T eur slips re showing
Page 43
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SM LLS TRAFFIC was causing soyre problems for the railways ev n a century ago. A be utifully embossed memora dum on the subject by an LN R official in 1881 admits tha mistakes in the loads and wrong sending are very frei uent.'' e was seeking a recording anc invoicing system that was co plete and accurate within
ex essive, costly, timeco suming clerical work.
new "van bill and consignme t note" was intended to be cut into strips for each item after the goods had been weighed an checked at the van tailboard. Each slip was to ace mpany its relevant package to t e railway truck. Then all the sli s for goods consigned to the sa e town were to be pasted to ether to form an invoice. Ha dly surprisingly, the system wa impracticable. Consigners, it seems, didn't help. Describing a modification of the system, the railway official observed a little wearily: "While the offices make out the bills correctly, the public do noi comply with all the little perfections necessary, so that when the slips are separated they dc not give the required information."
Life was ever thus. Hovi, much easier transport would be if there were no customers.