Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-28

! to curtail the business of the express
companies. There is a law which pro-
hibits private enterprise from compel
/ ing with Uncle Sam in the carrying Oh
the mail. Acting on that law an Ar
kansas citizen instituted suit in the
| United States courts to prevent the
express companies from handling pack
a ges of four pounds or less, contendlng
that such packages were entitled TO
be carried in the mails and that TO
carry them otherwise was a violation
of the law The express companies
filed a demurrer and the federal judge
threw the case out of court on TINS
demurrer.
The express companies are the most
bitter opponents of the parcels post,
not even excepting the small local
merchant. For a long time Thomas Z.
Platt, president of the United states
Express company, was MEMBER OF
the United States senate, ana ne was
largely influential in preventing any
action looking to the establishment Vi
the parcels post. The express com
names declare that it will not pay the
Government. They assert that the
pa+es it pavs for the transportation
of the mails are 50 high that 1t Wouiu
he a losing venture to carry pdrceiS
at the rates proposed. Furthermore
they add, conditions here cannot pc
Judged by European STANDARDS, StID
The average haul there is less thah
fftv miles while they assert the aver
age haul here is more than 500 miles
In +his connection one fact stands out
IN r1lain relief: the express companies
do get better rates from the ralirotus
than the government can optaln' Al
though the railroads assert tndl IISy
are losing money in carrying the mains
they are getting much hlgher colIIPeIl-
la, fhnU get for CaTfY-
ing express. To begin with, the ran
roads furnish the express companies
with cars free of mileage charges, Wnlle
the government has to pay enough III
two or three years to buy outright every
car II uses. The express companies give
the railroads about 40 per cent OF lhe
charges for carrying each consignment;
On this basis the rate OF pay per pounu
for almost Identical service is very
much lower in the case of the express
companies than for carrying the mails
vet a determined effort is to be mace TO
increase. by some $40, 600 the cost OF
transporting the mail.
The courts have handed down some
interesting decisions lately with regard
to the express companies. one relaLeu
TO the issuance of express franks. Inc
American Express company held that
when the railroad rate law prohibited
fhe issuance of "passes" it did not have
any idea of making that word apply to
express franks, and with that view
went ahead issuing them The courts
took the matter up, and Judge Kohl
saat of Chicago rendered an opinion in
which he declared that pass and
frank are one and the same thing so
far as the rate law is concerned.
A bank at Aberdeen, S. D., sought to
compel the express company to receive
consignments of money in the evening,
so it could be forwarded on the early
train next morning. The express COM
pany refused to accept the consign-
ments. The state courts all upheld the
contention of the bank. Then the eX-
press company carried the matter to
the federal courts, where it was held
that the bank, having a safety vault of
its own. would have to keep its money
there. The result is that the Aberdeen
bankers now have TO be up by sunrise
to get their money shipments away on
the first train.
The express business is now seventy
years old In 1899 William F. Harnden,
valise in hand, made four trips week
between New York and Boston, carry
ing valuables and small packages. His
old carpetbag was the forerunner of
that great American institution, the ex-
press car. Before that time valuables