El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-17
The New E. P. & N. E. Switch Engine.

company Is OOllSeu W poy L CcuG eoA VI
it's receipt given for the shipment, the
loss to the company in such a trans
action would amount to 80 OF l cent
on each transaction.
There are many packages carried
for which q charge OF but 10 cents Is
made. Ninety-three per cent of the
ID cents, representing amount OF earn
ings paid for railroad and operating
expenses, shows that. out OF the 10
cents. 13 95-1OO cents is paid by the ex-
press company for railroad and Oper-
atinp expenses. Now, if, in addition
to this there is paid q tax of l cent on
such shipment, it makes the outlay by
the express company IA 95-10O, leaving
a profit of but 5-100 of a cent, or, re-
duced to lowest denomination, 1-2O OF
cent.
There are many shipments of over
10 cents and not over 20 cents. Take 8
package on which charges realized are
20 cents. The amount paid bv express
companies for railroad and operating
expenses is 90 per cent, amounting to
IS CLIO, add to this the l cent tax and
we have 10 Clio as cost to the express
company for the service of carrying
such 20 cent package, leaving as pro-
fit 40 of l cent, or 4 mills.
son shipme ats on which charges are
over 20 cents and not over % cents,
take the maximum, % cents, as basis:
we find that the outlay, or SO per cent,
representing amounts paid railroad
and operating expenses, is 23t cents:
adding to this the l cent tax, would
make the outlay 244 cents. The profit,
therefore, for carrying the 25-cent
package would be but of cent.
shipments on which charges are
over % cents and not over 50cents COM
prise perhaps 80 per cent of the ship
ments handled by express. Taking the
maximum, so cents, we find that fine
outlay by the express companies Of 93
per cent, as hereinbefore explained,
amounts to 46! cents: adding to thib the
tax to be paid on the receipt given, si1
makes the outlay AL cents, 4Savip4
from the gross earnings q profit of
cents
"On shipments the charges on VIII
are over SO cents and not over 75lce
and using IS cents, the maximum,
basis. we find that the outlay to-
railroads and for operating expens}
per cent, shows the cost of transpf
ton to be 69f cents. to which 1 cent. f01
the receipt given Is tax, makes the
outlay 70a Genus, the profit to the ex-
press company being At cents. \
ION shipments the charges on which
are over IS cents and not over 81, using
the maximum as basis, shows an out
lay of SO cents, to which add tax of l
cent, making "a cents, leaving as profit
to the express company 8 cents.
''In this connection | will call your
attention to the fact that there are a
great many intermediary charges be-
tween the amounts given in each case,
the profits on which would be less than
that stated under the maximum
charges.
ar - --o.o % ,bo ,>o;a. of sbo,r
ing the results which would accrue ii
the express companies were required
to pay the tax. as has been held they
should do by your commission, and.
think with this showing, it should be
conceded that this tax, if intended by
congress to be paid by the express
companies. would be found to be I'M
equal and unjust, and, as l have before
seated, the express companies are act
ing under the advice of counsel. So
far as l am personally concerned, |
hope there will soon be an adjudics:
tion of the question, by the court OF
last resort, so that all concerned may
know what the law intends.
In this mornings Dallas News |
have read an interview of the Hon.
Allison Msy6eld, in which he is re-
ported as saying:
sin a few days the commission will
issue q notice to consider the reduction
of rates on merchandise. as charged by
| the express companies; that there has
| been no material reduction in express
rates on merchandise; that the reports
Of the two largest express companies
doing business in Texas, as received
blythe commission, show that these
companies earned, net, in Texas
nearly double the amounts thai
they have invested within the
state"
| On Dec. of last year there was pub
iished, as dispatch from Austin, q
statement, purporting to have been
given out by Auditor Askew, in which
it was stated that the Pacific Express
company had S31, 900 invested in Texa:
and that the Texas business alone, and
above Texas expenses, showed ne
Earnings for the year ending June 81
amounting to S53, 200. | will state tina
this company has, in Texas, about 27t
Ioffices: that If the statement of DR.
IAskew is correct, that its net earning
lin Texas were $50, 900, it would shov
that our average yearly net earning
for each office amounts to but abOu
1876 30; that the average daily ne
earnings for all working days within
the year, for each Office, would be blu
So cents per Office
1
lAuditor Askew informed me that b
did not give this information out to tn
public, and, therefore, | am unabl
to say how the information was or
tanned.
81 have given these facts in detail
because we have always found it diff
cult, in discussing this matter wit
our friends, with whom we are dom
business, as well as officials, to ge
them to look at the matter from
basis, founded upon individual trar
sactiOns, from which the whole Nigh
be judged.
Trusting this information may b
of value to you, in making up you
minds in the matter, as to the equit
in the case, and believing it is you
desire to do as nearly right as pos
sible, am very respectfully.
: 20. w. CASE, Superintendent.