The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-06-14
CREDIT ON FREIGHT
ONLY q DAYS, SAYS
new COMMERCE RULE

The Interstate Commerce act, as
amended by Section 4o5 of the Trans
portation act. governing the prompt
payment of transportation rates and
charges prescribed to be collected
from shippers o. freight, has been
authorized to be made effective on
July !, 1920.
According to the ruling-no common
carrier will be permitted to extend
will the deferred payment of any
freight bill be permitted longer than
four days. The change in this law
will compel factories and large indus
tries now having unlimited credit to
revise their method of payment to the
railroads in order to meet the require
ments. In the past all freight has
been delivered to an employee OF the
concern and payment made upon de-
mand by the transportation company,
at such time as they felt justified in
collecting the amount.
Can't Deliver Without Payment.
After July 1, no carrier by railroad
subject to the provisions of this act.
will be able to deliver or relinquish
possession at destination or any
freight transported by it, until after
all tariff rates and charges thereon
have been paid, except that the car
rier will not be compelled to demand
immediate payment for the govern
ment Of the United States, or for any
state or territory, or District OF Col
pmbia.
The rules which will concern every
patron of the freight lines were ap-
proved at a general session or the
Interstate Commerce Commission,
held in Washington, on June 4, are
as follows:
Where retention Of possession OF
any freight by the carriers until the
tariff rates and charges thereon have
been paid, will retard prompt de-
livery. or will retard prompt release
of equipment or station facilities, the
carrier, by taking precautions deemed
by it to be sufficient to insure payment
Of the tariff charges within the period
of credit herein specified. may rein
quish possession Of the freight In ad-
vance of payment Of the tariff charges
thereon and may extend credit in the
amount of such charges to those who
undertake to pay such charges, such
persons being herein called shippers,
1OI d p6IlOu w ~ bouAot ~ ~ SN~~E
ed as follows
Where the freight bill is presented
to the shipper prior to, or at the time
of delivery of the freight, the 96
hours of credit shall run from the
first pm, following the delivery OF
the freight.
Differentiates on Freight.
Where the freight bill Is presented
to the shipper subsequent to the
time that the freight is delivered
the 90 hours of credit shall run from
the first p. m, following the pre-
sentation of the freight bill.
Every such carrier shall present
freight bills to shippers not later than
the first p. m, following delivery
Of freight, except that when informa'
ton sufficient to enable the carrier to
compute the tariff charges is not then
available to the carrier at the delivery
point, the freight bills shall be pre-
sented not later than the first p. m
following the d-y upon which sum
cient information becomes available
to the delivering agent Of the carrier
Shippers may elect to have thelI
freight bills presented by means OF
the United States mails. and when the
mail service is so used, the time OF
mailing by the carrier Snall De ueeIl
ed the time of presentation of the
bills. In case of dispute as to the
time of mailing. the postmark shall
be accepted as showing such time.
Sundays Are Excluded
Sundays and legal holidays, other
than Saturday half-holidays, may be
excluded from the computation of the
period of credit The mailing by the
shipper of valid checks, drafts or mon
ey orders which are satisfactory tc
the carrier in payment Of the tariff
charges, within the period Of credit
prescribed above, may be deemed tc
be payment Of the tariff charges with