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18 IN T E R S T A T E COM M ERCE C O M M ISS IO N REPORTS. I is the best. I f the automatic contrivances were absolutely reliable they would be superior, since the element o f human error is entirely excluded, but the testimony indicates that this device is not abso­lutely reliable, or, at least, only w ithin certain limits. U pon the other hand, it is conceded that the mechanical self-recording instru­ment gives w ith absolute accuracy the w eight shown by the scale when the contrivance is put in action by pressing the lever. O f 4,601 scales installed upon 93 o f the principal railroads o f the 'United States 1,124 are equipped w ith the self-recording and 157 With the automatic device. I t is significant that the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at its Juniata scale, which is maintained in the highest possible state o f efficiency and over which more cars are prob­ably weighed annually than upon any other scale in the: U nited States, after having tried both devices has discarded both and now weighs by hand. Th e reason given by the expert o f that company was that at that scale the automatic instrument was not sufficiently accurate and the self-recording too slow. W e wish to carefully avoid any apparent expression o f approval or disapproval o f these rival instruments. Much must depend upon the conditions under which the service is to be rendered, and there is nothing in this record from which an opinion could properly be formed. W h at we desire is to impress the thought that it is just as essential to provide a competent operator as to furnish a suitable scale, and that so fa r no device has been invented which w ill dispense w ith intelligence, faithfulness, and ability upon the part o f that operator. Th e weighmaster must be as fit as the scale, a truth too often overlooked at the present time. TARE WEIGHTS. Th e weight o f the contents o f a car is determined by subtracting from the weight o f car and contents as shown by the scale the tare Weight as stenciled upon the car. In some few instances the car is Weighed both loaded and light, but in the great m ajority o f cases this is impossible and the stenciled tare must be used. I t is evident that even though the scale weight be accurate the result is error Unless the tare weight o f the car is also correct. Th e tare weight as stenciled is given in multiples o f 100 pounds, and the stenciled weight is treated as correct unless the test shows a variation o f more than 100 pounds from the marked tare. U nder this definition o f correct probably at least 80 per cent, and very likely 90 per cent, o f all stenciled tares were at the beginning o f this investi­gation inaccurate. A great amount o f testimony has been introduced upon this point, and pages might be filled with tables showing the results o f actual tests made both by shippers and by carriers, but this 28 i. c. m V would be unprofitable and is unnecessary. Minnesota is one o f the few states in which the railroad commission exercises an actual super­vision over track-scale weighing. Th e commission o f that state con­ducted an exhaustive series o f tests as to the accuracy o f tare weights. There is every reason to believe that these tests were fa irly m ade; the results accord w ith the general import o f other tables: introduced, and some o f these results may be referred to as illustrative. Between A p r il 16 and August 15, 1912, 10,967 cars were light-weighed. These cars were not especially selected but were all the cars which were unloaded during that period at certain points.- N o special pains were taken to see that the cars were clean or that they did not contain foreign substances. Th e cars were simply weighed under load and again weighed when unloaded in the same condition that they were received by the railroad and would be put back into serv­ice or delivered to another shipper fo r loading. Th ey had contained just previously grain, hay, straw, or coal. About three-fourths had been loaded w ith grain. O f these, 6,254 weighed more than the stenciled weight. The variation was all the way from a few hundred to 9,000 pounds, the average being 461 pounds to the car; 4,207 weighed less than the stenciled weight, the variation being as high as 6,000 pounds, and the average 548 pounds; 506 cars out o f the total number were correctly stenciled. I t has been said that the above cars were weighed without-any special attempt to see that they were free from foreign substances, the purpose being to weigh the car as it would be delivered by the railroad to a shipper fo r loading and m ight be loaded' by him. Special pains were, however, taken w ith 3,516 o f these cars to see that they were clean and contained no foreign matter which could increase the weight. Th e result o f this was that 1,374 weighed more than the stenciled w eight by an average o f 352 pounds to the car, 1,778 weighed less than the stenciled weight by an average o f 531 pounds to the car, while 364 cars were accurately stenciled. Th e Minnesota commission weighed many other cars at other times, Th e general result o f most other experiments would show a greater variation than the figures above given, but we have selected these as made in the manner which, all in all, seems to be the fairest. Th e conclusion which should fa irly be drawn from everything said upon this investigation is about that indicated by the above figures. Some o f the causes o f this erroneous stenciling o f tare weights can • be readily assigned. Most cars are o f wood, or contain more or less wood. Such cars shrink in weight when put into service. Th is record does not show, nor in the nature o f things would it be possible to show, exactly what ^ I N RE WEIGHING OK FREIGHT 15V CARRIER.. 19 28 I. O. C.