Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-12-25
Exgagss REFoaM NEEDED.

ago we cdliSu the dltSutlOh VI INV
Florida Railroad Commission to the
fact that the rate on newspaper from
Richmond, Va, to Jacksonville was
20 cents per hundred pounds and the
rate from Jacksonville to Gainesville
rs cents, while the through rate from.
, Richmond to Gainesville was 81 cents.
: The Florida Commission took the mat
ter up with the Interstate Commits
sion and the latter replied that the
through rate was "all right"
Now The Tampa Times calls atteD-
ton to the way the express companies
rob the people, and which the Inter.
state Commission permits to go on
without an effort to correct 1t, The
Times says:
"A citizen of Tampa came to The
Times a few days ago with an inter
esting story about difficulties and puz-
zles he had encountered in undertake
ing to ship crate of oranges to his
mother at point In Mississippi,
Baden. He was Informed that the
charge was three dollars, which was
too high, according to his ideas, and
equally too high in fact. Finally he
solved the problem by shipping the
crate to Winona, Miss, ten miles
further from Tampa, for $1.25. The
citizen felt indignant and The Times
promised to investigate the story and
print whatever facts It discovered.
The matter was looked into and it
was found that the gentleman had
stated the incident correctly. 1t |
would look as though there was some
thing very wrong In the matter, but
1t is merely one OF those peculiar
kinks In transportation matters which |
are distresslngly common. II hap
pens that Baden, Miss, Is not reach
ed by the Southern Express Company,
which is the only company doing
business out OF Tampa. The crate of.
fered for shipment would have to be
transferred to another company en-
route and the total charge would be
the sum Of the two locals, as matters
are now arranged or not arranged.
The Southern, however, has a special
rate on oranges TO Winona, Miss, ten
miles further, Of $1.25, and this was
ayailed OF. II would seem to be high
enough, though perhaps not so exces-
sive as TO be severely criticised.
"Tbe Times is informed upon ap.
parently the best authority that It is
the ruling Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission that where an express
company has not established a spe-
oial rate on any article to any point
and been carrying freight at that rate,
In case anything is handed It for trans
portation TO that point the article
must take the regular commodity or
pound tarin by weight This is ex-
planned to be the feature which made
the trouble with the proposed ship
ment Of oranges Now II seems plain
to The Times that there should be
such legislation and ruling as TO 70
quire all the express companies OF
the country to exchange and forward
shipments, upon through bills OF lad.
ing, at a rate no higher than II the
shipment were entirely over their
own lines. There Is no reason on
earth why the charges on box of
oranges should be more than doubled
because II had been handed or trans.
ierred from one company TO another.
1T has been common experience
OF persons shipping by express, or
sending messages by wire. that the
transfer from one company to another
doubles the cost over send.
ing like distance over single ex.
press line or wire. The cost OF such
transfer is mere tribe not TO OK.
coed Eve cents on messages and ten
cents on small express packages.
That Is all that should be permitted
20 be eXacted, either directly or indi.
rectly, for the service. In this par.
ticular case the charge from Tampa
70 Baden should not have been more
than $3.50. and the two companies
should have been required to share
the charge IN proportion TO the 10.
spectiye mileage they carried H.
There may bd something in the cOuu.
try which requires overhaullng. re f.,