Various  expedients  were  resorted  to  by  the  railway  companies  from
time  to  time  in  order  to  reduce  the  amount  of  clerical  work  to  be  done
in  connection  with  the  traffic  carried,  the  dual  purpose  specially  sought
to  be  obtained  being  that  of  releasing  more  men  for  service  with  H.M.
Forces  and  of  lightening  the  burdens  left  to  be  done  by  those  remaining
behind  or  by  the  inexperienced  substitutes  engaged  in  place  of  those  who
had  left.
Among  other  measures  thus  taken  was  the  adoption,  in  July,  191:5.
of  a  parcel  stamp  system  under  which  the  companies  agreed  to  introduce
"  Paid  "  and  "  To  Pay  "  stamps  and  labels  for  parcels  traffic  and  to
honour  one  another's  stamps  and  labels,  the  effect  thereof  being  to  reduce
the  work  to  be  done  in  the  abstracting  and  summarising  of  way-bills  in
respect  to  traffic  passing  between  different  companies.
Prepayment  of  Parcels  and  Miscellaneous  Traffic.
Much  advantage  was  unidoubtedly  gained  from  the  adoption  of  the
stamp  system,  but  traders  were  still  left  free  either  to  send  their  parcels
and  miscellaneous  traffic  prepaid  by  passenger  train  or  to  leave  the
carriage  charges  to  be  collected  at  the  receiving  stations,  as  might  be
more  convenient  to  them.  In  effect  a  large  proportion  of  the  said
traffic  continued  to  be  sent  "  Carriage  forward,"  and  a  heavy  amount
of  clerical  and  accounts  work  had  still  to  be  done  in  consequence,  owing
to  the  obligation  devolving  upon  the  receiving  company  to  collect  the
carriage  charges.
