Carrier

Carrier, one who conveys goods from place to place for hire for such persons as think fit to employ him. Such is a proprietor of waggons, barges, lighters, merchant, ships, or other instruments for the public conveyance of goods. In a legal sense it extends not only to those who convey goods by land, but also to the owners and masters of ships, mail contractors, and even to wharfingers who undertake to convey goods for hire from their wharves to the vessel in their own lighters, but not to mere hackney coachmen. By ancient custom acknowledged by judicial decision, a common carrier of goods for hire is not only bound to take goods tendered to him, if he has room in his conveyance, and he is informed of their quality and value, but he is liable for their loss except in three cases. 1. Loss arising from the king's public enemies. 2. Loss arising from the act of God, such as storm, lightning, or tempest. 3. Loss arising from the owner's own fault, as by imperfect packing.

Carriers Act. In order to settle disputes as to loss and injury between carriers and persons whose property they carried, the Act of 11 George IV. and 1 William IV. c. 68 was passed, by which it is enacted that no common carrier by land shall be liable for the loss of, or injury to, certain articles, particularly enumerated in the Act, contained in any package which shall have been delivered, either to be carried for hire, or to accompany a passenger, when the value of such article shall exceed °10, unless at the time of the delivery of the package to the carrier the value and nature of such article shall have been explicitly declared. In such case the carrier may demand an increased rate of charges, a table of which increased rates must be affixed in legible characters in some public and conspicuous part of the receiving office; and all persons who send goods are bound by such notice, without further proof of the same having come to their knowledge. A carrier can refuse to deliver up goods which have come into his possession as a carrier until his reasonable charges for the carriage of same are paid. A person who conveys passengers only is not a common carrier.