22 



The Florists' Review 



Febbuaby 5, 1914. 



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THE SHIPPING 



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DEPARTMENT 



THE NEW EXPRESS BATES. 



At Last They Are in Effect. 



Interstate express rates on a scale 

 averaging sixteen per cent lower than 

 those formerly prevailing, with an en- 

 tirely new system of rates and regula- 

 tions, became effective February 1, un- 

 der orders issued by the Interstate 

 Commerce Commission. Coincident -with 

 the lower interstate rates, the states of 

 Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsyl- 

 vania, Delaware, West Virginia, Ken- 

 tucky, Ohio, New Jersey, Illinois and 

 Louisiana put into force rates applying 

 on intra-state express business upon 

 practically the same ■ basis as those on 

 interstate business. 



A block system of rates, dividing the 

 country into ^26 blocks, formed by the 

 intersection of the m^ridia^s of longi- 

 tude and the parallels of latitude, is 

 now in .effect on interstate express busi- 

 ness; The method by which the new 

 rates are determined by the block sys- 

 tem is of importance to all shippers. In 

 explaining this system it may be stated 

 that the blocks begin in the extreme 

 northwest part of the state of Washing- 

 tori with 101 and are numbered across 

 to the east. The second tier starts with 

 201, directly under 101, and so on down, 

 the last sub-block being 2,445, which 

 embraces the extreme southeasterly 

 portion of the state of Florida, each 

 of the blocks being divided into sixteen 

 sub-blocks, designated by letters from 

 A to Q, omitting J. 



New Minimum Express Bates. 



Under the new schedule of interstate 

 rates, subject to revision, the minimum 

 charge on a first-class shipment is 21 

 cents. On a second-class shipment it is 

 25 cents, unless the first-class rates are 

 lower. Generally speaking, the second- 

 class rates are seventy-five per cent of 

 the first-class rates. The first and sec- 

 ond-class charges are based upon ratos 

 per 100 pounds. It is not practicable in 

 these classes to have the charges in- 

 crease in proportion to the weight; for 

 instance, to charge for a ten-pound 

 package ten times the charge for a 

 one-pound package, and so on, would 

 make the charges so high as to keep the 

 business from reviving. The new sched- 

 ules of first and second-class rates, 

 therefore, contain a list of fixed rates 

 for the transportation of packages-- of 

 every weight from one to 100 pounds. 



How New Bates Are Made. 



The new federal express tariffs state 

 all rates from block to block, except 

 that between points on the same block 

 and between points in adjoining blocks 

 they are stated from sub-block to sub- 

 block. An important feature of the 

 new system is that rates are made from 

 block to block or from sub-block to 

 sub-block, irrespective of the number 

 of carriers participating in the trans- 

 portation. For instance, a shipment 



is to be made between two points, A 

 and C. If the company with which the 

 shipment originates is not represented 

 at C the property is taken by that. com- 

 pany to another point, B, and there 

 tranisferred to a second company to 

 com.plete the transportation. Assuming 

 the shipment to weigh 100 pounds, un- 

 der the old system' of determining 

 charges, the first carrier would assess, 

 say, 50 cents, its rate per 100 pounds 

 for the transportation from A to B, and 

 the second carrier would assess a simi- 

 lar charge based upon its rate per 100 

 pounds from B to C, thus making the 

 charges $1. Under the new system the 

 rate per 100 pounds from sub-block A, 

 in which the shipment originates, to 

 sub-block C, in which it is delivered, is 

 a given amount per 100 pounds, say 60 

 cents, and this is the charge which will 

 be collected for the transportation. 

 The new method for ascertaining the 



'~~R. E. Jones. Sam 8eli«rman. 



A Good Pair to Draw To. - 



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rate upon a given shipment will be as 

 follows: Find out the nature of the 

 article and the proper classification to 

 apply. Then turn to a directory of ex- 

 press stations, now being distributed 

 by the companies to drivers, agents and 

 shippers, and find out the block and 

 sub-block in which the destination office 

 is located. Then turn to the block tariff 

 and find the scale number which applies. 

 By then referring to the sch^ule of 

 first and second-class express rates, and 

 under the scale number already ob- 

 tained, the charge which is to be made 

 on the shipment will then be learned. 

 Second-class rates under the new 



classification cover, with a few excep- 

 tions, articles of food or drink, includ- 

 ing plants and greens when properly 

 packed, being seventy-five per cent of 

 the merchandise, or first-class rates. 

 The second-class rates replace the old 

 general specials, but also include a much 

 larger variety of articles. Second-class 

 articles must be so prepared as to show 

 the nature of the contents or they will 

 be billed as first-class, subject to revi- 

 sion on proof of the nature of_the con- 

 tents. 



Urge Earlier Shipments. 



Although every preliminary prepara- 

 tion has been made by the various ex- 

 press companies to put the new rates, 

 regulations and practices prescribed by 

 both the federal and various state 

 authorities into effect without confu- 

 sion, the officials, believing that the 

 volume of their traffic will increase 

 shortly by leaps and bounds, strongly 

 urge upon the shipping public the 

 necessity for making their daily ex- 

 press shipments at earlier hours than 

 now prevail. 



Most of the matter transported by ex- 

 press moves outward from the large 

 cities. In New York city one of the ex- 

 press companies handles on an average 

 from 27,000 to 30,000 pieces of express 

 matter daily at one of its depots and 

 from 12,000 to 15,000 daily at another 

 depot. At the first depot over seventy- 

 five per cent of this matter is handled 

 between the hours of 6 and 9 in the 

 evening. At the other station over 

 ninety per cent is handled between 6:30 

 and 9:30 in the evening. This practice 

 of late shipping results in much con- 

 fusion which might easily be avoided 

 and much delay and many mistakes 

 might be overcome by early shipment 

 of express matter. 



CLAIMS FOB DAMAGES. 



In the issue of The Review for Janu- 

 ary 22, page 16, there is an article on 

 carnation culture headed "When Stock 

 Is Shipped In," referring, of course, to 

 plants. In the second part, headed 

 "Delayed or Damaged Shipments," 

 there is a statement which is ndf in 

 accordance with my best knowledge 

 and business experience with the pre- 

 vailing laws of our state and, as we 

 presume, the laws of most of the other 

 states of our Union. The article says 

 that "if contents are damaged, con- 

 signee can refuse the shipment and the 

 shipper is able to collect from the for- 

 warding company." Allow me to copy 

 from a quite recent decision published 

 in our Journal of Comnierce, as I pre- 

 sume this to be a subject of vital in- 

 terest to your many readers: 



"Goods cannot be abandoned to a. 

 carrier, as they might to an insurer. 

 Any goods that the carrier, for any 

 reason, has failed to deliver, must, if 

 they have any value at all, be dealt 

 with by the owner, who is the pur- 

 chaser, not the shipper of the goods. 

 The carrier is liable for any deteriora- 

 tion arising out of his negligence, but 

 he cannot be compelled to take the 

 goods and pay full value for them. 

 The owner is to dispose of the goods 

 to best advantage, as if the -whole loss 

 were destined to fall oh him, and then 

 he may hold the carrier for the differ- 

 ence -between the price obtained for 

 the goods and the value they would 

 have had if the carrier had not been 

 negligent in regard to them. This is 

 held practically to be the law in every 

 state of the Union." 



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