The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-06-21
Rural Free Delivery
Boxes.

Congressman Pou Protests Agains
the Injustice of the Government
in Requiring Patrons to Use OnI,
Trust Made Boxes for Who
They Must Pay a Higher Price
In the House OF Representatives Oh
the 9th inst, when the ruling of tie
Postoffice Department, that patrons
of the rural free delivery service must
use boxes made and sold by tie
trusts, instead of boxes of their own
make or of local manufacture, Hon.
Edward W. POu delivered the folbw-
ing remarks, as taken from the ton
gressiOnal Record. Mr.. Pou said
Mr.. Chairman, l wish to say Anew
words, supplementing the remarks omy
friend from Tennessee, respecting the.ul-
ing of the Postoffice Department, hat
patrons of the rural free delivery service
shall not make their o wn boxes, but must
buy the boxes put on the market by the
trusts. | am not making these remarks
for home consumption, either wantto
appeal to the Members of this House to
pass bill allowing the patrons of This
service to make their own boxes or have
them made. Gentlemen, why should
these people not be above to make their
own baxes? The Postoffice Department
could say what kind of box should be
made, and the patrons of the service
could easily have boxes made conform
ing to such requirements; and they could
have boxes made just as good as those
sold by the trusts, just as good asthose
the Postmaster General requires them
to use, at about one-third of the price
they are compelled to pay now.
\ few weeks ago | went into a hard
ware store where large number Of these
boxes were on sale, and | was told by
the proprietor of that establishment
that boxes which he was compelled to
sell for IS so could be MANUFACTURED for
30 cents. He said he was forced to sell
at profit and could not afford to charge
less than 81 80 for one class of boxes and
S1.25 for another, but that either kind
OF box shown could be madefo 80 cents.
| am told that worthless sort of box ia
offered for so cents, but the point | am
trying to make is this: 1t is wrong to al
low the POstOffice Department to say to
the patrons OF this service, "You must
use boxes prescribed by this Department
or you shall not have your mail deliver
ed to you. You shall not make your own
boxes. You shall not employ some one
else to make them, but you must buy
from manufacturers who enjoy the favor
OF this Department or you shall be denied
the benefit of this service which YOU
yourselves largely pay for" This, MIR.
Chairman, is in effect what we allow the
Postoffice Department to say, and | de-
clare to you it is wrong.
to pff00videN Their 6wh "poxesin acc off}hanca
with reasonable requirements? Will any
gentleman rise here and now and give
one single reason why they should not
be accorded this privilege?
Let the truth come out. Is it not be-
cause the Department wishes to help GER
tain manufacturers? 1t can not be be-
cause of the necessity for uniformity in
the kind of boxes used, for there is no
nor is there any necessity for
such uniformity. l believe have myself
seen half a dozen different shapes of boxes.
All that is necessary is box which will
keep the mail dry. | see no reason why
wooden boxes may not be used, but |
will not press that suggestion. Let the
boxes be made of sheet iron or any other
metal; let the Department make any
and sensible requirement and
then if the trusts can put thier boxes on
the market cheaper than the people can
have them made, then the people will
probably buy from the trusts; but in the
name of common decency don't let rul-
ing stand which requires, compels, forces
millions OF American people to patronize
the trusts. God knows we are largely
at the mercy OF the trusts anyway, but
let us frame law which will stimulate
the manufacture OF these boxes in every
town in the land. There are men in al
most every town who would be glad OF
the chance to make these boxes at prices
less than those charged by the trusts
| wonder if the companies which make
these boxes contributed anything to the
great fund our Postmaster General rails
ed the last campaign as chairman of the
National Committee? They
certainly should have contributed to
that fund, for they are allowed to charge
a profit of 100, 200, and even 300 per
cent. for goods manufactured by them
and which the people are forced to use.
In conclusion, | say, Mr.. Chairman, il
the people OF this country who use the
rural free delivery service are not allowed
to have their own boxes made, then the
Government should ut least see to it that
they get their trust made boxes at act
ual cost. | have introduced bill now
pending before the Committee on the
Postoffice and Post Roads which requires
the Postmaster General to buy these
boxes from the lowest bidder and then
furnish them to the people through the
post Offices OF the country at actual cost.
do not know why some action is not
taken to prevent the trusts from extort-
ing money from our constituents. | sup
pose my bill will sleep the eternal sleep OF
nearly all antitrust bills introduced since
[ have been a member of this body; but
let me tell you, the people are restless un-
der this great injustice, and the day is
not far distant when you will hear from
them. This unjust requirement OF the
Department is one reason why their ser
vice is not patronized by many OF the
people. They cannot understand why
their own boxes. They know they arr
forced to pay more than the boxes art
worth, and rather than submit to flag
rant wrong many OF them refuse to buy
boxes.
Gentlemen, this is an important mat
ter. Thousands. it is true, have ALREADY
paid tribute to the trusts by purchasing
boxes. but there are thousands who have
not, and in the name of ordinary decency
| say, LET US emancipate our constituent t
in this matter, at least, as far as possibl
from the domination OF monopoly. zap
plause.
VIII Help Some.
Thousands annually bear witness to tn
efficiency OF Early Risers. These pleasant
ral;a hlo little nilIs have long borne a rep