The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-07-25
Move to Resist Any Attack
by the Rail-
roads
PRESENT LAW is
VERY IMPORTANT
Expansion Depends Upon
Administrative Clause
Of Law

Washington, July 25.--Now that thu
railroads have taken hand in the fight
on the postoffice department because Of
Postmaster General Buleson's order ex
tending the parcel post weight limit and
reducing the rates, and a general war
fare is looked for, members Of the House
have taken an appeal to the people t.
Save the parcel post. Letters have
been sent by Representative ID. j. Lew.
is of Maryland to heads of farmers
oranges i'm dozen states, and this ar
gument is made:
Should the administrative powers
clause in the parcel post Jaw be strick-
en- out the vital force of the parcel post
will be killed, it cannot be expanded and
we will have lost the work OF forty
years. Letters and kilograms should
| go from every leading farmer to the
senator, to his congressman and to the
postmaster general, demanding that the
llaw be let alone and the service of the
parcel post extended. Moments count
and the quicker and harder the farmers
strike now the less likely will be that
we shall have another fight. We must
| save the parcel post.
Congressman Lewis is the father of
the parcel post. Commenting on the
partial reconstruction of the parcel post
service within the l50-mile zones to be-
come operative Aug, Is, he says that
it means the beginning of the esd of the
express companies in America. He said
the parcel post viii gradually absorb
the small retail package business OF the
express companies until the latter's mar
gin OF profit is wiped out and they will
be operating at a loss.
| Thirty per cent. of the express com
panies' gross revenues according to Mr..
| Lewis, comes from the transportation
OF packages weighing between one and
nineteen pounds. Mr. Lewis added that
the express companies, in their briefs
filed with the interstate commerce com
mission. which the latter rejected, pro-
testing against lowering their rates con
tended that four per cent. Of their gross
revenue Is all the net profit they make.
With parcel post rates averaging from
one half to two thirds lower than the
express rates within l50-mile distances.
Mr.. Lewis feels confident that the gov
eminent viii easily absorb more than
S6,750000 OF the express companies
gross business. which is Sl6S. 900 900.
Mr.. Lewis added that the big surplus
held in reserve by the express companies
Is more than sufficient to pay off dol
lar for dollar the amount originally in
vested in express stocks and bonds, and
that, therefore, the stockholders and
bondholders will not suffer loss.
Asked for his views on the parcel post
Il. 4
rates of cent a pound with weight
limit of twenty pounds, good for $50
miles in any direction from point of
shipment. and one-half cent a pound
for local delivery, including rural routes,
is in itself parcel post system far eN-
ceiling any other known to the English
speaking race The l50-mile is an air
line BY rail it means more than 225
miles. This is larger haul than the
average for Great Britain, where the
rate is two cents a pound and weight
limit eleven pounds. Moreover, up TO
that distance and that weight limit il
substitutes the best and cheapest trans
portation in the world for what has
hitherto been the dearest and the worst
the service of the American express
companies. which, compared with the
service in other countries, shows rates |
over three times normal, with three !
fourths of the potential traffic in our
country destroyed as consequence.
THE new rate Of one cent pound |
with charge Of nine cents for five I
pounds, as against twenty five to for /
ty-five cents by the express companies, t
of charge of fourteen cents for ten I
pounds. and charge Of twenty-four +
cents for twenty pounds, as against from
thirty five to seventy cents by express.
but inadequately indicates the great
public service and relief to the retail 1
shipping public. saying nothing OF the l
% 600 900 farmers who will receive this n
service"
"The reports of the express comnanies
to the interstate commerce commission
Show that thirty per cent of their rev.
anues were derived from packages weigh
ng from one to nineteen pounds. The
of the parcel post rates from
me half to one-tifth will surely take all
,uch business to the postofiice, except
where the shipper does not care how
much the rate may be.
Il have said thirty per cent. of the
ross revenues of the express companies
tBpuI T1lU.NbtOpbi ltotu SNIP
nents of nineteen pounds and less, which
mounts TO thirtyfour per cent. of the
lumber of shipments and seven per cent. !.
{ the total weight carried Meanwhile
n 1912 less than four per cent. of their
ross revenues was net profit. and the
aking away of twenty-five or thirty
er cent. of the gross revenues can only
lean that their margin of profit will BIZ
ntirely wiped out. Their profits amount
d to only two cents on each shipment.
lille the postofiice will make at leaNt
cent on the five-cent shipment and
rom eight to ten cents on twenty
ound shipments. The express compan-
: declared that they could not lower
leir rates. Yet the postal system by
ne genius of its organization and abil-
" to do small things we'll and cheap
will make more profit out of each
4. a 4 .