Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-07-19
PARCEL POST CUTS
EXPRESS BUSINESS
Income During Nine Months
Reduced by 84.4
Per cent.

Washington, July 18.--American ex-
press companies of the larger size
suffered reduction of S44 per cent
of operating income during the first
nine months of the fiscal year ending
June 30. In dollars the reduction
was from $3,793,63S to $5S9,74O, loss
of $3,203,89S. In that list are in
cluded the Canadian express com
panies on account of the business they
do south of the international boundary
line.
The period covers the operations of
the now defuct United States Express
company, which, wnen it went out of
business, attributed it's going to the
competition of the parcel post and
the reductions made in expresses rates
by order of the Interstate Commerce
commission, although before either
was fact the business of that com
pany had been decreasing.
These figures, prepared by the di
vision of statistics of the interstate
commerce commission show that
| the Southern and Western lines COM
panies are the only ones able to keep
out of the positive deficit column.
They are the ones that have the long
hauls in which the profits lie. EX-
pess, in common with all other rail
road service rates, increase with dis
lance, but expenses do not. On an
express package from New York City
to Tarrytown the essentional express
expenses, that of pickup and delivery
n fhn n1yor mi
from New York to San Francisco.
Statisticians have figured that tbs ey
pense accruing by reason of a messen-.
ger riding in the car on the long trip
is hardly worth figuring on a given
package. The cost of picking up and
delivering counts.
I Heavy Losses in Short Hauls.
/ That is believed to be the chief rea-
son why the Adams, American and
Globe show great reductions of their
| operating income, while the LOSSES
of the Western and Southern compa
MES were not great enough to force
the income account into the minus
column, although all suffered reduc
tions in comparison with the CORES
ponding period of the preceding fiscal
year.
The Adams company ran down its
operating income from $172,296 to a
deficit of $567,765, of which $116,329
was incurred during the month of
March, 1914. During the ninemontj
period the American fell from an OPP
Grating income OF $6S9,56S to a deficit
of $607,89S, of which $12S,4S6 was in
CURED during March of this year.
An income from operations of $780,
533 for the Canadian Expresses COM
pany during that bad nine-month per-
iod fell to $32,425, while the Canad-
ian Northern suffered a reduction
from $149,459 to $140,3O9.
The Globe company's operating in
come of $2S,223 was wiped out and a.
deficit of $20,991 took it's place. The
Great Northern, owned and operated
by the Great Northern Railroad as a
branch of it's transportation system,
suffered a reduction in it's operating
income from $149,67S to $144,27O, and
kept SO far away from deficit that
it is one of the shining exceptions in
the balance sheet. The Southern, an
other of the companies with profit
| able long hauls, feel the pinch of
competition and lower rates to the
| extent of drop in operating income
from $992,717 to $64O,404
How Platt's Pet Was Hit.
Standing next to the figures of the
comparatively prosperous oSuthern
are those pertaining to the United
States, the pride of the late Thomas
J Collier Plat, to whose influence
through long stretch of years is at
tributed the blocking of parcel post
legislation. That company had a def
cit in operating income for the nine
month period ending with March.
1918, amounting to $60,27S. During
the nine-month period ending with
March, 1914, the deficit amounted TO
$15S.617. 1t took in payments on
express companies $15,147,145. of
which it paid As per cent to the rail-
iroads for carrying its packages. 1t
had total operating revenues amount
ling to $7,S17,424, but it's operating en-
penses amounted to $7,S73,037, or
more than its operating revenue, en-
Iclusive of accrued taxes amounting
Ito $9S,0O4.
Wells Fargo & Co., which took
over the remnants of the Plat COM
pany, suffered a reduction of OPP
Grating income of substantially $516,-
900. but remained out of the deficit
column, having an operating income
of $S14,622. as compared with one Of
$1,3O1 ,0SS for the corresponding nine
month period of the proceeding fisca
year.
The Western Express ComapnS
which has considerable short-hau
business had its operating income Of
$37 zoos converted into deficit O
$33,724 during the nine-month period
None of these figures can be uset
in the political wrangling in the
house and senate. They are not tho
result of anything the Wilson Admin
istration did or failed to do. The re
auctions in rates and the establish
ment Of the parcel post service were
not PARTISAN acts. The rates were
reduced by the Interstate Comrherct
Commission.
Mistaken for Another, Shot.
st. Louis, MO-, July 1S.-F. f
j hA ari