New-York tribune., 1899-06-08
THE SWISS POSTAL SERVICE.


IL improving and in some of its details it stands
among the best I'm the world But that it is
still far from being what it ought to be will be
admitted by its best friends. One OF the best
postal systems in Europe is that of Switzerland.
II serves a population OF about 30OOO0o in n
territory Of about $1,000 square miles Its par
GELS post service is especially worthy of notice,
as it has enabled Swiss tradesmen and manu-
facturers especially watchmakers, to send their
goods to every country except England and the
United States at trHng cost. recent re-
port says:
On parcels up to II pounds in weight and IN
bulk not over 3a feet in any direction. Tor terri
torial transit through each country, 10 cents
per parcel is charged and for marltlme udn
sit, for distances not exceeding Joo nautlca @ @
miles 3 cents: for distances exceeding ooV ana
not exceeding 1000 nautical miles, 10 cents;
for distances exceeding LOCO ard not exceeding
1000 miles. 20 cents; for distances exceedlng
1000 nautical miles and not exceeding OoOo
narticaI miles 40 cents; and for distances ex-
ceecing 5000 nautical miles, % cents. 10 inns
NAV be added a suytax in the country or de-
livery Of cents. Under this arrangement a
Switzer may send an 11-pound parcel from any
postoffice in Switzerland to any postoffce IN
Egypt for 80 cents and in the year 1879 the
Swiss people dispatched over l.Oo0pVo such par
cells I'm the international malls Ia, ,564 OF Wnlch
had a declared value Of 21.59S,S1S %. The
Swiss people also received during the same year
through
such parcels, of which 101 800 had a declared
value Of over S12000000 1t should be further
ncted that the above rates cover an insurance
OF So even on all parcels whose value Is not
declared
The domestic service Is equally efficient. The
most remote hamlet has at least one collection
and delivery a day. The rate for local letters
is one cent and for other domestic letters
cents. The weight limit of Swiss letters is
8 1-3 ounces-more than double the weight limit
In England and more than eight times that Of
this country The rate on postal cards Is the
same as that Of this country. All letters to and
from troops in service. and to and from mem
bers Of the Federal Assembly, well as pack
ages weighing not more than A pounds. are
franked. Other services mentioned In the re-
port are the transport of travellers and their
baggage "a system OF collecting payment for
"conslgnors on the delivery Of merchandise par
"cels, subscriptions for newspapers and other
periodicals the issuing of postal and telegraph
"orders the recovery OF indebtedness, and the
transmission of judicial acts and acts of proc
less" For the passenger post service the Pos
toI Department owns the vehicles, hiring the
horses from private contractors. The tolls "are
determined by distance, and OH the regular
routes are fixed by law at a maximum rate
"of @ cents per kilometre in summer and cents
'in winter Each traveller is allowed to carry
with him 10 kilos-22 pounds-of baggage free.
',The rates for extra posts are higher than Tor
"the regular service, but these rates are also
"regulated by law The Department holds IT.
self responsible for any damages incurred.
The domestic. rates on parcels are cents
for parcels not more than IL pounds, mp TO
cents for parcels not more than II pounds. For
parcels more than ii pounds and not more than
90 pounds the rate Is II cents; over - pounds
and not over 80 pounds 90 cents and over 80
pounds ard not over A pounds, 30 cents Inc
larger parcels are delivered at the postofiice or
the consignor. and will he delivered at his home
for an extra rate Of from 3 TO cents
Doubtless the greater distances in this coun-
try would make such low rates impossible ex-
cent for limited areas where the population Is
great and lines of transportation are numerous
But rate much lower than that of the express
companies would seem TO be entirely feaslDle
The express companies would, Of course, strong
lv oppose the adoption of such system OF par
GELS post by the Postoffice Department But
the interests of the people are far more impor-
tont than those Of the express companies, es-
peciaIly as their policy has been to charge the
highest possible ites for n service often inef-
fcIent and sometimes irredeemably bad. While
the present tariff laws OF the United States
would seriously interfere with any foreign par
cells post system, far as the transmission OF
narcels to this country is concerned, there is
no good reason why the domestic parcels post
service should not be made much more general
than II is now. Certainly no Improvement in
the postal system would be more popular with
nil classes of citizens.