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saving. 6. Details and recommendations. 7. Equipment specifications and ‘illustrations. The salient facts presented in the report were: — First—An estimated saving of $23,017.24 could be obtained. Second—-A_ decided increase in service could be rendered to the shipping public. Third—-The equipment necessary to effect the saving and the increase in service would cost $50,000. The unfavorable business condi- tions existing at the opening of the 1930 lake season naturally made the management dubious about a proposi- tion requiring the immediate ex- penditure of this amount of money. Could $23,017.24 be saved in one operating season? The management was frankly skeptical. The manufacturer met these nat- ural objections by submitting for consideration a contract for the pur- chase of the equipment which would not require any immediate capital expenditure. Briefly, this contract stipulated that the Cleveland & Buf- falo Transit Co. could acquire title and ownership to the equipment by payment each month of the actual savings effected in the reduction of handling costs. The manufacturer also agreed to furnish a competent 48 .tions on one single sheet. & CITI TIO LURE TORRE LUAU L EL : Kegs of Nails on Trailers being moved by Tractors from shed to ship at the Buffalo Terminal of the C & B, Transit Co. SVT TTT TUUULILELLULEE ULLAL representative to train the men and direct the supervision in the use of equipment and the new methods in- volved. This opportunity to acquire $50,- 000 worth of modern freight han- dling equipment, with the services of an experienced engineer to act as a mentor and guide, changed the en- tire proposition into one where there was much to be gained with nothing to be lost. The initial investment and the results to be obtained rest- ed entirely with the manufacturer; therefore the contract was signed. Six industrial type gasoline trac- tors, 600 steel castor type freight house trailers, equipped with mod- ern safety couplers and racks, and 20 special type dollies for handling machinery were distributed equally between the Cleveland and Buffalo terminals for the start of the sea- son of navigation on April 29, 1930. A cost and production chart as il- lustrated in table on page 47 was installed for the education and guid- ance of the foreman. This chart carries a full month’s record of the individual- daily opera- The fore- men were taught to analyze each day’s results as shown by the chart- ed figures in order to accomplish maximum results. Satisfactory re- sults were obtained even for the VUUUTETUTY SS EVA PATTY EET UH Machine Screws and Bolts Stowed on Trailers on board the City of Frie of the C & B Transit Co. Aver- age Trailer load 3000 pounds HYUAAUVANUDISOUULON NAT HODALU AG EOEANN UH MARINE REVIEw—June, 1931 first month’s operation as evidenced by a reduction of $.166 per ton aj Cleveland and $.192 per ton at Buf- falo. The following tabulation shows the average daily results obtained for the first season compared with estimated performance outlined. It is interesting to note that in both terminals the actual cost was lower than the estimate. Due to higher wages, the cost at Buffalo is higher than at Cleveland, although Buffalo really excells in efficiency (tons per man hour). Increase in tonnage over the estimate is credited to the better service offered. The total savings for the 1930 season was $24,007.73, which was $990.49 more than estimated in the original report. Reasons for the increased patronage of shippers received by the Cleveland & Buffalo line are apparent in a few examples of the service rendered: 1. Delivery and receipt of local freight from and to -trailers at the - tailgate of vehicles resulted in a con- siderable reduction of time for the customer’s truck or dray. 2. Empty trailers were furnished to industries in Buffalo for direct loading at the plant without any fur- ther handling until the freight was unloaded from the same trailers at the consignee’s plant in Cleveland. 3. On one occasion 1300 cases of hothouse tomatoes were received one evening fifteen minutes before sched- uled sailing time. The entire shipment was unloaded from the tailgate of the trucks onto trailers. The loaded trail- ers were run onto the freight deck with no rehandling and the boat sailed only five minutes behind the regular schedule. 4. In general, all freight loaded and transported on trailers has speeded ‘up both the receipt and the delivery and also reduced the element of damage to the freight, and claims. In addition to the installation of modern freight handling equipment for the purpose of economically and safely handling freight, the Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co. has installed a motor truck division operating be- tween Cleveland and Buffalo. This operation was started at the close of navigation in November, 1930, for the express purpose of serving their pat- rons on port to port business during the season of closed navigation on the same divisional basis of freight rates which prevailed during the naviga- tion season. This new service included the same optional storedoor and pickup service which had previously prevailed dur- ing the navigation season. To handle this winter traffic, a fleet of six mod- ern motor vehicle transportation units was put into service. Each train has a ‘payload capacity of 24 tons of freight The success of this new service has been established and proven by the fact that capacity loads have been carried in-both directions since the inaugura- tion of this service. ‘ .