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Show EXPRESS RATES MEIIPflU WASHINGTON. Feb. 27. Rates of the American Express company are Bubstantlullj three times the first-class first-class rates of railroads This was developed today at the investigation by Interstate Commerce Commissioner Commission-er Lane into th ratos and methods of oxpress companies. J. II. Bradley, vice president of the company, testified that his company never had made a rate loss than twb and a half times that of the railroad freight rate. "1b that a 'reasonable rate?" in-, quired Commissioner Lane. "1 do not thiuk two and a half times the flrst-clasa rate is enough for tho service we give," replied Mr. Brad-lcy. Brad-lcy. "All In all our rates the country coun-try oer, aro approximately thrc times the first-class freight rate, but we do not attompt to adjust our rates on any fixed multiple of the rail freight rates Our contracts with the railroads provldo that our rate per hundred pounds ahall not be less than about two Urnos tho rail rate on tho same commodity between two points " Mr Bradley said that in his opinion opin-ion a flat express rate would bo Impracticable, Im-practicable, because It would be too high for short distances aad too low for long distances "What would you do If congress should authorize the parcels posf" asked Commissioner Lane "I do not know," Mr. Bradley replied "I suppose sup-pose the postoffico would get the long distance business on packages up to eleven pounds and the express companies com-panies the short distance buslnosB. Such a law. In my Judgment, would be destructive of our busineBS." Walter D. Hlnea, counsel for the principal express companies, submitted submit-ted a statement showing that In tha last twenty years the companies had made 3,298 Increases in their merchandise mer-chandise rates and 42,735 decreases. In their general special and commodity commod-ity rates, the Increases had beon 1.-276 1.-276 and the decrease 5,052. In tho elimination at the suggestion of tho commission of tho double graduate charge, Mr. HInes eald, the reduction of the revenues had aggregated $1,-000,000 $1,-000,000 a year no |