Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-07-19
CALLS EXPRESS RATE CHANGES
INADEOUA TIE

CALLS EXPRESS RATE CHANGER
INADEQUATE.
That the express rate reductions anC
changes as proposed by the Interstat,
Commerce Commission fall far short of tn,
mark, and that the only true solution O
the parcel-carrying problem lies in tn
adoption Of a parcels post or a postal ex
press is the eist Of the views Of Represen
tative David J. Lewis, of the Sixth Mary
land District. Representative Lewis prob
ably is the strongest advocate of reduce,
rates in Congress-. and has carried on tn,
fight for parcels post ever since he hal
been in Congress.
In speaking Of the commissions plan t.
lower rates, Mr.. Lewis pointed out what
he considered two radical defects and in
summing up the situation he made the as.
sertion that the only solution of the express
company problem would be to wipe them
out entirely
Regarded as a remedy for the situation
as to which parcels post and postal express
are advocated in Congress. said Mr.. Lewis,
the decision Of the commission contains
two radical defects which render it prac-
tically worthless to the public.
First. the express companies do not
reach the farm to convey its table necessa-
ries direct from the farm to the kitchen, to
the consumer as the first purchaser, rather
than the third or fourth. Without such
direct transportation from the farm to the
kitchen the high cost of living problem
remains untouched. Only the postal sys-
TEN through the rural delivery has the
agency necessary to accomplish this pur-
pose when properly combined with the
railway postal function.
THE express companies cannot be made
to cover this deficiency in their service,
and the commission has. of course, made
no attempt to require them to do so.
The second defect in the decision is the
deathly minimum charge of 81 cents, eco
nomically regarded. The rate for pound
shipment ought to be graduated down to
at least 8 cents. as il is in England on the
railways. The commissions charge of 81
cents will simply kill nearly all such posi-
BILE traffic. The commission does not seem
70 have -ealized Tor perhaps has found it.
--sf ss--s-sH4- = A-4s--< ss.-s 49, 49,
been this minimum charge of rs cents,
now reduced to Il cents.
What the public wants and commerce
and the traffic demand is graduation of
charges for transportation that will begin
where the 2-cent charge for letter stops
and will cover the intervening weights
from half pound up to 100. with charges
proportioned and graded to the value of the
service rendered according to the size of
the shipment.
THE commission has been able to Oct
only as low as 81 cents for a pound pack
age for the distance Of twelve and one half
miles. while 100 pounds is handled for SIS
cents. The express company will now
carry pound of books to any point in the
United States for 10 cents. and a pound of
merchandise to any point in the United
States for 10 cents, if the rates are prepaid.
THE truth is that the whole theory of
regulation is inapplicable to the express
company. because it is parasite in trans
portatiOn. Its rates are shown to be on
the average more than twice the normal
rate, and yet its profits last year amounted
to $40, or less than per cent. of its rate.
With railways, If they were making 100
per cent. profit on their investment, 80 per
cent. Of their rate would be profit, and you
would have this margin.to work on as a reg
ulator TO bring their rate down to normal
But the railroad is normal TRANSPORTATION
agency, while the express company is only
parasitic intruder In human as well as
In transportation physiology there is but
one thing to do with the parasite, and that
is, to eliminate it from the system. II may
be said for the commission that il has
made the best possible effort to do what
cannot be done because of this parasitic
fact.
The decision Of the commission will not
be taken by members Of Congress who are
In favor OF postal express or general par
GELS post as in any sense a remedy for
the problems to be solved by postal sys-
TEN Of transportation for the small ship
ment While the decision confirms their
statement that the express rates are alb
normal, it also brings conclusive evidence
that the relief cannot be secured through
regulation Of the express companies, since
they cannot be made to articulate the farm
and the kitchen, nor yet give the low rate
for the very small shipment in order that
II may move from producer to consumer
and relieve the high cost Of living"