Before a claim is presented, all information pertaining to the case in possession of the claimant must be assembled, and all facts should be incorporated in the papers filed. A bill should be made against the railroad for the amount of the claim, and to this should be attached the freight receipt or other voucher. These papers should be accompanied by a letter giving a plain statement of the basis of the claim; if for an overcharge, the number of the tariff and the classification on which it is based should be cited. The claim papers should be as complete as it is possible to make them, presenting all facts having a possible bearing, otherwise they will be returned by the claim agent of the railroad for further information. Some of the questions asked by the claim agent may seem trivial to the claimant, but the answers are necessary to him in completing the files of his office. When claim papers are returned through the local freight office, the information asked should be given and the papers returned at once. Claimants become very impatient over delays in the adjustment of their claims, forgetting that where they handle perhaps a dozen claims a year, the railroad claim agent must handle thousands, involving amounts ranging from a few cents to many hundreds of dollars. They also overlook the fact that a shipment has passed over several roads, and that before the claim can be adjusted, it must be ascertained on what road the damage was sustained. The different roads involved must adjust the claim between themselves, before they can tell where the money with which to pay it is coming from. The papers must pass through the hands of agents at all junction and transfer points, and the claim departments of all roads involved, before the claimant can expect a reply. On the other hand, it is not good business to rely solely on the railroad. Claim papers sometimes repose indefinitely in the desk of some local freight agent, until brought to light by a persistent follow-up; occasionally the papers are lost. A follow-up of freight claims is, therefore, a necessity. The shipper who is most persistent in following up his claims, is usually the beneficiary of the most prompt service. Railroads number all claims as received, and invariably refer to them by number. It is an excellent plan, therefore, for the shipper to adopt a numerical system for the purpose of identification. It is quite important that all correspondence relating to a claim be kept together, and this is best done by using a folder for each claim. The number of claims is so small that it is not necessary to use an entire drawer for claims; they can be accommodated in the front of a drawer used for regular correspondence. [Illustration: Fig. 11. Folder for Freight Claims]