Automatic Age

T h e A u t o m a t ic A ge
71
PENALIZIN G T H E R AILR O AD S
FOR F A IL U R E TO SETTLE C LAIM S
FOR LOSS A N D D A M A G E
The question o f claim s fo r loss and
damage, w hich claim s are filed with
the agents o f the com m on carriers,
has been a th orn in th e side o f the
shippers f o r m any years, hence the
introduction in th e C ongress o f a bill
that w ill penalize the railroads w ill,
no doubt, receive serious considera­
tion at the hands o f the law makers,
as th ey w ill receive m any letters fro m
their districts asking that th ey enact
such a law,
T h ere m ay be m any cases at this
time, w here claim s are held up an un­
duly lon g period, and fo r that reason
the shippers m ay be anxious fo r the
legislation that w ill fo r ce a m ore
prom pt settlem ent o f the claim s, yet
it does seem to us that the am ount o f
the pen alty is a little harsh. T o ask
that the carriers pay an additional
sum o f 5 0 % o f the am ount o f the
claim, i f said claim is n ot settled in
six m onths, is to our mind, askin g
to o m uch o f them.
W e understand, o f course, that no
one has a desire to collect the penal­
ty, that it is done to fo r ce the settle­
m ent on the claim s, y et at the same
tim e, w e should be reasonable in our
dealings w ith the railroads as w e are
w ith oth er debtors, or creditors. A
claim against the average railroad, i f
it be ju st, is as safe as any claim
the shipper m igh t have. W e doubt
very m uch i f any custom er ow in g
them is any m ore financially able to
pay, or liable fo r their obligations.
T h ere are thousands, upon th ou ­
sands, o f claim s filed w ith the rail­
roads th at take lo n g periods o f corre­
spondence to clear up as to the ju st­
ness o f the claim , and th ey should
have am ple tim e to k n ow if th ey w ere
liable fo r the claim , i f it was correct,
etc.
W e must adm it that it takes
time, due to a grea t extent, b y the
w ork that has to be don e b y m ost
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o f the agents at the stations over the
lines o f railroads.
Claim s against the railroads have
been reduced the last fo u r years ap­
p roxim ately sixty per cent due to the
intensive cam paigns that the carriers
have been m aking fo r the better han­
dling o f L C L and carload freigh t.
Claim s filed against the carriers
are b ein g settled m ore p rom ptly than
ever b e fo re and statistics subm itted
b y the A. R. A., F reigh t Claim Sec­
tion, D ivision 7, show that there is
but a sm all per cent o f these claims
n ow in the hands o f the carriers over
fo u r m onths old ; sixty per cent o f
the claim s are settled within a period
o f thirty days.
T he action o f the
carriers show s conclu sively that th ey
are doing everyth in g possible to not
on ly reduce claim s but to also see
that they are prom ptly adjusted.
T h erefore it does n ot seem to us that
to ask a penalty o f fifty per cent fo r
failure to make settlem ent w ithin six
m onths a fte r filing is excessive.
It
m igh t be w ell also to investigate the
period o f time that is alloted to ship­
pers fo r the filing o f their claim s.
Caves in Southw est A fr ic a are b e­
in g fitted to hold the instrum ents o f
tw o A m erican observers w ho w ill at­
tem pt to m easure the sun’s radius. A
scientist spent six m onths and trav ­
eled 30,000 miles in an effort to de­
term ine the best locality f o r the ex ­
perim ent.
The nations o f the w orld are main­
taining on a peace fo o tin g 6,000,000
active troops and a reserve fo r c e o f
24,000,000 men.
N ew sstands in M ontreal, under a
recen t ruling, m ay sell on ly new spa­
pers. M agazines and periodicals are
barred.
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