The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-06-29

. N&EA Uss&A E&E&AA We N@&~ 49, w.
far. the influence OF the express COM
panles. assisted By tha railroads. hare
been sufficient 10 prevent favorable
report on any such measure We are
glad TO see that the people OF the
country generally. however. are now
aroused more than ever before to the
I'm portance Of this greatly needed re-
form.
! Already several hearings have been
given 10 business men, at this session
OF Congress, who advocate the adop-
ton of some one OF the various par
cells post bills now pending Repre-
sentative Lewis, of Maryland. who in
troduced a bill recently. has himself
appeared before the committee TO ar
que for his own bill.
I His bill provides for condemning
and purchasing the express companies
and making them part of the postal
service. In his argument he assert
ed that the cost OF living Ia now large
ly increased on account OF the unsat-
isfactory and expensive methods OF
transportation, which he urges would
be greatly quickened and cheapened
by the establishment of a parcels
post. We quote from his argument:
There are two main reasons
why the express companies must
be added to the postal system,
First, the express company ser
vice does not reach beyond the
railways to the farmers, which
the post-ofice does, through the
rural free delivery. Second, the
contracts OF the express compa-
MES with the railways give them
an average transportation rate
of three-quarters of cent a
pound; and with this rate the exS
press charges by post would be
! reduced from two-thirds to one
half on parcels ranging from five
pounds to fifty pounds and about
% per cent on heavier weights,
as a consequence of the co-ordi-
nation of the express company
plants with the post-office and
rural delivery, and the elimina=
ton of the express company prof
it's, which are averaging over
so per cent on the investment"
In England, where a very efficient
and successful parcels post system is
operated as a part of the Post-offlce
Department, there are no express
companies, because there is no room
for them.
But it is not necessary to condemn
and purchase the express companies,
as Mr.. Lewis proposed. All the Gov
eminent has to do is to establish a
parcels post system and let the sx-
press companies take care Of them
selves. The duty Of the Government
is to give the people the service of a
parcels post. So far as the express
companies are concerned, they can
exist or go out of business according
to whether or not the people need or
are willing to pay such a price for
their services.
1t is most astonishing that the
American people should have so long
submitted to the expensive fraud per-
petrated upon them by the existence
, of the express companies. II the Gov
eminent will not perform the duties
which the express companies perform
as a part of the postal system, then
the railroads should be required to
, perform this service without the ne
cessity of an additional company. In
asmuch as all of the express is car
ried by the trains, why should not
every railroad be required to furnish
fast freight service that would be
just as quick and as efficient as the
express service? If the public were
to pay the railroads double price fol
such fast freight service they would
then get the same service that the ex
press companies now give, and would
get it for at least half the money
Let US take the case of a crate o.
+ strawberries to be shipped from
a Goldsboro or any Eastern North Car
D Dina point to New York. The freigh
? rate on that crate of Strawberries
p would be about twenty-five cents. The
= express companies charge one dollar
= and sometimes more. Of the on,
dollar express charges which thu
trucker is required to pay, sixty cents
u l.