The Washington critic., 1886-11-18

ganizations should take under careful
advisement if they would escape being
dragged into danger and disaster.
INTERNATIONAL PARCEL POST.
The report of Mr.. Nicholas NJ. Bell,
Superintendent of Foreign Mails,
which, by the way, is characterized by
an unusual amount of valuable statisti.
cal and other information. relative to
the postal service, calls particular at
tention to the international parcel post
system, which is proving so great a
success in the European countries
which have adopted it.
We learn from the report that the
subject was first broachcd at the Postal
Congress of Paris in May, 1873, aud
was suggested originally by the German
delegation. The question of the adop.
tion of the system, at that time new
and imperfectly understood, was sub
mitted to the Congress and fifteen of
the countries represented, including
the United States, were found to favor
ii; but inasmuch as France, Great
Britain, Russia aud the delegations
from several other nations hcsitated to
commit themselves to it and cast no
vote, it was decided to refer the whole
matter to the international bureau for
consideration aud future report.
This led to the calling of Parcel
Post conference at Paris, in October,
1880, and the conclusion of conven
tion early in the following month, hav-
ing in view the facilitation of CONNER.
cial relations between the parties to
the agreement, "by the exchange,
through the medium of the post, of
parcels without declared value" The
United States, unfortunately, was not
represented at this conference, neither
in what is known as the Additional
Act of Lisbon, adopted in 1885, by
which the benefits of the system were
extended to various South American
countries, and arrangements made for
the transmission of parcels "with de-
clared value;" in other words the col
lection of bills.
In the meantime a similar service had
been established between Great Britain
and most of her colonies, and by special
convention of January /, 1886, between
Great Britain and Germany.
The United States and Mexico, coun
tries between which such service is par
,iculally desirable, are parties to none
Of the conventions, and are conse-
qucntly denied the advantages which
have been so successfully demonstrated
elsewhere. 1t is not 10 be supposed
that we shall long remain on the out,
side of n system that as between thi,
country and It's neighboTs would spring
Immediately upon its adoption into
large and profitable dimensions.
AS commercial agency, its benefits
are too apparent to need argument As
personal convenience to the people II
would only be ranked by the regular
mail service itself. 1t would enable a
resident Of the American colony in the
City of Mexico, for instance, to order
his suit of clothes in New York and
have them sent to him through tht
postofllce, while the merchant would
collect his bill by the same method Of
transmission, and the whole transaction
be concluded at very slight cost tC
either party.
The international parcel post, il
fact, brings widely separated and dis
tinctive nations into the same relations
as those between different States Of thu
same nation, and at no distant day al
the members of the Universal Posta
Union will doubtless give in their ad
hesion to so benefcent system.
AFTER careful investigation Of the
..anatnr DO Drnnilnnt hns En1nl III nl