The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-04-25
Some of the Absurdities IN
der Which People Of This
G ountry Groan
.ENGLAND'S CHEAP RATES
DOMESTIC MAIL EVER SO MUCH
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THAT
GOVERNED BY UNIVERSAL
POST CONGRESS REGULATIONS

does not provide for prompt and effective
transportation of small merchandise by
a domestic parcels post system is the
United States.
In 1874 the United States had the best,
and possibly the only. parcels post system
in the world. This system allowed mer-
chandise to be sent by mail anywhere in
the country, in parcels up to four pounds
in weight, at eight cents a pound. Grad
ually the law has been changed, until the
merchandise mail rate has finally been
doubled.
The European postal theory, generally,
Is to give the people the best service pos
sible at the lowest possible price. In this
country the principle has apparently been
to make the mails the medium for carry
ing only such matter as the express COM
panies, don't want. and it will pay the
railroads better to carry as mail.
This statement has the indorsement of
at least two PostmasterlGenerals, al
though they looked at the question from
opposite sides.
The Universal Postal Congress was
born of American thought, in the days
before we became utterly subservient to
the railroads and express companies. Its
greatest accomplishment has been the In
ternational Parcels Post Union, by which
a parcels transportation and delivery SER
vice, taking packages up to eleven
pounds in weight, now covers thirty three
countries. with half "a billion population.
With a few exceptions, the United States
does not join in this service.
Here is the comprehensive plan of the
International Parcels Post Union. with
its rates: On parcels up to eleven
pounds, ten cents for each country pass
ed in territorial transit; advance from
ten to sixty cents, according to distance,
for maritime transit; a delivery charge
of ten cents, surtax of FIVE cents for
customs formalities. an optional fee of
ten cents per $50 for registration insur-
ance. and fee of one per cent. for col
lection of price for articles sent C. o. d.
Instead of adopting the eleyen-pound
Limit. excepting in very few instances,
the United States refuses to make par
cells post conventions with limits of more
than four pounds six ounces. 1t is the
policy of the administration not to make
more liberal arrangements. All of which
helps the express companf S. For in
stance the United States refuses to make
more than a limited parcels post conven-
ton with Great Britain, and the British
Post-office makes a contract with the
American Express Company to receive
and deliver British parcels post packages
in the United States.
But the great, startling fact in the
whole business is that We have at least
limited parcels post system of ex-
change with forty-fve or fifty countries.
and the rates made for mailing mer-
chandise abroad are less than for mail
ing it at home. The parcels post policy
of the Post-office Department discrimi-
mates against the people of the United
States. This is the important part of the
whole miserable business. And the ex-
PLANTATION is even as simple and startling.
Foreign parcels post conventions are
made by the President and the Postmas
ter-General A domestic parcels post
must wait upon the plea sure of Congress.
Here is what the difference amounts
to, in dollars and cents;
A parcel weighing four pounds can be
sent to China, Japan. Mexico, Germany,
Windward Islands, Australia or any one
of about fifty countries in various parts
of the world for forty eight cents.
To send the same parcel from Newark
to East Orange, BellevilIe or Jersey City,
or from one part Of the city to another,
by mail would cost sixty-four cents,
Our postoffiees take parcels post for
Japan and Corea. We have no parcels
post in the Philippines.
Eleven pounds of merchandise can be
mailed, in one package, from Washing
ton to Mexico for $1.32. To send eleven
pounds of merchandise from Washington
TO Newark would cost 81. 76, and it would
have to be divided into three parcels.
The British colonial parcel post covers
the entire British Empire. Parcels can
be mailed from any point in Great Brit
ain, aCnada, India, South Africa, Wind