The Washington herald., 1911-05-07
FREE DELIVERY SOUGHT
No Basis for Freight Rates, Says
W. C.. Humphrey.
Leading Business Men of Mount
Carriers with Gross Determination
Will Ask Chamber of Commerce to
Get Them Square DeaI-Petition to
BE Signed by Residents.

Whether It was by accident or
design, it is an interesting fact that
OH the day after the article on ex-
cessive express rates appeared IN
The Washington Herald | had a
piece of freight delivered by an ex-
pfess company without the custom
! ary additional item for excess dray-
! age attached to it." said Warren c.
Humphrey, of 2912 Fourteenth
street, yesterday.
FREE DELIVERY SOUGHT.
Mr. Humphrey has taken up the ques-
ton of free-delivery freight with the rail-
roads and the express companies. and is
preparing a petition to present to mer
chants in his vicinity for signature. and.
when all is ready, is going to ask spe-
cial meeting of the Columbia Heights
Citizens Association TO consider the ques-
ton. Judge Charles S. Bundy, who is
president of that body, says the executive
committee will meet early in the week
and take up the question of its own ac-
cord
This is a live question" said Judge
Bundy. ''and the association is going into
it with all regard for the rights of every
one concerned. We realize there are
rights on both sides and it will be our
aim to see that our demands are just
TO all. but, when once formulated, We
will seek to get them
Free-delivery freight is the particular
phase of the question that most interests
the merchants in Mount Pleasant. 1t
is explained that certain kinds of freight
from certain points are delivered free
. of cost by the railroads. But there is a
free zone and an excess charge zone es-
tablished by the local express companies
who deliver this freight. and it is over
the discrimination that results that the
merchants feel most aggrieved
While / am told In my correspondence
with the express companies said Mr..
Humphrey, that there Is a minimum
excess charge of 10 cents for each pack
age. and that the basis of charge is .
cents for each hundred pounds, am un-
able to find in my files a single bill from
the express companies where the charge
has ever been as low as 10 cents, no
matter how small the package.
Illustration of Charges.
-,
continued Mr.. Humphrey, showing sew
eral bills for freight and drayage. This
item is for a package by freight from
Worcester. Mass. weighing fififty-five
pounds. and carried over two railroad
lines to Washington for Is cents. The
local express charge was . cents on this
free-delivery package by "a company
whose basis is cents hundred pounds,
and its minimum is 10 cents. There may
be an explanation, but all / can get is
the threat by the driver that if 1 don't
pay the sum asked he will take the
package back and I can send down for
it.
Then here's bill for a 4O-pound pack
age, on which the charge for delivery is
% cents: here's one for - cents on a 10
pound package. What's the basis? l pay
Is cents on a 55-pound parcel while my
neighbor farther up the street has CO.
pound package delivered for l. cents
What chance have We to compete with
downtown merchants in the face of such
discrimination? The companies will not
come up the hill with a package of free
delivery freight without a charge, yet It
will carry them free, of whatever weight
and size, out as far as Georgetown Uni
versity. What's the basis?''
George c. Altenus said that he has
been trying to find out the basis for
several years. The system has cost him
good deal of money. Two years ago
we took up the question with the COM
panies, through an attorney" said Mr..
Aitemus. We got the 10-cent minimum
cHarge established and il was observed
IoF a WHILE but it was not long before
me cnarges began TO creep above it, and
uley nave been there about all the time
e|er since When a merchant has six
or more deliveries of what ought to be
. !ree delivery freight every day. as
naNe, IL Is not long before these dis
money al ~ " w. VI
Have No Warehouses;.
esht Is delivered free by the rail-
Ioaos within certain zone because as
We are 'oid by the local ,xpress conn
vahies' the railroads have no warehouses;
70 store the freight in. II thev had the
express companies tell us that u,o u,ou,,
nave 10 send down to the freipb, oe,o.
ourselves While that may he tba Co.,
1t does not lessen the unfair discri,,;.a
ton that the, companies make asaIns, .h
merchants who live just north of Ero-,,
avenue. iorida |
A study of the whole situation ava
the way II works out when Won exare,H
the freight bills and the weights 90 .ne
parcels makes very interesting mattan
l know that 1t has been a heavy tav ~,
me 'nat l feel l have no good right to
pay. We have been in the fight for some
time, and we are now going at II apa,n |
in earnest"
Some of the merchants say thew win
ask the Chamber of Commerce to praut