The leader., 1903-07-08
ENGLAND'S PARCEL POST.
The System Is Somewhat Hampered
by Regulations I'm Other
Countries.

Great Britain's parcel post, estab-
lished in England year OF two earlier
was extended to the colonies and for
eign countries in 1885, and is rapidly
growing in favor. Unfortunately the
regulations are extremely compli-
piicated, but this is largely due to the
varying requirements of the countries
concerned, says the Cosmopolitan
Magazine.
The list Of articles forbidden by the
countries of destination is amusing
enough, but the palm is assignable to
the artless announcement of our own
post Office ION page 453 of the guide)
that it really will not undertake the
transmission of butter to tropical
countries!
One cannot feel surprised at the sui
tan's vetoing ''caricatures of notable
personages." His majesty also perse-
cutes books, magazines and newspa-
pers," while Egypt only excludes books
on the Mussulrhan religion; Spain, mis-
sails and breyiaries; Germany, social
istic literature. In Heine's poem,
Deutschland" he tells us now his
postmanteau was searched lin 1s44) at
| Cologne for books of a democratic ten
dency. You FOOLS" he thought, gaz-
| ing at the custom house officers; Il
have them all in my head!"
The rates of postage are here and
there somewhat anomalous. Why
should it cost IS cents to send a three
pound parcel to India, when the same
parcel can be sent to China for IS
| cents?
The post office of the United King
dom is celebrated for the badness gifts
bargains. 1t loses $250,0O0 year by
free railway kilograms and it has al
lowed the National Telephone COM
pany to become Frankenstein mon
ster. So when the parcel post was in
stituted it conceded IS per cent. of the
receipts to the railway companies for
merely carrying the parcels, while I'M
dertaking itself the really troublesome
and expensive labor of collecting, sort
ing and double delivery-frst at the
railway station, afterward to the adj
dressee. Some of these fatal feats of
negotiation make one think of the keen
| and provident man of business, who, on
his sickbed, made an exceedingly adj
vantageous bargain with his own I'M
| dertaker. Unable to revoke its bar
gain with the railways, the post Office,
obeying the law of "reversion to low
err type" has returned to mail coaches
(horse or motor, which now run on
most of the main roads from London
and restore little of the lost pic
turesqueness 20 the kings highway
Though the highwaymen have not yet
resumed operations). By these vehi-
cles II 100000 parcels year are saved
from the rapacity of the railways,
whose contract ends in 1904.
In many important respects the Ger
man postal arrangements are far SUI
perior to ours. To begin with the rail-
ways have to carry all parcels under IL
pounds free. 1t is thus possible to
| charge lower rates-so low that it is
usual for schoolboys' linen to be posted
home for the family wash" The max
imum weight is 10 pounds, as against
II pounds in England. For parcel
| uninsured and not weighing more than
| IL pounds the postage is within 10
mile zone % pfennigs Cess than s
cents), and for any distance beyond,
in Germany and Austria, so pfennigs-
| just half the English charge. If the
! post Office collects the price on deliv-
cry it will forward it to the vendee
for fee of from to cents. 1t dis
tributes newspapers and transmits
| subscriptions. Finally the German
trader can send parcel weighing ITO
pounds at "post haste" to any part of
Germany or Austria for 62 cents.
BY treaty with Germany only post
parcels weighing II pounds or less
posted in Germany will be carried to
! their United States destination by
United States postal service without
i limit as to miles at the rate of IL cents
/ per pound. All parcels, however. are
! subject to United States tariff laws
and are appraised and duty is demand
ed on delivery to consignee.
| The American postmaster generals
report for 1901 gives the weight of par
cells received from Germany at 253. 600
pounds. He adds: "Other countries
in Europe are seeking parcel post con-
ventions, but it may be regarded as
questionable how far a foreign service
of this character should be extended
4 before domestic parcel post has been
inaugurated. The establishment Of a
domestic parcel post is question for
J congress"