Starting A Cleaning Business

Way bill or way card. The way bill, or way card, so important for the railroads, contains much the same information as the bill of lading, and serves as a sort of routing card to accompany the shipment; it is, in this respect, not dissimilar to the coupons of a passenger's ticket. Notice of arrival. When a shipment reaches its destination, it is customary for the agent to give notice to the consignee, who may receive the goods by surrendering The bill of lading and paying the freight charges, itemized on the freight bill, which the agent receipts. Demurrage. Transportation efficiency cannot be maintained when there is a great disparity between the volume of traffic and the supply of cars to handle the traffic. From the standpoint of railroad operation, car shortage and car surplusage are alike indications of waste; shortage, usually seasonal, means that the roads, as sellers, are out of goods and consequently must miss some sales; surplusage, usually seasonal also, means that the roads, as sellers, have too much goods on hand and consequently must lose money on idle investments. From the standpoint of shippers, surplusage is a matter of small concern, directly, at least; but shortage may result in disaster to the shipper as well as in loss to the carrier. A charge, known as "demurrage," therefore is assessed against the consignee who fails to unload his car of goods within a given time. The tendency is toward increasing the demurrage charges, as well as to make the charge progressive day by day while the car is held by the consignee. Express traffic. The general principles of traffic are the same for the express system as for the freight system discussed in the preceding pages. The essential difference lies in the increased efficiency of the express companies in forwarding commodities at a high rate of speed. The present condition of express transportation, under which there is frequently a great amount of delay in transporting and delivering express shipments, is due, of course, not to the speed at which the shipment is carried while actually in movement but to the insufficiency of Facilities for moving the shipment at all. Freight trains average about twelve miles per hour, whereas express packages, which are forwarded on passenger trains, may average thirty miles an hour. There is, besides, an added convenience in shipping by express: the companies, except in very small towns, deliver the packages to and from the house making or receiving the shipment. These advantages particularly speed of transit necessarily result in making express rates much higher than freight rates for corresponding commodities and distances....