The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-02-03
EXPRESS RATES
UNDERGO CHANGE
NEW SCHEDULE AS FIXED UNDER
DIRECTION OF INTERSTATE
COMMERCE.
Chairman Clark Gives Clear Idea of
Efforts Made TO Arrive at Equitable
Adjustment OF New Schedules.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-The mos
sweeping reduction in express rates
ever inaugurated went into effect this
week. Before issuing the new rates
the interstate commerce commission
spent nearly four years in Investigating
the express business and Chairman Ed
gar E. Clark, head of the commission
today consented to give the United
Press an interview in which he de-
scribed the events which eliminated
in the order which has just become eff
fective
1T was on June s, 1872" said Chair
man Clark, that the commission,
through Commissioner Lane, now sec
retary of the interior, issued its first
report in the investigation which has
been conducted into the matter of cx-
press rates, practices, accounts and
revenues. This investigation was
prompted by a large number of COM
plants against charges, practices and
regulations of express companies, and
it was perhaps the most exhaustive
and searching investigation the COM
mission has ever undertaken
Made Full Investigation.
Full investigation was had and con-
sideration given to the financial affairs
of the express companies, character of
their organization. relationships they
had with the railroads. the extent and
nature of their property, the character
of their service. basis of their rate
systems, cost of their operation, man
ner in which their rates were stated,
the relation of the service given by
the express companies to that given by
the railroads in the carriage of freight,
the relationship between the rates of
the express companies in different sec
tions of the country for the same ser
vice, similarities and dissimilarities as
between the express service in the
United States and similar service in |
foreign countries, etc.
Thirteen defendant express COM
)anies in 1911 transported more than i
'0O,O0O,00O packages. They operated /
,ver 218,013 miles of steam railroad in
he United States. They paid to the
all, steamship. and electric lines dur
ng that year $69,730,S95 and their
expenses were something over $64,000,-
100. The express companies affairs
nd interests were interviewer through
ownership of each others stock
Were Double Collections.
aside from the complaints of ex-
essive charges, the complaints then
efore the commission referred more
to double collections of
awful charges, overcharges and un- {
exchanges effecting determinations {
etween shippers arising out of an OBJ {
cure rate system and ineffective ac- {
ounting, indirect routing of ship
tents, ETC., etc.
Briefly the commission required a
weeping reduction in express charges,
new system of stating rates in tar
fs, new classification, use of pre- :
,ribed labels for packages to avoid
ouble collection of charges, proper c
rovisions for revision of billing SO L
to insure collection of the lawful
larges, routing arrangements which
effect make all of the express COM
mics one and insure routing via the
ore direct junction points and lines,
e establishment of directory of free :
Livery limits, the establishment and
duction of insurance charges on ship
ents exceeding $50 in value and re-
sion of regulations governing the :,
of shipments.
Accepted the New Plan. Ii
"On the matter of reduction of rates, tt
e express companies naturally made n
cry effort to convince the commission IL
at the reductions proposed were too
but at the end. while still g
the view that as a matter OF l
v the reductions were not proper ~
sy announced their acceptance of the g
.es prescribed by the commission
d determination to give them a full -
4 fair trial
The new plan necessitated an entire y
-ision of the classifications and tar =.
which was a work Of such magni-
e and which must be cahefully done,
| in order to provide time in which hr
do that work, the effective date of oy
commissions order was postponed III
February 1, 1914, upon which date
new system of rates became eff
tive.