63S IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



ADDRESS ON RAILROAD CLAIMS. 



By Owen L. Coon, of Chicago. 



Last year there were 4,000 live stock claims filed against the Chi- 

 cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. During the same period there were 

 16,000 grain claims filed against the same railroad. Grain and live stock 

 — the two commodities in which the cattle feeder and farmer with his 

 interest in farmers elevators is concerned — thus form one-third of all loss 

 and damage claims. When we realize the significance of these figures, 

 the subject of railroad claims begins to take on importance. 



But when we go further into facts and figures, and find that there 

 is now being filed with the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad about 5,000 

 live stock claims every year, and about as many more against the Rock 

 Island — and that the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company 

 actually paid over 3,000 live stock claims averaging $92 apiece, we begin 

 to see the necessity of these two things: (1) Reducing the number of 

 your live stock claims; (2) taking steps for the more eflSlcient handling 

 of the remainder. 



First, as to possible ways of reducing the number of your live stock 

 claims. You, as a shipper of live stock, can do far less in this direction 

 than can the shipper of grain. Many — far too many — grain claim losses 

 result often from the failure of the shippers to properly secure the 

 sheathing at the side of the car and properly install grain doors. But in 

 live stock 85 per cent of all claims are for delay in transit, for which 

 the railroad and the railroad alone is usually responsible. 



But there are some things you can do. First, have your car com- 

 pletely loaded when the train pulls in. If you are just a trifie late, and 

 every other shipper along the road is likewise, a delayed train is certain 

 to result before destination is reached, with a large number of claims. 

 Then, if you are situated on a branch line railroad which has a special 

 stock shipping day, try as far as possible to use that day. More prompt 

 delivery is certain to occur and there is far less chance for delay. 



If there are a few vicious animals in the shipment, be sure to par- 

 tition them off from the rest. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad 

 claims that this is done by only about 50 per cent of the live stock ship- 

 pers. The railroad is exempted from liability, in law, for loss due to 

 viciousness of animals — so neglect on your part to properly partition 

 vicious animals may result in a claim upon which you will never be 

 able to effect recovery. 



In shipment of calves and young cattle partition them off from the 

 older and heavier cattle, as over 60 per cent of the carcasses of calves, it 

 is said, show unmistakable evidence of having either been horned or 

 trampled to death by the heavier ones. 



The death of hogs during hot weather forms the large bulk of the 

 15 per cent of live stock claims which are upon dead and crippled ani- 

 mals. During the first hot weather in the spring of 1918, there were 

 heavy losses in shipments consigned to East St. Louis on several differ- 

 ent days, one day's loss amounting to over $11,000. The losses on six or 



