Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-02-03
MAKE EXPRESS
SERVICE BETTER
>This Object of Drive for Improved
Wrapping, Marking and
Handling Opening Feb. 10.

Plans for a most comprehensive
nature to bring about conditions
which will make possible a marked
improvement in the express ser
vice throughout the country, is an
nounced by F. W. Black, local rep
resentative of the American Rail-
way Express company. A better
service campaign" will be underta-
ken by the 1875, 900 men and women
employed in the express business,
for the purpose Of raising the stand
ards of packing, wrapping and
marking express shipments
The drive Will start on Feb. 10,
in every city and town in the coun-
try. 1t will comprise a campaign
of education and appeal among ex-
press employees simultaneously with
widespread effort to secure the
cooperation of the shipping public
along the same lines. No new pack
ing or marking rules have been
adopted for the campaign. but ex-
press drivers and receiving clerks
will be instructed hereafter to in
sist, firmly but courteously. that
the rules already in force be strict
~ adhered to.
The chief purpose of the better
service campaign" is to check, once
and for all, the waste of time, eff
fort and money that result from
lost or damaged shipments. 1t is
source of dissatisfaction and an
nOyance to both shippers and the
carrier and tends to impair the eX-
press service. 1t is expected that
all who ship by express, and 300,-
000,00 shipments are annually
travelling that way. will be keenly
interested in the forthcoming drive,
because it so intimately concerns
the transportation end of many diff
ferent trades and industries, some
of which depend almost exclusively
upon the express service.
The better packing better mark
ing campaign" will be conducted at
a period of the year when the ex-
press movement is usually the
lightest and just before the heavy
commodity business starts to move
in March. Not all of the fault is
Nsid at the door of the shipper. The
express company officials are free
10 admit their own shortcomings
and do not evade possibility for
them. During the campaigns there
Will be an energetic endeavOr to
prevent rough handling, mis-rout-
ing or other deYiatlOnS from cor
rect express METHODS IN offices and
terminals, ana closer supervision Of
the work or emplOyes Is expected TO
improve internal operating CondI-
uUn5.
+ eb. II, the day after the official
opening OF the drive, every agent
at ali important points will call
different classes OF MS employees
together at convenient periOus and
auuresS them, urging their active
participation in the campaign, first,
by improving conditions inside or
the ranks and then by securing the
cooperation OF the shipping public
with whom they come IN contact
Similar meetings Will be called on
every Tuesday during the drive.
A determined effort Will be made
during the campaign TO eradicate
what IS known as the No Mark
evil. From July l to Nov. 80 OF
last year, 1875 shipments, an av-
eraEe of about 25.50O a month,
were turned over to the NO Mark"
bureaus maintained by the COM
pany, because all means of identi-
location of either shippers or con-
signees had been lost, and their de-
Avery, except in a few cases, made
impossible. Personal baggage.
hardware and automobile tires
comprise the largest proportion of
the NO Mark" shipments. which
are attributed largely to the fall
ure of shippers to mark clearly and
to pack their goods substantially.
With the help of the shippers and
through the influence of the cam
paign, the express company hopes
TO solve this problem.