The Washington times., 1907-02-25
EXPRESS COS.
FIND A HOLE
IN RATE BILL
Stifle. Trade by Crawling
Through Standard Pipe
Lines After Com
mission Men.

The remarkable story of how the ex-
press companies crawled out OF the new
railroad rate law, through the Standard
Oil Company's pipe lines. has been de-
veloped through The Investigations Of
the Western Fruit Jobbers' Association.
and laid before the Interstate Commerce
Commission and the Interstate Com
perce Committee OF the House OF Rep
resentatives.
That the express companies are today
conducting throughout the West and
South a regular commission business,
handling fruit, oysters. and many other
articles, including all sorts OF household
necessaries. and fast driving the COM
mission houses out OF business, has been
proved A great array of documentary
evidence has been secured BY Repre-
sentative John l.. Kennedy Of Omaha,
who has taken up the fight at the re
quest Of Secretary L. b. Branch, of the
Western Fruit Jobbers' Association, and
submitted to the Interstate Commission,
which has indorsed Mr.. Kennedy's res
olution ordering an investigation OF
these new business activities.
Small Firms Can't Compete.
Unless the express companies are by
law driven out Of the commission busi-
ness, according to Mr.. Kennedy, they
will soon force the commission houses
out Of business. The latter caauot hope
TO compete. Mr. Kennedy points out
that if the express concerns are per-
mitted thus to secure a monopoly of
this trade they viii. of course, do just
what the railroads have done when they
have come into control Of the coal busi-
hHf fe h4fr IN 81 ON
all competition and increase prices.
IL is made apparent now that the eX-
press companies turned the cleVerest
trick that was turned in connection
with the passage of the rate legislation
last year. Nobody thought OF them
when the conference committees we're
working on the section Of the law which
provided that common carriers must not
become dealers IN the articles they
transported. The Senate put into the
bin a provision that common carriers
must not DUCOln merchants. They must
not deal In articles they transported.
Then the Standard oil interests came
TO the front and pointed out that "cOm-
mon carriers included nipc lines. and
that III this provision was left unchanged
the Standard would not be able 10 run
its own oil through its thousands of
miles Of pipe lines. After a long fight
they won their point, and the law was
changed to make this provision apply
only TO railroads Instead OF TO all COM
mon carriers So, rs the law Hpally
went on the statute books, pipe line and
express companies are permitted 90 be
also merchants and TO deal in the art
iclcs they transported. The express
companies have lost no time In taking
advantage of their opportunity.
q. r-~r-7 Issue Great Price Lists.
Mr.. Kennedy's documents make a
complete case. he declares. Typical of
them is a great price list OF the United
States Express Company, dated October
3. 1896. and issued from New York II
IS headed United States Express Com
pany Price List. published by the order
and commission department" and farth-
er on, You can consign any kind OF
produce 10 our order and commission
department at any Office of this com
pany and our agent will sell TO best ad-
vantage and return proceeds at ono"
We quote prices, solicit and forward
orders and purchase goods for you
which saves time and money, with No
extra charge.
Price lists issued by the United
States. Wells Fargo. Pacific, American
express companies are submitted by Mr.
Kennedy. When the Western Fruit job
bers' Association protested TO the coin
panies the replies received We're mos
interesting. Thus NJ. r Jones' super.
intendent OF traffic OF the United States
Express Company, writing from New
York August ( last, after explaining
that the company didn't want TO be un
friendly to jobbers and commission deal
ers, concluded:
This company would be pleased Il
meet the views Of your association If +
were possible, but at present with 8,
many active competitors in the field n
the same line we must do as they do
II you can prevail upon the other com
panies 10 stop the practices Of which
You complain you may be assured tha
this company will do anything it legal
~ can TO assist YOU"
This is typical of the expressions from
all the other companies.