New-York tribune., 1905-02-18
PARCELS POST EXTENSION.

What some dispatches speak of as a parcels
post treaty with Great Britain, but which is
really parcels post convention under authority
of the act of June s, 1872, was signed yester-
day by the President the Secretary of State and
the Postmaster General, having already been
signed by the British postal officials. In the
earlier days postal treaties were made by the
President and ratified by the Senate, but when
postal relations became general as a matter of
course. and We're recognized as involving not
matters of diplomatic policy, but of simple bust
ness convenience, the Postmaster General was
empowered to enter into money order agree
ments with the postofhce departments of for
eign governments, and by and with the advice
and consent of the President to negotiate and
conclude postal conventions By virtue of this
act the Executive Department has made various
postal agreements without submitting them to
the Senate and in June 1897, superseded most
of the old separate conventions by giving its
adhesion to the Universal Postal Union formed
at Vienna in 1891, to which nearly every nation
in the world is a party and which in terms
abrogates previous conflicting postal conven-
tions. Since then the United States has been in
negotiation with separate countries for still bet
ter special postal facilities than are provided
by the general agreement, and the present ar
rangement with the British postal authorities
is one of the fruits Of that enterprise. -
The first parcels post convention between the
United States and any country in Europe was
concluded with Germany on August &C. 1899,
and went into effect on October 1 following
Before that conventions had been made with
several West India islands and countries in
Central and South America. The German agree
ment provided for the carriage of parcels not
exceeding four pounds six ounces in weight
The rate from the United States is - cents for
each pound or fraction thereof, while the rate
paid in Germany for delivery here is / mark
40 pfennigs a parcel whatever the weight. The
British convention. which is to take effect on
April l. is similar to the German, except for the
foreign rate, which is trife higher. The weight
is again limited TO four pounds six ounces The
I American rate is likewise u cents a pound
The rate in England is two shillngs a parcel
without regard TO weight The value of goods
is limited TO $50, and provision is made for Gus
| toms declaration and payment of duties
This extension of postal facilities is step In
the right direction calculated to increase our
| foreign trade. Much more should be done in
| the same direction. At present small parcels
| from various countries, after being sent by mail
postage fully prepaid, to our shores, are taken
from the mail bags. dumped into express cars
and delivered at their destination with prapos.
! ferrous express charges. We have ourselves
seen an Australian parcel. which if dropped I'm
the post box at San Francisco would have been
! Hei' "S uoiheslic matter for eight
I cents, fully prepaid across the ocean, and then
instead of being delivered for that payment. or
: even for additional eight cents for domestic
transit. given TO an express company which hold
up the recipient for 90 centsl There is clea riv
room for more postal conventions Then too
there is room for more liberality at home with
third and fourth class matter. We can send
parcels to England and Germany better than 10
Chicago The limit Of weight for the foreign
parcels is four pounds six ounces while the do
mestc limit is four pounds. The domestic rate