Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1906-12-08
over the postal service on the terms
have outlined.
To Have Rural Postal Express.

Velop the business, as any private bus
mess management would do. For in
stance, We have plan of rural postal
express, by which rural carriers would
receive and deliver goods on their
routes, carrying the packages outside
the mail. This would not extend off
the given route. 1t would make every
country store mail-order house, and
would bring an immense measure of
support to the plan from the very
people who are afraid of the parcels
post lest it should kill the country
merchant"
But doesn't your plan include any
recognition of the parcels post, or
some provision for it?"
"No, that's too unpopular" replied
Mr.. Boyce. Maybe it will come some
day, but we don't want it now If con-
gress ever wanted it, to introduce it
under our system would be simple"
-"And you haven't figured on the pos
sibility of the postal savings bank at
tachment to the service?"
mo, that hasn't been taken up. The
service can be developed and expand
ed in it's functions just as fast as con-
gress wants, under our system as well
as under any other. We would want
to make it earn more revenues; we
would make the rural delivery mon
ey-earning end of the service, instead
of an expense as now, and we would
take mail to every house in the land.
you know that the Postoffice De-
partment doesn't own postoffice build
ings, do you not? Those are built by
the Treasury Department and owned
by it. The immense cost of rental of
Ispace in them for postal purposes is
not charged to the postal revenues.
Well, we propose to pay rental. We
propose regulations that will develop
the business; that's how we will make
the profit. Reducing the postal rates
will-expand the business just as it did
the last time those rates were reduced.
in 1885.
"The traffic features of this plan
have been figured out by competent
man; the position of president, or gen.
eral manager, or whatever the execu-
tive may be in the Postal Corporation,
has been offered to one of the great
traffic experts of the country at $780,
900 year. Why, my first idea of for
mulating such a plan as this came
from a railroad president seven years
ago, when he declared, talking of
hauling the mails, that he would
rather never do dollars business for
the government, if he could avoid it;
it was so much less satisfactory than
doing business for private con-
Germ"
Mr.. Boyce was pressed to indicate
who are the men backing his enter
prise, but he would not do so.
Big Men Backing Proposition.
"As the postal business is all a cash
in advance operation" he said. 1--WE
have calculated that $50,000,000 cap
ital would be enough. Among the men
associated with me in this proposal
is one big advertiser, great manu-
facturer, a merchant prince, and cap
italist who has immense and widely
divergent interests. But these men
don't want to be set up to be shot at
till they know whether there Is a
chance of the government taking an
interest in the proposal. Then. If the
government will indicate a friendly
attitude toward us, at least willing
ness to consider our scheme, they will
come forward and let everybody know
there is plenty of financial backing"
Mr.. Boyces basic postulate is that
the second class mail matter should be
made to build up greater business
and revenue from first class matter.
He has studied and analysed a wide
range of advertising experience, figur-