The Mankato free press., 1923-09-21
CARE IN SHIPPING
HOUSEHOLD GOODS
Public Urged To Join In
This Movement
DRIVE IS STARTED
Transportation Companies In
terested; Work Started
In Mankato

That a great many new families
are moving into Mankato is indlcat-
ed in the constantly growing volume
Of household goods and furniture,
which the railroads and the express
company serving the city have been
handling so far this year. This Is
Indicated in a statement made today
py ID. (. Walker, chairman OF the
committee, representing the local
roads, the express company, ana
several reimbursement associations
IN a joint drive to encourage SaIe
Handling OF Household Goods:
The mvement OF this IraIhc, &C
cordiug to Mr.. Walker, has become
a serious problem for the railroads,
because or the breakable character
OF furniture. crockery and glassware
shipped by the average American
family ION the move" and also be-
cause comparatively few families
know how to crate furniture pieces
so that they will ride safely to deS
tination. Unless extreme care Is
taken, the arms and legs Of chairs
and tables may be broken or highly
poIished surface scratched and mar.
red in process of moving.
Railroads Paid Dearly
Two years ago the railroads paid
out nearly $1,50O.000 in claims for
damage to shipments Of this kind,
and while the situation has con.
siderably improved, the losses last
year amounted to 500, 900. The. ex'
press company has had similar eS-
periences, its losses on the tratnc
average $4,000 a month during the
moving seasons, May and Octo'
Der.
To bring an end to these losses
and to keep the public informed re-
garding the best methods for Grating
furniture, a nation wide campaign IS
now under way and will be carried
on throughout September, under the
direction Of the Freight Claim DlV1-
sion of the American Railway AS
sociation. in cooperation with the
American Railway Express Company
the National Furniture Warehouse
mems Association and the American
Warehousemen's Association. The
local Committee organized to rep
resent these various interests in the
drive, which will be carried on in
Itensiyely In this city during the next
three weeks, is composed OF the
following: D. E. Walker, VIM. Barr,
and c. H. Cooper.
Grating Now Science
The railroads realize that, crat-
ing has been brought down to a
science, and for that reason they are
urging that when family contem
plate moving to another city, an ex>
perience packer be employed to get
the furniture in shape for the jour
ney 1t is difficult to establish any
uniform rules in Grating articles OF
furniture, because OF their various
sizes and designs, but, generally
speaking, every part should be pro.
perly protected and braced SO that
shifting in the crate does no occur.
Moreover, the railroad people urge
that furniture be shipped separately
and not be filled with other articles
simply because there may be space
for them.
Emphasis will also be laid on the
importance of careful addressing.
since lack of an address may make
delivery impossible at destination.
Make Personal Inspection
The damage to household goods,
II 1t occurs in transit. is serious for
the carriers, since they are a per-
sonal possession and often more
highly priced by the owners for sen
timental reasons than for actual in
trinsic value. Moreover, many an
tique pieces or breakage that does
occur can be repaired. but it seldom
satisfies the householder.
A careful inspection Of all ship
ments of this kind, especially TO see
that the crates are strong enough,
will be carried on in freight and ex-
press depots this month. as the in
dications are that October l will be
moving day" and that the traffic
will be heavier than II has been in
the past.