The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-22
CHEAPER RATES
FROM NEW YORK
Bosses Fight on Express Com
panieS Will FavOrabIy At
feet Other Cities.
VIEWS OF THE COMMISSION
PRESENT SYSTEM OF CHARGING
MUST CEASE OCT. I.
Special 70 The Herald.)

Washington. July 2L-As a result of
the action of the interstate. commerce
commission in the case of the Boise
Commercial club against the Ad-
ans, United States, American and Pa
cific Express companies and the Wells
Fargo company, cities and towns i'm the
northwest which are not served direct
by express companies running out of
New York will have cheaper rates from
New York and points east after the first
Of October. The Boise case was typical
of many that might have been brought
by places similarly located, and the
commission, in rendering its decision,
makes il general. and applicable 70
practically the whole western country.
Boise is served by the Pacific Express
company alone. None of the other de-
PENDANT companies maintain offices
there. Therefore, express shipm ents
originating i'm the east. and i'm territory
served by the other companies, must be
handled by two companies before fl
reaches Boise, Taking advantage of this
fact. the express companies have i'm
posed excessive charges on small pack
ages which pass through the hands Of
two companies in reaching their desti-
nation. 1t was this excessive charge
which the Boise Commercial club as
sailed.
Extra Rate Tackled On.
But it was not alone this exorbitant
rate which was condemned. 1t has been
the custom of the express companies. on
shipments across the country. to exact
a much heavier charge on q. O. ID. ship
meuts than on similar shipments on
which the charges were prepaid. For
Instance OF eight-pound packages, New
Ns.Fs1a q Nr-fa.a 0
charges he paid SIPS: if he sent the
package collect, the consignee had to
pay $3.50, This custom also must end.
This condition of rate making" says
the commission, I'm its decision lis un-
known I'm the railroad freight business.
IL Is fundamental that there can be but
one lawful rate between two points. and
the law takes no cOgnizance whatever of
the distinction made by the express
companies between prepaid and collect
shipments. 1t is a carriers right as
public service corporation to demand
prepayment on all shipments, and il
may not distinguish between persons
who pay in advance and those who do
not The carrier may waive it's right to
demand prepayment and accept a ship
ment with the understanding that il
will collect the charges upon delivery to
the cOnsignee, but if it does not collect
such charges from the consignee il must
look to the consignor for payment To
accept a shipment without prepayment
IS no more than to extend credit to the
cOnSlgnOr, and this within reasonable
and nondiscriminatOry limits ii may do.
But neither a railroad, an express com
pany nor other common carrier may
lawfully make rates based upon the
waiver of its rights to collect charges at
the time it receives a shipment.
Were TWO Rates.
There being apparently two rates |
from New York TO Boise on packages of |
less than tWenty-fOur pounds. the shin /
per is justified in demanding the lower /
of the two rates and the carrier may
not legally demand or collect more. This |
commission is likewise justified i'm hold /
ing that such lower rate is reasonable. /
or at least not unreasonably low, be- /
cause 1t is a voluntary rate of the car /
rier."
Reverting TO the excessive charges on /
shipments to points west, other than the i
high charge on c. o. d. shipments. the l
commission explains that these rates /
have been arrived at by what the com
panies designate a double graduate rule.
The rate so fixed almost always exceeds /