Careless Car Loading Again

Again we hear complaints on the part of California lumber buyers against some of the mills in the northwest on account of careless loading.

Every once in a while the subjec't comes np and every time the offending mills take heed and prornise to do better. And they really do better for a, while. Then old John W. Carelessness seems to take hold of the job of loadin,g up in Oregon and the boys at this end of the line are up against a combination of grief, confusion, damaged stock, claims and dissatisfied customers. Just as if the average retailer didn't have enough to worry about already !

"The rail shippers-or some of them, at least-are growing terribly careless in their loading," said one prominent retail operator the other day. "They simply are throwing the stuff into' the cars helter-skelter as a man rnight pitch in unbaled hay. This makes it expensive for the buyer to unload .it, which is extremely unsatisfactory, and spoils a lot of finished lumber besides ripping the tongue and groove off of ceiling, flooring and the like, an.d splitting rustic."

Of course, not all the mills are guilty of this kind of practice, but the carelessness of a few of them reflects discredit on all of them. As a result the entire rail shipment business suffers.

This is a vital nratter with those yards that buy most of their stock rail shipment and The Californira Lumber Merchant will be glad to receive comments from other retailers who have suffered from this evil.

Also we will be glad to pr,int anytl-ring that the mills have to say in defense of the practice-if there is anything defensible about it.