The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-15

a substantial agreement has been reached between the commission and the com- panies The latter express their willing ness to conform their business opera tions to any requirements the commission might make; but they expressed anxiety concerning any serious reduction of their rates lest 1t might seriously affect their revenues.
 Commissioner Lane makes a vigorous attack, in his report. upon the so-called scale of graduated charges by which the express companies now determine the rate which shall apply to a package of given weight This scale is held by the com mission to be unreasonable, discrimina- tory and arbitrary The report says:
 'It is the product of years of shrewd manipulation has no Justification in the minds of the express men themselves. and is the richest example yet brought to our attention of a tariff based exclu- sivev upon the theory that the charge should be what the traffic will bear"
 Standard of Rates
 With respect to the standard of rates the commissioner says:
 ''What then may be said to be the standard of a reasonable express rate? Our answer is, no one consideration. These conclusions, however, we have reached:
 primarily to meet the need of the great primaril yto meet the need of the great body of our people and should therefore be stated In terms that represent the small packages which the express com pany is intended to carry rather than by the 100 pounds freight rates are stated.
 go That in the fixing of it's rates an express company should not be allowed to charge more than q railroad com pany if the latter undertook to, and did, give the same service.
 "3. That it is proper for the govern roent to treat the express company as a freight forwarder by passenger train, glv- ing supplemental service at each termi- nal and intermediate care.
 A That an express rate may not be passed upon the monopoly right of the ex- press company to be the exclusive freight forwarder over one or more lines of rail- road
 '5 That the rate should not include more than a reasonable compensation for the service given, even though such com pensation falls below that which the railroad exacts as a minimum for the carriage of 100 pounds of freight. ''e That 1t is unreasonable to- fix so rapid decline in express rates for long distances as Is made by the railroads in their freight rates. express service in this respect being more analogous to pas senger than to freight service. "7 That in compounding the express rate the railroad should be allowed com pensation for bullSed freight moved upon a passenger train as to which it is re- lieved by contract for all liability for loss or damage and is without expense for the furnishing of receipt, the billing, the bookkeeping and a great number of other general expenses.
 "S That the rate should include a re- turn to the express company which will compensate it with profit for the expense of the service wi.ich 1t gives, there being added thereto in the formation of the total rate the proper charge which 1t may reasonably make for the service which the railroad gives as stated in the preceding paragraph"
 The report contains wealth of detail concerning the financial operations of the express companies and their relations with not only the public. but with the railroads. Attached to it is volumi- nous appendix giving an alaysis or the relationship which exists among the va rious express companies. showing the d.