The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-10-09
The STAMPS ON
EXPRESS PACKAGES
Local Manager Ham Says Ques-
ton Has Not Been Decided
AS TO WHO SHOULD PAY IT.
Explains Why Express Company Can't
Afford to Pay Tax Commercial Club
Will Make Its Request on
President of Company.

| There is great deal of interest mani
! tested in Birmingham over the final out
| come of the request which the Commercial
| club will make on the Southern Express
| company, that the shipper be not compelled
| to pay for the war revenue stamp of l cent
| which the law requires shall be placed on
| every receipt issued by the express
office.
| The club passed a resolution Friday after
| noon requesting the express company, in
view of the fact that in many other. states
| the company and not the shipper paid for
| the stamp that the company adopt this
course in Alabama without resorting to
| legal procedure.
Secretary Gibson, of the Consmercial club,
| will have the duty of notifying the officials
| of the company of the clubs action which
| he will do in the next day or two.
John H. Ham, the local agent of the COM
pany for Birmingham, said yesterday after
noon that he had noticed through the news
| papers the action of the Commercial club,
and that he had already sent his superin-
| tendent an unofficial copy of the same.
| Mr. Ham seemed to doubt that the COM
| the facts as he understood them were cor
| rect
| ~ don't think the contest in Georgia be-
| tween the railroad commissioners and the
| express company has ever been definitely
| decided" said he. LAS 1 understand it, the
| commissioners only ask that the company
| put on the stamp when the shipment is
| between points in Georgia. While the con-
| test is being settled 1 think that the shipper
still continues to pay for the stamp
1.-THE United States supreme court has
never had occasion to decide the matter,
though 1 where one of the judges ca
pressed the opinion that the law was indefi-
mite, and according to it, was immaterial
| to the government who paid for stamp,
| just so it was paid. 1 have heard of several
state decisions by the supreme courts of the
| various states. some in favor of the express
companies and others against them.
There is an erroneous idea which seems
to exist to the enormous profits which
the express companies make,'' continued
Mr.. Ham. I'm the first place the express
companies have to pay the railroads exact
ly one-half of the gross amount charged
| for hauling the packages. Out of the one
| half that is left, the company must pay all
| of its employees, of which there are a great
number, and must pay heavy licenses and
taxes, as. well many other expenses
The damages we have to pay the shippers
when any package is lost destroyed is
| another very heavy expense. You can see
how this cuts down the met receipts for
the company. 1t is a well known fact that
the average net profit which the company
makes each package is only three cents.
of this for a revenue stamp it would cut
our net profits down exactly one-third
I'm the money order department the ex-
press companies have been compete to
make such low rates in order to meet the
rates established by the postofice depart
ment that there is an average of just one
half cent profit to us on each money ship
ment we make. Still most people want US
to pay for the two-cen> lamp which the
government requires on each such order.
| The reports of the postoffice department
show that the money order department of
| the postoffice has always been dead loss,
| and could only be sustained by the profits
made in some of the other departments.
| The express company is not in the business
| for glory like the government seems to be.
1.-The public seems to forget that no mat
1 w
or any other article which the law re-
| quires them, that the public must at last
| pay for 1t. This is true with all the pro-
| prietary stamps. One now has to pay 30
cents for a plug of tobacco, yITlch, before
| the war went into effect, he could obtain
| for % cents. In many other cases the price
| of the commodity has been increased, and
| in others it has been adulterated made
| OF inferior stuff
~ am often asked why 1t is that If the
| railroads can afford to put stamp on
express receipts. The answer is simple.
| The railroads ship freight by the carload
| and We ship express by little packages
| One shipment of heavy freight, for instance
| pig iron, often takes number of cars, yet
| only stamp is required for the bill of
| lading"
| President Steiner of the Commercial club
| answer from the president of the Southern
| Express company, and until then he could
not say what course the club would our
sue.
| IF, as Mr.. Ham says, said Mr.. Seiner,
1.-The question has never been definitely SET
| tied in any of the other states, l should
think that the club will wait until the
case, as l suppose they will do this fall"
Fresh stock OF Baby Pim-
4Olas. FOWlkes & Wyatt Co.
Tor Q1 auo on1 Cntb CT