Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-02-26
Should the Post Office Carry Our Parcels?

BY John Brisben Walker editor of the Cosmopolitan from
| EIearst's Chicago American
THE RATE charged by the United States Post
office for merchandise is 5000 per cent greater
than that charged by Germany.
| Under the United States Postoffice:
First--The merchant must pay 60 cents for
| four pounds of merchandise known as fourth
class n after.
Second-He has had refused any package
which BY chance was sent to the postoffice and
found to be OF more than four pounds in weight.
Third-He has had refused registration of
packages without an extra price.
| Fourth-He has had delivery of parcels to
| the home refused by the PostoBice Department
if consigned to any town in which there is no
| free delivery system.
Fifth--He has had all insurance on the pack.
age refused by the government.
| Yet, because of the superior acumen of those
who have legislated for the English Postoffice
Department, the same package might have
been posted in Edinburg, carried across the At
lantic, taken in United States postal cars across
the entire American continent and delivered in
the remotest suburb of Seattle
For how much, think your
For one-fourth less than what 1t would have
! cost to send it from Rochester to Buffalo.
You ask how the people of the United States,
who usually are so quick to perceive an advan-
tage, can permit this state of affairs to exist?
The query is answered by the reply which
John Wanamaker made to somewhat similar
question which put to him when he was post
master general:
'It is true" he said, "that parcels could be
carried at about one-twelfth their present cost
by the Postohice Department, but you do not
seem to be aware that there are four insuperable
obstacles to the carrying of parcels by the
United States Postoffice Department.
Then without waiting for show of surprise,
he continued:
"The first of these is the Adams Express
Company the second is the American Express
Company the third the Wells-Fargo Express
Company and the fourth the Southern Express
Company
There could be no further argument.
While we absolutely refuse to accept pack
age greater than four pounds in weight, Ger
many has found it good business to extend the
limit to no pounds.
These no pounds will be sent by the Ger
man government from one end of Germany to
the other for 30 cents or about one-fourth of
cent pound.
But even that is not all. For from 2 to 6
cents extra the government insures the pack.
age and guarantees its safe delivery.
Here is still another phase of the subject:
In New York City, if you will stand in any
block, you will notice all day long procession
Of wagons arriving and delivering parcels Mr..
Wanamaker's wagon arrives and delivers
package at one house, then two at another and
goes out of the block. Then Mr.. Altman's
wagon comes Then Macy's wagon delivers
another parcel. Their Stern, then Saks, then
the postman, the telegraph boy, then the post
man again then then the Bookover's Library;
and so one after another the long, costly and
laborious procession moves into and out of that
street, each wagon delivering its one, two or
three packages-and the householders paying
for it all.
And throughout the 5000 miles of streets of
Greater New York, this same stupid, dsorgan-
lied, wasteful and extravagant system goes on,
hour after hour, day after day, year after year.
It would not be too much to estimate the loss
annually to New York City alone at 3D. 900, 900.
Will the merchants and manufacturers of the
United States permit such disorganization of
their important interests to continue?
Is there remedy? Only one. The United
States government must buy out the private
interests vested in the great express companies
which to.dav so paraIyzc the problem of trans.