Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-07-05
LOWER RATES CERTAIN
ATTORNEY GENERAL COSSON DE-
cLARES REVOLUTION IN BUSl-
NESS is IMMINENT,
RAILWAYS SHOULD CONTROL
FAST EXPRESS DELIVERIES
Cosson Says It is Duty of Roads to
Take Over Work Now Done by Pri-
vate psnies-Sees Federal Con-
troll and Enactment of Parcels Post
System in Near Future.
to Times Republican.

Will ultimately have to come down: 4
revolution is imminent in the whole
business of carrying parcels. This is
the view of Attorney General George c.
! Cosson Of Iowa. after thorough in
vestigation.
, cot one thing we may be certain,
said Mr.. Cosson before the national
| convent of attorneys general, and
that IS that whatever efforts are put
forth by the several states concerning
estigatiOn OF express companies and
/ looking toward & reduction Of charges
Will be successful; and this optimism
/ is INDUCED regardless Of what the md
ings Of the commissions and the courts
! may be as a result of such efforts.
! There is certainly no person IN the
/ state more familiar with the express
rate question and the legal phases Of
! the controversy than the attorney gem
! eral OF the state. Continuing he said:
! In the language of one of Amer
! ica's greatest orators, y am not a
/ prophet, Tor the son of a prophet, nor a
very profitable son." bat l indulge the
prediction that the public. as soon as
It IS thorousl.ly advised with reference
/ as compared with the necessary cos,
! of performing the service, the express
/ CHARGES in other countries ard the
ratio Of cypress to freight charges il
this and other countries Will not con-
rtlue to aGd to The Golfers of these
/ .noHopoIies already swollen with sur
pIuses by extracting from general in
dustries the profits iegitiluately ac-
! crutng 10 them
A Duty OF the Railways.
After calling attention 10 the fact
that the conservative railway journals
are calling upon the railways to do
away with the abuse and handle the
business direct Mr.. Cosson continued:
The railway companies should per-
form this service, # they so desire. at
/ a rnucn less cost TO the public, than I'M
! Ger the present service by means of the
! express con. paries, vet the large NUM-
Der of railways would necessitate such
| q duplication Of pick up ard delivery,
that unless a joint arrangement is
made, ultimate relief can not be eN-
| pected from this source. There is
natural advance in prices, but the artt-
| fetal increase is due to monopoly-a
! sitting Of competition. and the cost Of
the nliddleman; but an efficient
parcels express or parcels post
would eliminate two factors. 1t seems
to me therefore as certain as the revo-
luton Of the planetary bodies that
! some means must be devised for a
much more extended pick up and de-
| livery service than is now maintained
| by the express companies.
Believes in Parcels Post.
IF the consumer is TO be put in di-
!
! man in the country with the man in the
! city, it can only be done by the equip
! .ncrc which the postal service now en-
/ joys under the system known as the
! rural free delivery, and the logic OF
|, events will certainly bring about some
kind OF q parcels post, or parcels
i express system, which will attain the
! desired result: and economy demands
that there should be no duplication in
4 this respect, and therefore it can ard
must be done ultimately by the federal
government.
"a parcels post or parcels express
with an extended fast freight service
by the railway companies viii bring
| about much better results than can
possibly be obtained by the express
companies even il they should enjoy a
change of heart. Our country has out
grown the syssem-we are behind the
times. While we lead the world IN man y
things, Te are far behind foreign coun-
tries in this respest; but as law Of
Gcers Of our respective states we can
not sit idly by and assume that con-
gCess viii give the necessary relief.
These results will come much more
rapt dIy If the several attorneys general
aud the several railway and warehouse
commissions will perform the duties
incident to their respective Offices, and
in addition to complaints fled before
the commissions calling for in
vestisations, I suggest that an
examination be made in each state
to the end that it may be determined
whether the arrangements entered inc
by the express companies in the pro-
mitigation of their official classical
tons and their arrangements and con-
tracts with each other and with
the railway companies are in COM
pliance with the laws Of the state, in
clu ding the trust statutes of the sew
eral states.
''Unless a bill is passed by congress-
providing for a Parcels post or par
cells express system, at its next regular
session, I recommend the passage Of
!
railway companies to receive express
sffliipp a11c:.tS from ell express cnc2 ie:
without discrimination as TO conditions
or prices when rendered at a reasona bic
time and in a reasonable manner. 4
like act should be passed by congress:
and If this is done II will result If
competition in express business ant
the rates fixed by the express com
panies upon packages which can now
be carried under the postal laws are
the highest evidence of the efficiency
Of competition in the matter Of main
tanning reasonable rates. Economic
and magazine writer's and even law
writer's often refer to the decision o.
the express cases (117 U. S. y as hold
ing that a law passed by congress re.
curing railway companies to transpor
express matter without discrimination
for all companies Offering express ship
nents would be unconstitutional; bu
the supreme court of the United State.
in that case emphasized the fact tina
there was nothing to prevent railwa,
companies from making exclusive con
tracts with the express companies. il
! the absence OF Legislation. to the con
trary.
immediate Action Dem andsd.