our thousands
Of merchants and factories scattered all
over town.
Applied to my own business. We are
In constant receipt of goods consigned
from various out of town points and
arriving at various docks.
Consignments are cases, 400 pounds
or over in weight. 80 by 80 inches high
and wide. three to four feet long. 1
have no side or back door. The truck
man unloads the cases on the Sidewalk.
which here is mt six feet wide som =
times consignment consists of only q
dozen cases, but often forty or more.
When unloaded on the walk. the cases
have to be hoisted to lofts of the build
ing through hatchways by hand labor,
1t taking Ave to ten minutes to hoist a
case, depending on height to be hoisted.
One can readily see that when a load
IL on the walk pedestrians are impeded
and that It becomes necessary to get It
into the building as quickly as possible
or the policeman on the beat will be
after US.
With the present system OF notihca-
ton of arrival, truckman on receipt
thereof is sent for the goods and ar
rangements are made TO have them de-
livered and hoisted between the hours
of opening and closing and in suitable
weather
Sometimes whole or part of consign-
ment is to be directly reshipped. and
truckman can do this without first bring
ing the goods here. thus avoiding ex-
pense.
The sSne truckman does our shipping
daily. Our work and that of others
in bringing goods in and shipping them
out constitute his business, this necessi-
tating u number OF trucks and drivers.
Under the proposed store door delivery
load may be brought to my door be-
fore opening up, be delayed in getting
there until near closing up time. and
even arrive after l have closed. IL so,
1t goes into storage at our expense. Now,
when In winter it becomes dark soon
after 4 o'clock how on earth then man
age to hoist goods into an unlighted
building, and with scarcity of labor
how obtain men to do It after hours?
How obtain them at any hour in heavy
rain OF snow?
One may perhaps be closed for a day
because Of religious holiday or OF a sad
cause, and delivery Of freight rendered
on Just that day. Then 1t goes into
storage at ones expense.
What arrangements will be made to
ship our goods? VIII the various lines
have trucks call daily for shipments. or
is II expected that the present truck
men will do this shipping? II the truck
man is restricted to shipping goods out.
to have the income therefrcm afford
living and business expense will they
not have greatly to increase present
charges? May they not be forced out
Of business altogether. and what then?
The store door delivery may seem
o. X. in theory, may work well in small
places. but 1t will not materially quicken
clearing off docks, yet It will beautifully
increase trouble, inconvenience and ex-
pense to every merchant.
Am l. as consignee. to blame for de-
lay in removing freight in this fire.
quent instance
Yesterday afternoon I received notice
OF arrival on Erie Railroad pier I. East
River, Of ten cases. l had a truckman
there this morning for them. He came
back empty: pier blocked up. could not
get cases He was told to come again
this afternoon. has gone there, and now
at 3 p. NJ has not come back with
cases ApoLPH OPPENHEIMER.
New YORK, July IS.