■^PICTMIfW^ 



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AoocsT 14, 1913. 



The Florists^ Review 



11 



jur NEW EXPRESS RATES if 

 MEAN SAVING FOR FLORISTS 



A Study of the Interstate Commerce Commission's 

 Recent Order Shows Many Gains for our Trade 



I HE express companies say 

 they will appeal to the 

 courts in the effort to 

 postpone the application of 

 the new rates ordered Au- 

 gust 4 by the Interstate Com- 

 merce Commission. Every florist should 

 hope to see the rates become effective 

 October 15, in accordance with the com- 

 ~ mission 's order, for a study of the docu- 

 ment shows the florists' gain to have 

 been ever greater than was indicated 

 by the press dispatches sent out from 

 Washington that were the basis for 

 most of the express rate article in The 

 Review last week. 



The feature gf the or- 

 <ler which was not ade- 

 quately covered in the 

 dispatches summarizing 

 it was the treatment 

 accorded the commodi- 

 ties heretofore enjoying 

 special rates. It was 

 reported they are to be 

 •"continued." It proves 

 to be even better than 

 that. 



less than 200 miles from point of origin 

 of the shipment. 



Second Class. 



It is provided in the order that the 

 old general specials shall be done away 

 with; to the layman it was a meaning- 

 less and confusing term. In its place 

 a so-called second class is created, in- 

 cluding important trade commodities. 



The rate on this new second class is 

 not to exceed seventy-five per cent of 

 the first class rate, with a minimum 

 charge for ten pounds unless the first 

 class rate for the actual weight is less. 



New Classification. 



Under the order, 

 which will become ef- 

 fective October 15 un- 

 less the express com- 

 panies can get a stay 

 from the courts, there 

 lias been a complete re- 

 vision of classification; 

 « renaming in terms 

 that anyone can under- 

 stand. Three classes of 

 matter are provided for. 

 <^la8s 3 consists of news- 

 papers and a few other 

 articles that have been 

 carried at rates that 

 permit the express com- 

 panies to compete with 

 the mail. Class 2 in- 

 cludes practically all 

 the commodities now 

 known as "general spe- 

 cials," and Class 1 in- 



eludes all articles not 



named in the classification as coming 



within the other two classes. 



Cut flowers are first-class and take 

 the new merchandise rate, as they have 

 the merchandise rate in the past. The 

 table of rates printed in The Review 

 last week shows that the new rates are 

 not so materially lower than the old 

 rates on shipments weighing 100 pounds 

 or oyer, but that there is a general re- 

 duction on shipments weighing fifty 

 pounds and a sharp reduction on lighter 

 shipments. The rates for distances 

 over 200 miles are reduced more in pro- 

 portion than are the rates for distances 



HOW CUT FLOWER AND PLANT RATES WILL COMPARE 



Maximum rates allowed under new order of the Interstate Commerce 



Commission. 

 Between Chlcaso 



and Present rate 



Cincinnati: per 100 lbs. 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments. .91.50 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.20 



Cleveland : 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments. . 1.50 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.20 



Des Moines, ]a. : 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments. . 1.75 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.40 



Detroit : 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments. . 1.25 



After 



October 15 



per 100 lbs. 



91.25 



.93 



1.40 

 1.05 



1.M 

 1.35 



On plants and other 2d clasft shipments. ..... lioO 



Duluth : 



On cut flowers and other Ist class shipments.. 2.25 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.75 



Grand Rapids: 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments . . 1.25 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.00 



Indianapolis: 



On cut flowers and other Ist class shipments. . 1.25 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.00 



Louisville: 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments. . 1.50 



On plants and other 2d class shipmenls 1.20 



Memphis: 



On cut flowers and other Ist class shipments. . 2.75 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 2.10 



Milwaukee: 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments. . .00 



^.^^ J*'^"*" *I><1 other 2d class shipments 75 



New Orleans: 



On out flowers and other 1st class shipments. . 3.75 



.^ On plants and other 2d class shipments 2.75 



New York: 



On cut flowers and other Ist class shipments. . 2.50 



..,.*?". P'*"*'* *"d other 2d class shipments 1.90 



Pittsburgh : 



On cut flowers and other 1st class shipments. . 1.75 



On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.40 



St. Louis: 



On cut flowers and other Ist class shipments. . 1.50 

 On plants and other 2d class shipments 1.20 



When the express companies years 

 ago granted a reduced rate on live 

 plants the reduction was at first a flat 

 twenty per cent and many florists still 

 think of it as just that, but November 

 15, 1906, a change was made that 

 scarcely anybody heard aboui at the 

 time. The so-called Scale N was put 

 into effect. Scale N did not need to 

 be hidden, for it gave the general spe- 

 cials a better average rate than the old 

 twenty-per cent reduction. It is still 

 in force and will continue until the new 

 order becomes effective. It provides 

 for a definite special rate, like this: 



""Where the merchandise rate is $5.50 

 per 100 pounds the general special rate 

 is $3.50." The table was printed in 

 full in last week's issue of The Review. 

 A study of Scale N will show that 

 the general special rate is between six- 

 teen and two-thirds per cent and 

 twenty-five per cent less than the mer- 

 chandise rate up to where the mer- 

 chandise rate exceeds $3.25 per 100 

 pounds. From $3.50 to $4.25 merchan- 

 dise rate the special rate is twenty- 

 seven to thirty per cent less. From 

 $4.50 up, merchandise rate, the special 

 rate shows reductions of from thirty- 

 two to thirty-six per 

 cent. 



The new classification, 

 with its arbitrary limit 

 of rate at seventy-five 

 per cent of the first 

 class rate, therefore, is 

 more favorable than the 

 old Scale N rate is to 

 where the first class is 

 $3.25 per 100 pounds and 

 less favorable where the 

 first class rate exceeds 

 $3.25 per 100 pounds. 

 But taken in connection 

 with the general reduc- 

 tion of the first class or 

 merchandise rate the 

 gain to plant shippers is 

 important. The dozen 

 or more comparisons 

 of present and proposed 

 rates shown in the table 

 herewith, however, show 

 that in only a few 

 instances is authority 

 given for an advance in 

 rates. The commission 

 prescribes the maximum 

 rates; the companies can 

 go lower if they wish. 



Two Examples. 



The Detroit-Chicago 

 rates: The new order 

 does not reduce the rate 

 on jcut flower shipments 

 . weighing 100 pounds, 

 but it cuts the rate on 

 plants properly packed. The old gen- 

 eral special rate is $1 where the mer- 

 chandise rate is $1.25, but the new sec- 

 ond class rate must not exceed three- 

 quarters of the first class rate. The re- 

 sult is a cut on all shipments of plants, 

 ferns, etc., amounting to 7 cents per 

 100 pounds. 



Take th« Des Moines-Chicago rates: 

 The new order gives the authority to 

 advance the first class rate 5 cents on 

 shipments weighing 100 pounds, (there 

 IS a reduction on shipments weighing 

 less than fifty pounds), btrt the general 

 special rate is $1.40 where the merchan- 



l.tS 

 .08 



2.40 

 1.80 



1.00 

 .75 



.75 



1.25 

 .03 



2.10 

 1.58 



.75 

 .56 



3.10 

 2.32 



2.40 

 1.80 



1.70 

 1.27 



1.40 

 1.05 



