8 BULLETIN" 267, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 



will accept a car and sell it for what it will bring, and then enter 

 a claim against the railroad through their traffic department in 

 favor of the shipper. When this is done the shipment is accepted 

 from the railroad " under protest," which means that the consignee 

 reserves the right to enter a claim later. Thus, if a car of boxed 

 apples, for instance, should arrive at destination in bad condition, 

 the consignee might give written notice to the railroad of condi- 

 tional acceptance in some such form as follows: 



Chicago, III., September 20, 191J/. 

 Mr. J. J. Doe, 



Local Freight Agent, X. Y. & Z. R. R. Co., Chicago, III. 

 Dear Sir : On September 20, 1914, you notified us of the arrival of car FGE 

 29853, containing apples. This is to inform you that the contents of this car 

 did not arrive in good order, and we hereby notify you that the receipt of same 

 and payment of freight is made under protest, and claim will be entered for 

 the following reason : 



Entire car is badly shifted, causing a number of boxes to be broken and 

 contents spilled on floor. Exact amount of damage can not be determined 

 until car is unloaded. 



(Signed) , 



Consignee. 



There are several essentials to be observed in filing claims. A writ- 

 ten notice of the intended claim should be filed with the railroad at 

 once, so as to permit the company to make immediate inspection in 

 order to protect itself. As soon as the exact loss is ascertained by the 

 consignee, claims should be filed in accordance with printed railroad 

 instructions and should offer complete details, backed in every case 

 by affidavits. It is very important that the original bill of lading 

 be in the possession of the party who files the claim, otherwise there 

 may be great difficulty in collecting. 



One advantage of handling business through a cooperative organi- 

 zation or other large company is the ease and rapidity with which 

 these concerns can collect just railroad claims. The large associations 

 are in a position to employ trained traffic managers, who, by care- 

 fully submitting only those claims which are clearly justified and by 

 backing up those claims with affidavits and' evidence, are able to 

 make prompt and full collections. 



TERMINAL DISTRIBUTION AND SALES METHODS. 



A panoramic view of the activities at one of the large distribution 

 centers of the country would probably reveal some astonishing facts 

 to the layman. When sales are being made on one of our large- 

 markets, the mingling of various types of middlemen and the activi- 



