The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-02-12
PENNY POSTAGE.
\ Bill Introduced Tor the. E>tabli> >hment
OF il Parcels Post.

Til" annual r,'purt uf tn" Postmaster
General has rluyuhrd considerable in
Guify as to TIA" necessity for reform i'll
postal rates The ideas advanced by
different writers upon the sub icct as
10 the st desirable changes that
could br made are generally prompted
by personal or business interests. Many
believe that the public genera " will
take the view that the Postal Ecpart-
mrnt was established for the safe and
rapid transmission of letter, OF bllsi-
ness or personal nature. and for tho
prompt dissemination of news matter,
aud that all other undertakings Of the
Postal Department shou d b. secondary
to this. The public demand not only
the rapid and safe transmission of letters
and news matter, but that the rates on
this legitimate class Of ma / matter sha L
10 placed at the lowest figure consist mt
with its cost The report Of the fost
master General shows that the present
2rent pcrouncn rat" on letters yielded the
Government during the last year, S:S,
O0n. 0D0. and that the actual cost of
carryK, and delivering >uch letters for
the samc period was but s.. 600. 200,
leaving clear lrotit of $50, ,0oo,o 900.
But the tilal balance shown in the re-
profit Of $4,000, 600. there was an ac-
tual deficiency or loss of 81. .Gs. 300. In
quir: INFO the causes of this deficiency
disc.o o'cS the fact that it is due
First, to carrying through the mails, at
rates largely under cost, tons of matter
compt scd principally Of advertising
schemes and lodges OF every character,
and merchandise packages Of every nature,
ovcrburdcning the already ovcrtaxed
facilities of the mails Ia such an extent as
to render the prompt transmission ANA de-
livery of ltgiimdtc mail matter almost an
imp psSibility.
Second, to the shipment through the
mails of Government freight that could
and should be forwarded through other
channels al much lower cost.
In the face Of this report bill has
been introduced in Congress for the cs-
tablshment of a parcels post. VIII 'ch pro
poses still lower postal rates than are
now in effect on a class of business that
has been largely instrumental in re-
ducing a profit of $50. 00o. 600 to an actual
loss of -. 1GS, 300. 1t is not of as much
importance to the average citizen that
the cost for the transmission OF rack
age of merchandise or other articles Of
like chara ter through the mails shall be
less than the government pays for trans
ptf tiDS IL, as tHit tHc TdtS III noSti1c
on Regularly established newspapers and
personal and business letters which are
the province and property of all shall be
placed within the reach of AL.
The revenue of the Postal Depart
ment, if properly applied, fully justitieS
the reduction of rates on letter postage,
and it is undoubtedly the duty of every
voter to urge upon their Repre-
scntatives III Congress to legiSlate
for penny postage on letters and
for the continuance of the present rea-
sonabie rates that are afforded the legit-
innate newspaper interests of the conn-
try. The surplus revenues OF the Postal
Department should be used for this pnr-
pose, and f"r the Improvement of the
facilities for local delivery of letters and
newspapers, and for the extension OF
mail routes to regions of the country not
already favored with acceptable pos al
| communications, and they should not be
| used to build up a branch of public serv-
ice that is not required by the public,
and which experience has demonstrated
will exhaust the revenues and absorb the
| facilities needed for other and more i'm
| portant branches of the postal service. -
! Chicago Eagle.