New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-11
American Exporters Report
S2O,OOO,O0O Loss i'm 1920
Per Capita Figures in European Countries Just as
Great and Shippers Unite to Devise
Means of Protection

and factories and offices have been at
some time in transit. Furthermore,
similar articles will continue to be
transported. protected only by light
wood and offering great temptation to
thieves. Is it any wonder that this
field Of robbery has attracted the law
less? Their life and liberty are not at
as great risk as in more spectacular
crimes, and study of the movements of
valuable goods has been highly profit
able to organizations of crooks who
regularly loot in their favorite piers.
garages and railroad yards. Only
closer study and greater vigilance on
the part of shippers organizations will
dispose of this menace.
In all pilferage problems by far the
most important point is the attitude
of the carriers and the measures which
they take to reduce piferagc. The
carriers are naturally the railroads,
the steamship lines and the trucking
companies. The railroads in America
are used to protecting merchandise
over long hauls. Subject to the Inter
state Commerce Commission, they have
been held strictly responsible for
losses occurring en- route. Every vigil
lance has been employed to prevent and
detect thieving. Steady losses at any
one point are not tolerated. Because
OF their direct responsibility for the
goods in their charge the railroads
have had to pay claims, and whenever
and wherever they have met with acute
losses they have hunted down the
crooks inside or outside their employ
and have adopted vigorous police pre-
cautions. We can say that in this
country the railroad side of the prob
lem is we'll on its way to solution.
With greater power of initiative
the railroads would probably enc ourage
various mechanical sealing systems
more than at present. Both in the
United States and in England the rail-
roads will ordinarily allow full claims
to shipper who uses wire-sealing
straps or other approved sealing sys-
tens. Such systems throw the evil
dence Of tampering upon the surface
of the case, and the railroads having
accepted the case at the start Of the
journey have felt bound to make good
for loss when the case shows evidence
OF tampering upon arrival at destina-
ton and shortage is found. They have,
however, had to reserve such full repa-
ration for business houses of proved
reputation, for dishonest shippers
have been known to give short packs
and then to attempt to fix RESPONSE
bility upon the railroads for the short
age, and this has greatly complicated
the adjustment of pilferage claims.
Occasions are also recorded when
carriers have discovered boxes that
have been opened while in their Gus
tody and have carefully restored them
to their original appearance and have
denied responsibility. The railroads in
this country are believed without ex-
ception to be above this practice Sum
marizing the railroad attitude toward
pilferage both in this country and in
England, one may say that the right
policies have been adopted, corrective
measures are encouraged and used, and
the shippers and public interests are
being well protected. The only addi-
tional method that occurs to the OBJ
server in the case of tho railroads is
to give them authority to add a GER
tain percentage to the freight rates
when valuable and readily marketable
merchandise is sent without any seals
or strapping protection.
Court Decisions Relieve Ship
Companies of Responsibility
Steamship companies have been re-
lieyed by number of court decisions
from full responsibility for goods
looted while in their custody. When a
truck driver gets the signed receipt
for the merchandise which he has de-
liyered to the steamship company at
the pier, the shipper is powerless to do
. ~