The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1911-05-13
AFTER THE EXPRESS BUSINESS.

SlOn mas determined upon sweeping
investigation of the express business
es ase country, and plans are nov he
~ Lido To- an inqdiey 5ta1 VIII reach
the heart Of the su. ject. The COM
mission viii allot territory TO the sew
eral members and will probably hold
a series of hearings in different parts
OF tie country to take testimony. Pc
titions have been received by the
commission from more than a 5un-
dred commercial todies requesting
action along these lines. Some of the
principal commercial bodies in the
country have submitted representa-
tons in the matter.
Tile heavy charges of the express
companies and the unsatisfactory
service rendered the public by them
and the difficulty of getting definite
basis OF agreement in the matter of
rates and routes on business done by
the companies have long been the
subject of complaint by the public.
Tie express Companies have made
enormous profits without any such ac-
counting Of the sources of their reve-
nues as is required of the railroad
companies, and it has long been con-
tended that they should be brought
under some sort of regulation SINH
lar to that applied to the general
transportation companies. 1t Is said
that the railroad interests are large
~ identified with tie express com.
panies in concealed way, and that
the business of the express eompa-
MES is manipulated to yield an ex-
eessiye profit in way that the rail-
roads are not able to apply to their
freight business because of the legal
restrictions that are applied to that
isranoh of their service. II Is charged
that the railroads demand something
IKE GU per cent of the gross receipts
OF the express companies and that
they swell these receipts by round
about routes of transportaticn and
that the rates for express service are
extortionate in proportion to the re-
turn given. These conclusions would
be drawn from the expert
ence Of patrons of the express cem-
panies, and It is high time that an Of
fetal Investigation were made of the
subject which has so long vexed the
american public. si. -
The express business should be a |
part of the railroad companies serv-
ice to the public, and the rates charg-
ed should be SUBJECT to the same regu-
lation that is given to the freight
charges Of the railroads. At present
there is only very loose supervi-
sion of the express business by fed
eral or state commissions, and practi-
cally no knowledge of the intricacies
of the business. The one definite
point of knowledge is that the express
companies are making tremendous
profits from their business and are
giving service that is not common
surate with the charges enforced.
That the railroads, which have it in
their power to control the express
business absolutely, apparently sub
NIT their facilities to the enjoyment
of profits by external interests,
wholly unnatural condition, which is
easily explained by toe statement that
the same interests which control the
railroads also hold the stock of the
express companies. If the govern
ment could find some way--as it
should be able to do-to require the
railroads to give an express service
the business would Re brought into
its natural and proper channe' and a
regulation of it would be possible
through the public agencies which
are beginning to get good grip on
the transportation interests of the
country and to enforce a reasonable
public service from corporations char
tered to that end. 1t is to be hoped
that the investigation which the in
terstate commerce commission is
about to ,inaugurate will develop a def
mite policy on the part of the govern
ment toward this solution.