Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1906-12-26
INDICTMENT or NATIONAL
 PosTorrICE MANAGEMENT.

Tn his annual report that has just ap pcarcd. Postmaster Gcncrsl Cortclyou recommends that provision be made "for the carriage by rural carriers, at fair rate of postage, of small parcels on rural routes, such privilege to bc re stric,ed in each ease to the limits of the particular route on which the parcel oriyinatcs. or, if found feasible to all the routes cmanating from q sihglc postollicc. This K q guarded conccs- sion and represents about the least that could bc asked in the management of the parcels post of the united States. whose chief purpose at present is to he of as little service to the pco' pie as possible. On every weekday over 35.OOO rural delivery carriers 20 over their routes, each with a horse and wagon. Each conveys in his wagon, on the average, a few pounds of letters, newspapers, periodicals and advertising circulars, and collects n few letters 10 be forwnrdcd If any resident along the route wants to receive or send n parcel by mail it's weigh, mus, moi ex- cecd four pounds, and on parcel of that size Gi cents in postage stamps mus, be affixed, or the equivalent cx. acted bv the government for carrying the parcel. On parcels of merchandise the rate is une cent m ounce. lG cents pound, or 6i cents for the four pounds maximum weight allowed.
 This system is practically prohibi' tory and is intended to prevent the sending of many parcels through the mails. Why this policy of how'not'to' do.it has been established K not cp- tircly clear to the people. but they are able 10 see, when paying charges on parcels forwarded. that the matter IS not regulated in the interest of the public. X citizen of the United States can mail four.pound package to scv' ernl foreign countries by prepnying io cents postage He can moi send the same package to the nearest domestic posioficc for less than 6i cents postage prepaid. How Is this astounding fact ,o he accounted forf The reason is that the domestic rate has long been absurdly high, and that postal adjust mcnts with foreign countries are neccs. sarily affected by their greatly lower rates. One branch of the lobby eu. gagged in fighting parcels post rcduc. tions in this country stirs up the idea that lower rates would concentrate business too much in inc large cities and hurt the country stores. Every in veniion and improvement ever made has met with fallacious resistance of this kind Progress has added to busi. ness, not destroyed if. Country stores will have the enterprise to get their share of trade as facilitated by fair charges on parcels sent by mail
 1 Parcels post charges in the United States are more than five times as high as in Europe, and the restrictions as to weight are much narrower. X German can mail an ll.pound parcel io any part of his country on the payment of l9 cents postage. The English and French charges are comparatively low Bu, the American who mails n pounds of mcr. chandisc must divide it into three par. cels and pay postage thereon of sl.76. Al the same time, on each business day of the week, more than 35.OOO rural carriers, each with horse and wagon. go their rounds with n few pounds of mail each and occasionally n few pack. ages on which cxorbitant charges have been paid. Last years postal deficit in the United States was $lO,OOO. 900. and the year before it was $I4 ,0OO. 900. The postal departments of Germany, England and France invariably report surplus. These are the plain facts in the ease, and it is more than likely that the attention of Congressman will he called to them by their constituents. Globe. .Dofi0erat.
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