The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-02-24

rate of a zen for each two ounces
A new system, l called it, but it has
been on trial for nearly two
years, and the public are just wax
ing to a sense of its benefits, as the
Express mouopolies are trying to
take it from them. 1t would seem
as il there was sufficient field left for
them in transporting large pa ckages,
and they might reasonably leave
this CONVENIENT arrangement to profit
both government and people. The
convenience Of the postsi-package
system to the public needs but a
glance to be seen at its true value.
Families remote from anything
worthy the name of stores or sup
plies, can order samples and have
orders filed by mail at the expense
of only 9 cents a pound, TO iny part
of the country. That this is appre-
ciated, the books of the New York
merchants tell. The packages sent
from a single house, by this system,
amounted TO hundreds of thousands of
dollars in value, the last year, and
every dollars worth of this paid it's
tribute to the event of the Post
Office Department, which needs as
sistance to constantly establish new
routes, as fast as new settlements are
made, instead of gorging the over
rich express companies. For years
the companies have steadily fought
down every effort for cheap trans
p~ortation, lest it should wrest from
them part of their enormous profits,
and they are asking the repeal Of
this pleasant kindly Postofice law,
which extends it's good to every
hamlet in the United States. If the
Postofice can afford to carry tons
and tons of newspapers, books and
pamphlets, at the rate of a cent for
two ounces, and finds profit in do
ing so. there is no reason why it
should not extend this work to any
description Of dry goods and reap
the benefit of it. If the excellencies
of this law are once understood,
people will no more hear of its repeal
than they will of going back to old
fashioned postage, at 20 cents a let
ter. | applied for some informa-
ton on this point, to a firm who
we're among the first to take pains
to inform their customers ofthe con-
venience of sending by mail. They
say that they a send, within the
prescribed weight, in one package,
20 yards of tafetta silk of good quail
ty, and of the lower grades from 20
to 80 yards. OF gros grain, at 81 to
$3.50 per yard, 20 yards. Of Ions
dale muslin, IA yards, Of New York
Mills, IL yards, and the same OF
Wamsutta. Lonsdale cambria be.
ing much lighter, 20 yards could be
sent. While the weight of each
parcel sent through the mail is re-
stricted to four poulds, the number Of
parcels that can be sent is unlimited,
so that any number of yards of fabric
can be eel by post, by being cut in
to lengths that would salt the pur-
chasers.
If there were any doubt which
side would win in this trial of
strength between monopoly and the
people, it would call for as strenuous
and organized action on the part of
the latter as any question that has
come up for years past. Every ex-
press company is q monopoly in its
locality and the enormous charges
on goods sent to distant States end
Territories, operate to shut of those
people from any but a local market,
with all its disadvantages of high
price, poor quality, etc. have been
surprised at hearing the objection
seriously made by disinterested
parties that they did not see the use
of the Government being made a
common carrier. Such an old.fogy
remark hardly deserves the ready
answer that If the Government sees
its way clear to making the work
pay-which it must or the system
would speedily be repealed-there
can be no reason why it should not
do the people 20 eminent a service,
that being precisely what govern
ments and p%ostofice departments
are for. 1t is all well enough to talk
of competition being powerful enough
to regulate charges, but we all know
what that means. Start q new ex-
press or telegraph company to-mor-
row, and one Of two things is certain
to happen !; either the old companies
buy up the new companies, or the
old and new combine to lay addition
al burdens on the people. The Gov
eminent is the only relief the people
have.
HOMES FOR POOR PEOPLE.
New York, down town, lis full of
great tall buildings, the upper stories
of which are scarcely used at all.
Some benevolent people are urging
upon the proprietors thereof to con
vert the upper floors into dwellings
for the poor, and it ought to be done.
1t is a terrible hardship for q poor
man to travel four miles, night and
morning, to his work, to say nothing
of the hole the fare makes in his
wages. 1t gets him II of his bed
in the morning an hour aud q half
earlier than is necessary, and keeps
him out Of it the same time at night.
But think, you who have nice homes,
of an improvement in q mans con-
dition that means going UP to the top
Of a six story building to livel
PIETRO.