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1 0 IN T E R S T A T E OOMMERf!!?, P.nivnvrTCiamxr T?T?r»r»x>nnci i the original erroneous weights, these changes in the origin al weight were a source o f constant irritation and inconvenience to shippers. Th e carriers insist that these errors were as often in fa vo r o f as against the shipper, and that on the whole they would offset one another. There is, and there can be, no intelligent opinion upon this point, nor is this, perhaps, material. Th e freigh t rate is in most cases assessed by the hundred pounds. I t amounts to the same thing whether the rate be high or the w eight be excessive. Inaccuracies in w eighing result in the imposition o f unreasonable charges and in discrimination between shippers just as really as do differences in the freigh t rate itself. N o r does it meet the situation to say that the railroad has given to one shipper, by assessing charges upon too low a weight, what it has taken from another by enforcing an ex­cessive weight. In so fa r as possible the weight assessed should be the true weight. This report w ill deal as briefly as possible w ith the fo llo w in g matters: 1. The installation o f the track scale. 2. Inspection and testing. 3. Operation. 4. Tare weights o f cars. 5. W eigh in g o f particular commodities. 6. General rules. 7. Remedial suggestions. INSTALLATION OP TRACK SCALES. Th is record contains the testimony o f the representatives o f one or more scale manufacturers and o f the manufacturers o f various de­vices used in connection w ith track scales, and also that o f several railroad experts from those systems which have given special atten­tion to this subject. There are exhibits showing the ideal track scale and the method o f its installation, but it would not be profita­ble to attempt to here discuss any o f these matters o f technical detail. I t is only desired at this point to emphasize the necessity o f a proper installation, without which the best scale can not be kept in proper condition or made to produce accurate results. Th e standard track scale o f to-day has a capacity o f from 200,000 to 300,000 pounds. Its length, meaning the length o f the track above the scale over which the cars pass, is from 40 to 52 feet. The commonest defect in the installation o f the scale seems to be in the construction o f the p it containing the scale itself. N o t only should the foundations be sufficient, but the p it itself should be so constructed that it can be kept absolutely dry and can be readily entered fo r 28 I. C. C. purposes o f inspection. W hen great accuracy is desired i t should be kept at a uniform temperature. Form erly the platform above the scale was attached to the scale itself, the track upon which the car stood being laid on the platform . W ith this system o f construction the platform is very liable to bind at the edges, producing inaccuracy in weights, and the modem method is to support the tracks upon which the car rests when being weighed upon standards which pass down through the platform , so that the platform itself is stationary and not connected w ith the scale. A second track is laid upon the platform so that the car, when the scale is not in use, may be passed over the scale without engaging its mechanism. Th e cost o f a m odem track scale, installed, depends somewhat upon the location where the installation is to be made, and runs from $3,300 to $10,000, according to the size and quality o f the scale. Th e state o f Oregon has recently employed an inspector o f track scales, and we quote below from his first report to the railroad commission o f that state: In tlie forty scales that I have inspected I have found only one that I could pass without adjustment. This was a privately owned scale,* which did not belong to any railroad. The scales inspected have varied from forty to twelve hundred pounds from correct w eight; some have weighed heavy and Others have weighed light. Not a single scale in the lot was, in my judgment, originally properly in­stalled. I found the main platform bearings out of place, and many scales have been found to be binding. There were all kinds o f false bearings, levers were out o f level, and connections not plumb; check rods too tight-*—in fact, I found about every possible defect that would cause a scale to give the wrong weight. W h ile conditions are im proving, and w hile but little remains to be desired in the case o f some few railroads, the above illustrates what is still true o f a very considerable part o f this country. Th is record leaves no reasonable doubt that a m ajority o f the track scales now in use should be at once rebuilt in order to obtain reasonably accu­rate results. I t is also apparent that many additional scales should be installed. INSPECTION AND TESTING. W h ile a track scale is a strong and sturdy piece o f mechanism intended to deal w ith heavy weights and to resist rough usage, it is, nevertheless, somewhat delicate and liable to get out o f order. I f the pit which contains the scale is damp the bearings rust and this interferes with the correctness o f the result. I f anything gets between the platform and the edge o f the pit, in those cases where the w eighing track rests upon the platform , the scale m ay bind. 28 I. O. C. I N RE W E IG H IN G OP F R E IG H T B Y CARRIER. 11