Evening star., 1921-11-27

, at the rate of $1,000 a ton. but this
was corrected" to $500.
Coal has been shipped from Hope
well to Toledo, Ohio, at freight COST
of S6.71 per ton. whereas equaliy
good coal was available from ONO
$2.10 net ton.
Cordwood from Clifford. Ark, to
Leavenworth, Kan. cost $3.50 freight
per cord, making the total cost S22.oO
per cord for government fuel, ana
the classic question is suggested
whats the matter with Kansas
cordwood?
1t cost the government S1.4O9S per
hundredweight for freight on re-
fined sugar from San Antonio, Tex,
! to New York, and s1.9S2 per hundred
weight from San Antonio to camp
Dix, n ]. There were. and are, re-
ineries not so far from New YORK
and New Jersey.
Salmon to Columbia River.
The charge of s552.33 for 900 cases
-SS 900 pounds-of salmon from Nor
folk, Va, to Seattle. Wash, was what
the home coming of the Pacific coast
goldfish cost. They might have
travelled via the Panama canal for
less. but why ship salmon at all to
the worlds greatest source of sal
mon? In the absence of federai
traffic board the taxpayer was lucky
that they did not return by airplane
de luxe, for homesick salmon 90 des-
perate stunts with the aid OF gov
ernment shippers.
There being no salt in the Pacific
ocean. $50 bags were shipped August
Is, 1920, from Schenectady. New YORK.
to San Francisco. at a freight cost OF
s7O486 1t would have been saving
of money if the $3.50 pounds of salt
had been cast into the Atlantic and
the needs of the Army and Navy at
San Francisco had been supplied from
the several salt-producing works
within thirty miles of that city, at
total freight cost of 1886. instead OF
$7O4.S6.
In none of the above instances-and
thew might be multiplied infinitely
have all the items of overhead and
supplementary cost been computed.
Nothing is said of the trucking,
handling. billing and requisitioning.
! The government is SO usea TO eomprr- Tr
ed 1t actually costs the treasury
between 81 and SIS to pay 50-cent
account, and the issuance of Treasury
warrants to pay its own expenses
costs the Treasury 100000 a year
another 100000 for other warrants.
Carelessness in Packing.
Carelessness, or ignorance. in pack
ing miscellaneous goods adds mil
lions of dollars annually to the gov.
ernment's freight bills. A lot OF
hospital supplies were shipped last
January IS from Camp Taylor, KY, to
Camp Knox, a distance of forty-three
miles. The shipment included food
containers, instrument tables, drugs
a human skeleton, books. bed screens,
stretchers. pajamas. etc. The est1-
mated weight of all was recorded as
13, 500 pounds and, as the shipment
occupied a car, it was charged the
minimum car weight of 10000 p.nnds.
according to classification OF che
shipment. The bed screens and skele-
! ton were not boxed, and, esore,
the proper rate was three times first
class, and since the rule is that. In
miscellaneous car, the rate for all
shall be that of the highest rated
| item in the car, that skeleton fixed
the rate on the entire 10000 pounds,
at three times first class-$s33 for
forty-three miles-whereas, Ii the
skeleton had kept in its closet, the
freight would not have exceeded 800.
A shipment of fir poles was made
|. from North Portland, Ore, to Mobile
Ala. The poles were in the rough
like telegraph poles. but they were
intended to be finished, after arrival in
Alabama, into spar buoys for light
| house service, and they were billed as
| "spars." The Louisville and Nashville
railroad assessed a rate as for. spars-
one and a half times first-class. max