The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-26

was a certain mwritten law to the effect
that good breeding was indicated by a
Willingness to become . private express
messenger for everybody
From the small beginning Of Harnden
there has grown up a system Of express
companies which reaches every town IN
the United States. 1t covers nearly a
quarter million miles of railroad and cleo
tric lines. and does business amount
ing 60 Sl2s,9l0eQJ a year. There are slA
principal express companies, and they do
about 20 per cent OF the express business
me express service has been SO hghiY
developed that even the Philippines are
now included. and one may send express
packages TO more than d hundred offices
in those far-off islands. Prepayment IS
an essential condition I'm expressing pack
ages to Philippine points
Someone has said that the express COM
panies buy transportation at wholesale
and sell II at retail. but even this IS not
all. They do an order and commission
clare that the interstate commerce COM
mission ought not to take the right OF
doing this sort Of business out OF thelr
hands. In a recent hearing II was point
ed out that many growers got surer ana
better returns when entrusttng the sale
of their goods TO the express companies
than by sending them Ia regular COM
mission merchants. In many sections a
large trucking business has been tastered
and built up through the aid of the ex-
press companies in marketing the gOOQs-
The commission houses are trying TO pre-
vent a continuation Of this business
through petitions filed with the interstate
commerce commission. No decision has
been reached by that body as TO the le-
gaiity Of this practice under the terms OF
the rate law
merchants the express companies Will
purchase goods for customers IN any
town where they have agencies Ihey
will file legal documents redeem paWned
FfaFz la1a INN rfrfg sa1d
ports transport goods in bond, exchange
foreign money. pay gas bills, and in short
serve as business agents in any sort or
legitimate transaction where the trans
pOrtatiOn Of goods or the exchange OF
money is involved.
1t is said that no other business in the
United States Yields such great returns
on so small an investment as the express
business. With total equipment valued
at less than 100000 they are able 70
show gross earnings Of Sl2S,0G0.VJg with
net income of more than Sl3,UOoVO
year They have S3000.000 worth OF horses
and wagons valued at 100000. office
fixtures count for as much more. sal
aries is the principal item Of expenditures
after pay for transportation. The express
companies employ 10000 people at an eX-
penditUre OF $4,000 000-an average sal
airy of $500
The express companies must always be
on guard against crooks and sWlndlers.
One of the most unique schemes to beat
western sharper. He put wet sponge
in a box of PHOSPHORUS. and delivered
the package to an express company De
claring il TO contain diamonds worth
thousands of dollars. He thought it
would start a COnflagratiOn somewhere,
through the sponge drying out ana pc
coming ignited. IF his plan had worked
he could have mulCted the eXDreSs COM
pany out of the alleged value of the
package, but a Watchful clerk found It
smoking I'm time to prevent big fire,
In another case the agent at the little
town of Batesville, Ind, received many
packages of jewelry. sent c o. d. TO
Or. WinslOW." Or. WinslOw' was not
known TO anybody in that community
The agent sent the packages to Indian
apolis for safe keeping. He soon re-
ceived a card from DIR. Winslow,' ask
ing him to hold the packages until he
called The cali was made one night
after the agent and the town of Bates
Vile had gone to bed The next morn
Or Winslow'' had proposed to profit by
his new &C. 0. D. game.
The new interurban electric lines are
buttinc into the business of the express
companies. These lines advertise to carry
express as cheaply as the steam roads
carry freight, and they are getting big
share of the business. However. the
western express companies are alive to
the. Importance of the interurban lines as
business getters and feeders for through
service. for they are making contracts
with them as well as with the steam
roads
Perhaps the most travelled man in the
express service in Canada or the United
States is W. D. Heath. who runs on the
Illinois Central. He has been an express
messenger since 1850, and figures that
during that time he has Travelled 1881
900 miles or 140 times around the world
II is said that there are a few railroad
men in the United States who can beat
this record. Perhaps some of our readers
know who they are.
Copyright 1893 by Frederic J. Haskinl
TomOrrOw-Annual bunker Conference.