The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1907-09-21
4 PROFITABLE BUSINESS.

Business men who have. any
dealings with express companies
often complain of the heavy charges
znade for carrying all kinds of
merchandise or produce. That the
rates charged are excessive appears
co the general opinion of all kinds
and conditions of men, but the
Dublic is in the hands of q mon
spoly, a monopoly backed and en-
C.ouraged by railroad companies,
and despite the amount of senti-
znent and public opinion arrayed
against it, continues to flourish.
The Wells Fargo Express Compa-
ny has Just issued its report of the
earnings of the company for the
fiscal year ending July 81, and
there we find that this company
las made its exclusive franchise
yield a profit of 53.93 per centum
on its capital stock for the past
year. This is not an unusual con-
-ezition as will be seen by a perusal
of the report of the president. The
Wells Fargo Company is capitaliz-
editor S., 900, 900, and the net earn
Ings during the year ending July
81 were $4,313,9O4. Is. it any
&onder that express companies
spend large sums of money in
Washington whenever the subject
of a parcels post is mentioned. The
people of other countries are able
90 send packages through the post
sEor a very small percentage of the
amount charged by express COM
Danies in the United States, and it
is done expeditiously. The public
will be compelled to suffer the ex-
tortionate charges for some time
longer until 1.-The government is
compelled to establish itself in the
express business. This is no social
Jstic idea, any more than ..the post
office department is socialistic.
Other nations have a parcels post
and had it not been for the lobby
ing of the express companies the
United States would have. been
right up to the minute and carry
ing packages for its people just as
It does letters at reasonable rate.
There is evidence that the people
are getting together on this sub
Feet. AS will be seen from the re-
sort of the president of the Wells
Fargo Company, many states are
passing laws to restrain the ex-
press companies, but they thrive
and wax fat under restrictive legis-
Iation.
In his annual report Dudley
Evans, the president, says: The
railroad mileage in the United
States ana Mexico covered by the
company's contracts amounts to
47,619 miles; the stage, inland
steamer and ocean steamship mile.
age amounts to 8691 miles. making
a total mileage operated of 56,310
miles, an increase for the year of
Z625 miles. The business of the
6scal year Just closed has been sat
Tsfactory in many respects, and
while larger than last year, yet
>7wing to weather conditions
throughout the country, especially
IN the middle West. we were not
able to secure that volume of what
rs known as special trafic which
We anticipated; but it is hardly to
he expected in covering a territory
so vast as that embraced by our
lines that we can experience fav-
uzable conditions in all sections.
Ia my last report 1 called atten-
,xion to the serious hindrances we
were experiencing by reason of
restrictive legislation, and desire
80 say in this connection that since
Ehen an additional number of
States and Territories have enact
ed laws appointing commissions,
whose duties embrace not only the
regulations of railroads, but ex-
press companies as well, and the
General tendency of such commits