The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-07-28
ENoLAND's PARCEL POST
Ths system u Somewhat Hampered
BY Regulations IN Other
Countries.

Great Britain's parcel post, estab-
lished in England year or two earlier
was extended to the colonies and for
eign countries in 1855, and is rapidly
growing in favor. Unfortunately the
regulations are extremely compl-
plicatee, 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, bus 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
countriesi
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 Mussulman religion; Spain, mis-
sails and breviaries; Germany, social
istic literature. In Heine's poem,
deutschland" he tells us how his
postmanteau was searched lin 1s44) at
Cologne for books Of democratic ten
dency. "You FOOLS" he thought, gaz-
ing at the custom house officers; I
have them all in my headi"
The rates of postage are here and
there somewhat anomalous. Why
should it cost IS cents to send three
pound parcel TO India, when the same
parcel can be sent to China for 25
cents?
The post office of the United King
dom is celebrated Tor the badness ofits
bargains. II loses $4,000 a year by
free railway telegrams and it has al,
lowed the National Telephone com
pany 10 become a Franzenstein mon
gter. So when the parcel post was in
stituted it conceded 55 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 first at the
railway station, afterward to the ad-
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 ad-
vantageous bargain with his own un-
dertaker. Unable to revoke its bar
qain with the railways, the post Office
obeying the law Of 'reyersion to allow
er 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
turesoueness 10 the kings highway
Though the highwaymen have notyet
resumed operations) BY these yehl-
cles IL 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
hounds free. II 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 40 pounds, as against
IL pounds in England. For parcel
uninsured and not weighing more than
II pounds the postage is within 10
mile zone 25 pfennigs Qess than 6
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-
ery it will forward it to the vendee
for fee of from 2 to cents. 1t dis
tributes newspapers and transmits
subscriptions Finally the German
trader can send a parcel weighing 40
pounds at "post haste" to any part of
Germany or Austria for 90 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
limit as to miles at the rate of II 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
GELS received from Germany at $4,000
pounds He adds: "Other countries
n 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
before a domestic parcel post has been
inaugurated. The establishment Of a
domestic parcel post is a question for
congress"
Youngman-I got this watch on my