El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-15
SWEEPING REDUCTIONS IN EXPRESS
RATES TO CUT HIGH COST Of LIVING

oct
OF through routes by the qulChes'
lines of communication between all eA-
press offices and shall publish thFouSh
rates to apply between those polnls.
The same provision gives the shlpPeL
the right tc Hamc the route by winch
his property shan be carried. II -
believed by commissioner Lane tld'
these provisions will effect an I'M
prOvcment IL Che service and Sreat
economy tC the carriers when now
haul shipments Oftentimes by CIRCUIT
Gus rc9tes to avoid turning them over
10 a connecting line.
existing methods lies i'll that aoopt[u
of applying the new rates. IN tne
United States there are S5,eOO express
stations. To name rates from eaSn
of these every other one requires the
statement of more than 600,OOOOOO dlL-
ferent rates. These schedules now oC-
cupy several hundred volumes OF IIOI1
200 to 300 pages each in the tariff ue-
partment of the commission Inc IdtSS
themselves are intricate and lnvoINeu'
and it requires expert authority 10 ~
termine the lawful rate between any
two points.
The problem of reducing this enor-
nous volume of rate schedules 10
genuinely practicable compass IS one
to which commissioner Lane deVoted
most serious attention He mas
evolved a method whereby the rates
from any point in the United States 10
all other points may be printed on d
single sheet or card about one fourth
Of the size of a single newspaper
page
Country Divided Into Blocks.
The first step in the contamination
of the plan was the division of the
i. United States into blocks, each ap-
pToximateiy so miles square Rates
are proposed between each of these
blocks, treating all cities and towns
within each block as common points.
Each of these blocks is one degree OF
longitude in length and one degree
of latitude in width To every express
station within each of these blocks
the rate is the same from any other
given block Thus the rate Is stated
as between blocks rather than as be-
tween cities. experimenting this block
system Of making rates which constl-
tutes each block a zone OF origin or
of destination the rates are stated Tor
each package weighing from TO 10y
pounds. The express companies VIII
be required to publish a directory OF
express stations which Will snow the
block number within which each sta
ton is located, and at each station
there will be filed a sinSle-sheet tariff
which will give the rate from that sta
ton to all other blocks in the United
States.
Many Towns in Same Block.
To illustrate: New York city IS To-
Gated in block $50. Some 20 other
towns and villages are included in that
block S3S, which also contains score
or more of cities and towns. shipper
in New York wishing to send pack
age 10 Chicago will learn from the
directory the block in which Chicago
is situated. Then turning to the single
tariff sheet he will ascertain the num-
Der of the scale of rates, which applies
upon all packages between block So-
and block S3S.
This method of stating rates, the
report claims, will avoid the great
body Of complaints arising out Of IN
dercharges and overcharges, the pres
ent method Of stating rates being SO
confusing that not even the express
agents are able to discover the law
full rate between two points me IL
rectory Of express stations Is also 10
state the delivery limits in each city
within which the express company
gives service upon its tariff rates.
Collecting Double Charges.
1t is found that the large numDe OF
double collections of express charges
arises out of the fact that a package
which has been prepaid does not bear
sufficient evidence of this fact. Ac-
cOrdingly the report presents set OF
| labels and waybillS in different col
ors which the carriers are required TO
use, and in the event that the package
does not bear any label the shipment IS
to be delivered to the consignee with
out collection of any charges, the car
! rier bearing the burden of discover
ing where the mistake lies.
The present system requires the
statement of about 200 times as many
rates as the system proposed by the
commission However, as each agent,
under the new system, will be Obliged
to know only the rates that apply be-
| tween his station and each of the
| other blocks, he will have to consult
only $50 rates to find the proper
! charge from his station to every other
station within the United States.
Through this system the common
rate area on short haulS is reduced
from an area Of about $500 square
| each main blOck-tO an area of about
$50 square miles. The present express
rate methods embrace much larger
common rate areas.
Reduces Rate to West.
For instance, the rate, per 100
pounds from Boston, New York, Phil
! adelphia, Baltimore Washington and
! Richmond to Seattle, Ia coma, Port
| land. san Francisco, San Diego, Reno,
| Sacramento and many other points en-
| braced in the region west of the Sierra
and Cascade mountains is now the
! same, $3.50. Under the commission s
system the rates will vary with the
} distance between any two points,
from 1885 to S11 for 100 pounds.
While there has been an almost uni
I form reduction in charges upon par
| cells weighing so pounds or less, the
rates on packages weighing more than
| duced. In some instances, the COM
4 missions proposed rate basis shows a
| slight increase of the charges on heavy
| packages. This indicates the belief OF
| the commission that the rates of the
| express companies per 100 pounds are
/ not. on the whole. seriously excessive.
/ This is particularly manifest from an
analysis of the rates for distances OF
/ 200 miles or less, which are scarcely
I attributed on the heavy weight traffic
Effective in Autumn.
! BY the terms of the commission s
order the chan@es in the regulations,
| methods and practices of the express
/ companies; the re-classification of eX-
! press natter; the changes in the bill
ing of packages; and other admins
trative reforms are required to be put
into effect practically Immediately
] The rates proposed, however, will not
{ become effective before some time next
autumn. The commission has fixed
| October as the date for the beginning
l OF a hearing of the representatives OF