Several of the big express companies at tend to the collection of accounts, bills, notes, drafts, etc., in any part of the commercial world. Collections in United States and Canada are effected with unusual promptness and at less risk and cost to payee than by other meth ods. Collections in foreign countries of drafts or deposits, or by powers of attorney, are undertaken by express companies through their own organizations in Europe or through bank ing correspondents. The proceeds of C. 0. D.'s or collections are transferred by cable when patrons desire, with a charge for collecting, plus only the cost of cablegrams.
The transfer of money is another useful and much appreciated feature of express serv ice. Purchases are made and commissions executed for patrons, in the quickest possible time, at places in United States, Canada and Europe, by a special department. Besides attending to orders for the purchase or sale of goods and property, including household supplies, this department pays tax bills, re deems articles pawned, collects baggage at railroad stations, secures seats at theatres, berths on sleeping cars, staterooms on steam boats, baggage and staterooms on European steamers. Rare goods or books or articles requiring exact matching, or the maker or seller of which is unknown, are obtained without annoyance or loss of time to patrons.
Imports and exports of every class and size are handled by express companies as part of their regular business. Bills of lading, bills of exchange and ail other documents of that character are prepared and attended to from first to last.
Money orders and drafts are issued by sev eral express companies for any amount, at the posted rate of exchange, in sterling, francs, lire, lei, marks, kroner, rubles, kronen, gulden, fin marks, Turkish pounds, Mexican dollars, local dollars, pesos, rupees, yen and United States dollars on all parts of the commercial world.
The regular transportation service of ex press companies includes merchandise, par cels, produce, money, bonds, valuables and baggage. The routes extend over 250,000 miles of railroads in the United States alone. Shipments are frequently made in through express cars with burglar and fire-proof safes i for valuables and iron express trunks for par cels, all in charge of special armed messengers. The swiftest trains are almost invariably used for express service. The aim of the com
panies is to cover the ground in the least time at the lowest rates. They accept entire respon sibility for loss or damage. Some express com panies run special express trains to facilitate business during very busy seasons. Other com panies have this feature as a permanent 'arrange ment.
Novel and highly useful features of the most modern express service are the securing of ocean passages, European railroad tickets and passports for patrons at a nominal charge. It is only necessary for those who desire to utilize express companies in this way to state their wishes — the companies do the rest rapidly, per fectly and inexpensively.
So much for the work-scope of express com panies to-day as compared with that of earlier periods. Before reviewing briefly the evolu tionary processes connected with express serv ice developments it may be well to mention what has been brought about through the use of express enterprise and by such methods as are peculiar to the service.
1. The creation of wagon service, and, in connection with this, special cars and trains for transportation of express matter at high speed.
2. The creation of transportation business for carriage to and from all advantageous pro ducing points of game, poultry, fish, oysters and fruit to localities where these commodities are not easily obtainable.
3. The creation of a novel method of selling goods for merchants by collecting on delivery the amount of invoice and returning cash to the shipper.
4. The creation of a method of collecting the proceeds of negotiable paper and assuming, for the time being, responsibility of endorsers.
5. The creation of an efficient means of safe transportation of moneys and valuables shipped by individual citizens and by firms, banks, rail roads and the government. As much as $4,000, 000,000 have been shipped in the United States through the express companies in a single year m this manner.
6. The creation of a vast and perfect net work of money-order agencies. The present number of these agencies is estimated at 40,000.
7. The creation of improved facilities for immediate transportation of foreign goods from ports of entry to destination. Heavy bonds are demanded by the government and given for proper execution of this service.