The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-09-03
THE EXPRESS BUSINESS.
Its Growth in New England-Liberal
Policy OF the American Company.

Boston journal.
Since the days of Harnden and con tempor-
aries, who originated the express business in
New England, giant strides have been made
in this important branch of the transpOrta-
tion business, and from the satchel and pack
age business of the stage driver have grown
the great corporations whose business ex-
tends from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
While the railroads have been gradually
but surely superceding the old stage lines,
the large express companies have been ex-
tending their lines and business until all of
the important cities and towns of New Eng
land are now reached by one or the other of
the large expresses, and this is undoubtedly
greatly to the advantage of the manufactur-
erS and merchants, who now get through
and lower rates to all parts of the country,
saving the time made in transferring from
one express to another and the consequent
extra charge for the double service.
Some adverse criticism has been made
against the large express companies, and in
tereSted parties have raised the cry of mon
opoly, when the fact is that the extension of
the lines of the larger companies in many
places have given the merchant and manu-
facturer advantages, both in time and rates,
in getting their goods to the consumers in the
West and South and also from point to point
in New England.
The benefits of consolidation and extension
as illustrated by one leading express COM
pany in this city-the American-have been
such as to make Boston in no degree
alarmed at the unjustifable cry Of ''monop-
oly'' raised in some quarters. AS far back
as May, 1873, one of our leading trade organ
izations-the Boston Merchants Association
urged the express companies to take
freight to western points at similar rates to
those from New York, but there was no
movement until the American Express Com
pany, in January, 1879, made radical reduc-
ton of rates to place Boston on a par with
New York, which calls forth the especial
thanks of the Boston Merchants Associa-
ton.
Mr.. James EggIeston, the Superintendent
of the American Express Company, has al
ways seen the Importance of Boston having
equal rates with New York, and he has eX-
erted all his influence to bring lit about, and
with the new year the American Express
Company will take express matter at New
York rates.
We regard the action of the American Ex-
press Company as of much Importance as af-
fording facility that has Ibeen long needed
by our wholesale trade and home manufac-
turing enterprises.
The same policy-of giving the public the
best facilities and the lowest possible rates
has been pursued by this company on all of
the new extensions north and east of Boston,
and instead of such extensions increasing
the cost or delaying the business-the COM
pany'S system of tranSacting business under
one organization direct between five or six
thousand points, from Maine to the Missouri
River-has had the effect of not only reduc-
quired, aside from the other benefits derived
by the public in having but one responsible
party to deal with in case of loss, injury or
delay to property.