The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1911-06-30
ent at the hearing before the commit
too voctorlav

mere are TWO main reasons why
the express companies must be added
to the postal SYSTEM" said Mr.. Lew
is in his argument. First, the ex-
press company service does not reach
beyond the railways 10 the country or
the farmers, which the postoffice 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 cities the produce of the farms
and truck gardens for the people to
eat, at living prices. Second, the con-
tracts Of the express companies with
the railways give them an average
transportation rate of three-quarters
OF q CEN a pound; and with this rate
the express 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 coordination of the express
company plants with the p~ostof1ice
and rural delivery, and the elimina-
ton of the express company profits,
which are averaging over SO per cent
on the investment.
OBSTACLES TO BUSINESS
1.-THE express companies r posi-
tive h~indrances and obstacles to the
business of the country. The average
charge for carrying a ton of express
in Argentina is S6.5l, and for the coun-
tries OF Europe 81. u, while the aver
age express company charge in the
United States is $3l 20. They charge
five times as much to carry . ton of
express as = ton of freight in other
countries. Here the express compa-
MES charge sixteen times as much.
OF course, those charges simply pro-
hibit by halt or more of the traffic in
the United States. Our average is
less than one hundred pounds per
capita, while that OF the other coun-
tries is over two hundred pounds per
capita, although we have far greater
demand for quick transport on &C.
count of u longer distances and
more extensive business.
I'VE cannot have an efficient par
cells post. The government canno'
conduct it On mail railway transpor
tation rates, at over four cents
pound, in competition with the OK
press companies paying but three
fourths of a cent q pound, excludin,
the weight of equipment in both cas-
es; which enables the express corpo
rations to pay over So per cent i,
profits to themselves, although ron
dering no service whatever to the far
mers and to points of the railways
MIR. Lewis has worked out a system
of ''zones'' based on scientific meth
DDS, from which . five pound packag
for instance, a be sent 1876 miles TO
IL cents, while the express companie
now charge Is cents and more for lik
distances; from Calais, Me-, to Sal
Francisco, will cost 30 cents for fv
pounds, and $2.42 for SO pounds, .
against the express company charge
OF IS cents and 81. so.
FARMERS TO PROFIT
With the rural free delivery a PAL
OF the express system, an agricultu
raj parcels post will market the fa1
mers' produce and save them the tim
and labor of marketing their truck
Rates even lower than those quote
are promised, by having the rurs
and city carriers assemble the smal
cOnsignments of the individual shiI
pers and utilize the fast freight sci
vice on trunk lines, with passenge
trains on the branch roads to hurr
the stuff to destination, at the regula
fast freight rates. The p~ostoffce wi.
recoup itself by securing car rate
for the assembled shipments, Will
the small shippers get their advantaR
over present conditions by havin
their collect-and-delivery system fo
practically nothing.
This system is now in vogue in &c,
many, and shippers, Mr.. Lewis show.
pay only double freight rates, les
than . tenth of the r rates herr
The food problem, the "high cost {
living" according to Mr.. Lewis ff
ures, is largely the result of want of
proper articulation of our transpol
tation with the rural sources of SUI
ply. While prices are often prohib
: tive to the consumer, crops may /
rotting at the place of production, fc
want of a real express service"
The committees hearings will /
printed.