The citizen., 1911-06-16
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
tFrom Our Regular Correspondent.)
''-- Washington, June IA. 1911.

From Our Regular Correspondent
-'' Washington, June IA, 1911.
The subcommittee on Postofice and
Postroads met today. and took up
tor consideration the Lewis Bill, which
provides for condemning and purchasing
the express companies and adding them
20 the postal system, and establishing a
complete system for the quick transpor
tation OF packages, and the eatable pro
ducts of the farm and truck gardens.
etc. AT their last conference in Wash
lngton the representatives of the business
men oil the country and of the farmers
oranges, asked Congress to establish
such a system, and representatives of
theSe interests were present at the hear
ing before the committee today.
There are two main reasons whv
the express companies must be added
10 the postal SYSTEM" said Mr.. Lewis
IN his argument. First, the express
company service does not reach beyond
the railways to the country or the
farmers, which the postoffice does.
through the rural free delivery, which is
waiting with empty wagons to receive
the express packages and take them to
the country stores and the farmers. and
then carry back to the towns and the
cities the produce of the farms and truck
gardens for the people to eat at living
prices. Second, the contracts of the
express companies with the RAILWAYS
give them an average transportation rate
OF three quarters of a cent a pound; and
with this rate the express charges bv
post would be reduced from two-thirds
to one-half on parcels ranging from <
pounds to so pouGds, and about IS
per cent on heavier weights, as a con-
sequence of the coordination of the
express company plants with the post
office aud the rural free delivery. and
the elimination of the express com
panleS profltS which are averaging over
so per cent. of the investment.
lhe express companies are positive
hlndrances and obstacles to the business
OF the country. The average charge for
carrying ton of express in Argentina
is So. 81, and for the countries of Europe
- II, while the average express COM
pany charge in the United States is
S3I2o. They charge 5 times as much
to carry ton of express as a ton of
freight IN other countries. Here the ex-
press companies charge I6 times as
much. OF course, these charges simply
prohibit by half or more of the traffic
in the United States. Our average is
less than one hundred pounds per capita,
while that of the other countries is over
two hundred pounds per capita, although
we have a far greater demand for quick
transportation on account of our longer
distances and more extensive business y
We cannot have an efficient 6atcekS
post. The government cannot conduct
1t on railway mail transportation rates,
at over four cents a pound, in competi-
ton with the express companies, paving
but three-fourths of cent a pound,
excluding the weight of the equipment
in both cases, which enables the express
corporations to pay over fifty per cent.
in profits to themselves, although rem
derlng no service whatever to the farmers
and to points off of the railways"
Mr. Lewis has worked out a system
OF zones" hased on scientific methods,
from which pound package, for in
stance, can be sent 100 miles for II
cents while the express companies now
charge rs cents and more for like dis
tances; from Calais, Maine, to San
Francisco, will cost 80 cents for S pounds,
and SLAP for 90 pounds, as against the
express company charges of S5 cents
and $3.50.
With the rural free delivery a part of
the express system, an agricultural par
GELS post will market the farmers produce
and save them the time and labor of
marketing their truck Rates even
lower than those quoted are promised,
by having the rural and city carriers
assemble the small consignments of the
individual shippers and utilize the fast
freight service on trunk lines, with the
passenger trains on the branch roads
to hurry the stuff to its destination.
at the regular fast freight rates The
postotfice will recoup itself by securing
carload rates for the assembled ship
ments, while the small shippers get their
advantage over the present conditions
by having their collection and delivery
system for practically nothing.
This system is now in vogue in Ger
MANY, and the shippers, as Mr. Lewis
has shown, pay only double freight rates,
less than a tenth of the express rates
here.
The food problem, the high cost of
living, according to Mr.. Lewis's fig
ures, is largely the result of the want of
a proper articulation of our transporta-
ton with the rural sources of supply.
While prices are often prohibitive to the
consumer, crops may be rotting at the
place OF production. for want of real
express SERVICE The committee S
hearings will be printed.