The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-05

E #aaMH@aI
post and therefore he shipped his fruit
to market at less than one-sixth OF
what 1t would have cost him had 1t not
been for tho government inaugurattng
this new system.
The government does not care to go
into the business of shipping fruit or
threshing machines, but it wants you to
have a fair show. It wants a rate es-
tabliShed by the common carriers OF
this country, whether under govern
ment control or otherwise. that Is
stable and intelligent to all and is per-
fectly willing that the express COM
panies or I'M other public servant
should have the business If 1t Is done
at a reasonable price,
A good instance OF the instability of
the express rates was shown recently
by The st. Louis Fost-D Dispatch. Jan.
1, its Washington correspondent sent
two packages from the capital city of
this country to st. Louis. One went
by parcel post and the other by Adams
express. Both We're placed In the
Washington Office at exactly the same
time; both contained the same con-
tents. The xpres company charged
80 cents and the parcel post rate was
20 cents. The parcel post package
reached the Office of the newspaper in
ST. Louis about twelve hours before
the express package arrived, but this
10 IlOE III 6LdA tAl1AA 6dlAL VI NAAC col
Seven days after The Post-Dispatch
had published a full account Of the
experiment an adjuster OF the Adams
Express Co. called at the Office Of The
Post Dispatch in Washington and
handed the correspondent a check for
55 cents as a rebate, stating that the
office did not know when it received
the package that this was competitive
business and therefore he was entitled
to a rate Of 35 cents for IL pounds
from Washington to st. Louis In place
of 80 cents which had been charged by
the agent. The adjuster acknowledged
that the company had two or more
rates and always charged the highest
rate unless special inquiry was made.
He was asked If q customer could OBJ
tain these rate sheets and it was found
that it would be impossible and even
If they should have them they could
not be understood by anyone except
a trained tariff man. ! have here with
me a copy Of The st. Louis Post-Dis-
patch showing this rebate check and
] cannot understand how any trans
portation company could be SO foolish
as to give such q check. acknowledge
ing publicly how they fooled so many
Of their customers.
Is 1t any wonder in view of the
foregoing that the express companies
have made enormous profits. One OF
Ll6 SApTSSS OpSIdLAAS Al
the northwest was organized only
twenty years ago with a capital of
500, 600, while the total cost of their
property of all kind amounted to ST.
2SS.I9 and during the last ten years
this mpa has paid dividends
amounting to $3,200,000 and the
dividends for 1911 were $500, 600 or
five times the original amount invest
ed. In addition to this enormous
dividends it nov has a surplus on
hand of $1,4SS,SS1.58.
One of the great advantages of the
parcel post is the insurance clause,
and this may be secured by any ship
per by the payment OF an extra fee
Of 10 cents per package and this
| allows the collection of damages to
| the amount of $50 If the contents OF
the package are worth that much.
The law also has the authority for
the establishment of a collection de-
partment, but the details of this have
not yet been fully worked out, but the
| department expects o to promul-
| gate the same, and this clause win be
extremely valuable to you gentlemen
| when it comes to sending out repairs
during the busy harvest season which
you desire to have paid for in spot
cash.
L have discussed to some extent I'm
4 LIIO 1OIEEOAl12 k1IC IA In R6ASS&
post on the smaller communities, but
it will depend upon the activity OF the
dealers of these places more than on
any other element as to whether he
is injured or benefited by this in
novation of the government.
If he desires to win he should be
constantly on the alert, showing his
customers that by purchasing from
him they can do better than by send
ing to mail order houses or elsewhere
for goods Of any description, because
Of the lower cost of transportation
when they purchase of him, and the
saving of long delays in the receipt
of the goods.
His resourcefulness will many times
be severely tested, but he will not be
put in quite such an embarrassing
position as q young man in the story
told by Governor Wilson in the late
? campaign. OF course 1 do not always
approve what our president elect has
to say, but he tells a story very at
tractively, like a true politician.
It is the general impression that
Englishmen are slow to understand a
joke, but after having had many a
talking match with my friend J. p.
Hardy of the commercial club and
always being worsted I feel that this
is q mistake and that they have a
very fine sense of humor.
This story of Governor Wilson's was
in so many English
"What would you do under the same
circumstances" The governor told
this story as follows: A young man
had come to call on a young woman
ana fdav were sitting Enmewhaf StieP