New-York tribune., 1918-07-08
Plan to Remove Freight
Congestion Has Approval
of McAdoo
Trucks Must Have
Special Licenses
Shipments Direct to Con.
signee's Door Without
Awaiting His Directions


meet in the near future, probably
Wednesday, too consider plan for
mulated by James S. Harlan, Interstate
Commerce Commissioner, to eliminate
freight congestion at the port of New
York. The plan has the approval of
William G. McAdoo, Director General
of Railroads, and was framed with the
cooperation of many of the most i'm
portant business interests of the city
1t involves the immediate delivery of
incoming freight to consignees by
means of an organized drayage system,
operating by zones under the super
vision of drayage director appointed
by and responsible to the Director Gen
eral Of Railroads. Only trucks carry
ing permits would be permitted on
piers; goods for delivery would be ar
ranged according to the zones to which
they were consigned and would be
taken. full load at time, by the
trucks operating in those zones with
out awaiting specific directions of the
coDsignees.
Commissioner Harlan is confident
thoroughly up to the details, which are
to be left to the director of drayage
will permit from so to so per cent more
freight to pass in and out of the port
that 1t will meet with the approval of
ali concerned and that it will be in
operation by August Is.
1t VIII eliminate the wasteful tangle
OF trucks which fringes the lower end
OF Manhattan all day and most of the
night--"a perpetual national show
place of Inefficient freight handling
EDWARD Mott Woolley calls the sight
IN an article describing Commissioner
Harlan's plan.
Provisions of the Plan
The provisions of the plan as ap-
proved by Mr.. McAdoo follow:
/. All that part of Manhattan Island
that lies south of Fifty-ninth Street shall
D.. be designated a drayage district Team
tracks within that area shall not be re-
garded for the present as being in the
drayage district.
2. No notice hereafter shall be given to
the consignee of any freight arriving at
pier within the drayage district, and no
free time shall be allowed All inbound
ri!,aS carload an and less than carload freight
arrival shall be handled Immediately to
the store door of the consignee
j. a drayage director shall be appointed
VINO shall have general supervision and
control, for the consgnees, of the trucking
of freight from pier or freight stations
after it has been placed upon the pier or
station floor by the carrier
l. Ihere shall be a drayage supervisor
at each pier who. under the control of the
drayage director. shall have general au-
thority over the removal of inbound freight
from the pier floor platform
D. The salary of the drayaRe director
and Of the several drayage supervisors
and other necessary assistants, together
with their necessary operating expenses
shall be paid out of a fund contributed hv
m
on a tonnage or other satisfactory basis
determined by them and the drayage di-
rector. The drayage director and drayage
supervisors. however. shall be appointed
by the. Director General of Railroads, or
under his authority, and shall report to
and be responsible to him.
b. 1he drayage zone south of Fifty
ninth Street shall be divided into delivery
zones having relation to their proximity
to the piers and the density of their traf-
fc. Inbound freight as far as possible
shall be distributed by the carriers on the
pier platforms floors by delivery zones,
but when practicable shall be delivered inn
aating in the zone to which the freight is
destined. Inbound freight shall be delivered
to consignees only in trucks registered
with the drayage director. and all trucks
thority of the drayage director. No trucks
other than those so registered shall be al
lowed upon the piers for the removal of
inbound traffic, except under special per-
nit issued by the drayage director. For
good cause shown the drayage director
may cancel the registration of any truck,
and his decision shall be final.
To Make Own Rules
z. The drayage director, as far as pos
sble in the conduct of the drayage SER
vice. shall utilize the equipment of exist
ing trucking and teaming organizations
and OF shippers. Special equipment shall
be utilized as far possible in the han
ding of the special commodities for which
they are designed
s. The drayage director shall make such
rules and establish such regulations will
iaciiltate the prompt removal of freight,
making only such exceptions in the use of
equipment as may be in the public inter-
est The drayage director shall make all
necessary rules and regulations for the
bonding of the owners of trucks used in
the drayage service and respecting the
methods Of collecting the freight and dray-
age charges. AS at present. the delivery
of freight by the carriers to the consignee
VIII continue to be effected on the pier
hoor or platform and its responsibility for
loss or damage will remain unaffected by
tne conslgnees' drayage service herein pro-
vided The drayage director will make all
necessary rules and regulations defining
the responsibility of truck operators for
'oss OF or damage to freight while in their
custody
8. Delivery of freight shall be made to
the consignee at the usual place for de-
livery at street level. and when con-
.i2nment SO rendered is refused or when
ne payment of the legal freight and dray-
are charges is refused. the freight may be
stoeed in a public warehouse at the cost
nd expense of the consignee and as lien
mon the consignment. The drayase d-
rector shall designate the warehouses to
oe used for this purpose.
~. The drayage director shall make
such rules and establish such regula-
tions as will tend to build up the gather
ing OF freight by the registered trucks for
outbound movement.
II. The drayage director shall have
power to make a schedule of rates and
charges for the drayage service including
tnc charges for undue detention of a truck
by a consignee at the point of delivery and
70 change the same from time to time as
conditions may require. He shall also
nave the power to fix the hours during
which consignees must be prepared to re-
ceive freight
IL. The drayage director shall have
power, should it become necessary in his
OPINION to extend the drayage service to
tne docks of such water lines as are parts
oi the transportation system under the con-
'roi OF the Director General of Railroads.
Cause of Freight Jams
Delay in getting inbound shipments
OH the piers was chiefly responsible for
sucn freight jams in New York as
packed up traffic as far west as St
Louis last winter, Mr.. Harlan has been
convinced by weeks of study of the
situation. Consigners use their demur-
t.age-free period of forty-eight hours
" the utmost, and even are inclined to
make use of the piers and freight "a re