The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-17
PLAN TO ADD EXPRESS TO
 MAIL SERVICE
Hearing on Lewis Bill at Wash ingtOn DisclOses Striking
 Figures

''~>'A1AhS lOii, OduC lc SuO-IOIh- mittee on Postof1ce and Post Roads took up for consideration, this week the Lewis bill, which provides for con-
 demning and purchasing the express companies and adding them to the Postal system. and establishing a com plete system for the quick transport of packages and the eatable products
 of the farm and truck garden, etc. At their last conference in Washington the representatives of the business men of the country and of the far mers' granges asked Congress to estab- fish such a system and representatives
 of these interests were present at the
 hearing before the committee to-day.
 There are two main reasons why the express companies must be added to the postal system said MT. Lewis in his argument: First, the express company service does not reach beyond the railways to the country or the far
 mers. which the post office does,
 through the rural free delivery, which Is waiting with empty wagons to re-
 ceive the express packages and take
 them to the country stores and the farmers, and 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 the man aver age transportation rate of three quar- ters Of cent pound; and with this rate the express charges by post would
 be reduced from two-thirds to one half on parcels ranging from pounds to 50 pounds. and about 2S per cent. on heavier weights, as a consequence of the coordination of the express company plants with the postoffice and rural delivery, and the elimination of the express company profits, which are averaging over 50 per cent. on the investment.
 'The express companies are positive hindrances and obstacles to the busi- ness of the country. The average charge for carrying a ton of express in Argentina is sS.51 and for the countries of Europe $4.12, while the average express company in the Unit ed States is S31.20. They charge five times as much to carry a ton of eX- press as ton of freight in other countries. Here the express compan- ies charge Is 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 far greater demand for quick transport on account of our longer distances and more extensive business
 We cannot have an efficient par cels post. The Government cannot conduct it on mail railway transporta- tion rates at over four cents a pound. in competition with the express com panies' paying but three-fourths of a cent a pound, excluding the weight of equipment in both cases: which en- ables the express corporations to pay 6ftU fir, tn thapo- selves, although rendering no service l whatever to the farmers and to points l off the railways"
 MT. Lewis has worked out system l of zones based on scientific meth 1 ods, from which a five pound package i for instance, can be sent 196 miles for Il cents, while the express compan- ies now charge 25 cents and more for like distances; from Calais. Maine to San Francisco, will cost 30 cents for five pounds4 and s2.42 for 90 pounds, l as against the express company char ges of S5 cents and $7.50.
 With the rural free delivery a part i of the express system, an agricultural parcels post will market the farmers produce and save them the time and labor of marketing their truck. Rates l even lower than those quoted are promised, by having the rural and city | carriers assemble the small consign- | ments of the individual shippers and | utilize the fast freight service on trunk | lines, with passenger trains on the | branch roads to hurry the stuff to deStinat tion, at the regular fast freight l rates. The postoffice will recoup it. | self by securing carload rates for the assembled shipments, while the small | shippers get their advantage over | present conditions by having their col 1 lect- delivery system for practical y nothing.
 This system is now in vogue in Ger many. and shippers, MT. Lewis shows, pays only double freight rates, less than a tenth of the express rates here.
 The food problem. the high cost of iving'' according to MT. Lewis fig lres, is largely the result of the want If proper articulation of our trans oortation with the rural sources of supply. While prices are often pro- nibitive to the consumer crops may be rotting at the place of production, for want of real express service"
 The committees hearings will be printed.