New-York tribune., 1907-10-27
POSTAL IMPROVEMEN
Wr. Mayer on Recommendations To
BE Made an His Report.

Philadelphia, Oct 26-Postmaster General George
Won l.. Meyer, who a guest of ". Atlee Burpee
of this city, made address at a dinner at the
Union League Club tonight in which he called at
tention TO recommendations which he purposes MAX
ing in his annual report the consideration of the
next Congress He took up the questions of parcel
post. the installation of special parcel post on
rural routes and the establishment of postal savings
banks. OF the first proposition he said
What am attempting TO do is TO abolish in
justice, and one might even say an un-American
practice. refer to the policy of charging our own
people cents pound. with weight limit of four
and a limit of eleven pounds. on packages destined
out of the country to twenty-five foreign countries
Consequently shall recommend the same rate ana
tended for points in this country or abroad which
means reduction of I cents 4 pound ana an IN
fs b In {h& m @5 ats WaSet to eleven p0un'S
When first broached this subject publicly It was
stated in two newspapers that / was at
as YOU all Know aIreadv exists and has existed for
packages through the United States malls.
Taking up the rural parcel post question. he
said:
parcel post has come in the first instance from
merchant and the country storekeeper, the fear in
his case being that the mail order house would
can disarm criticism of the retail country m11 merI
Tecommend parcel post system on the rural De
livery routes, a special rate to be charged on
pdChdStS IbI ucIlNtIy from distributing biiNS
of the rural route, OF if mailed by a patron of any
rural route for delivery q 4 patron the same
The rate would be five ceIts for the first pound
ana two cents for each additional pound up to
eleven pounds.
GREAT BOON ON RURAL ROUTES.
This will be a great boon to the farmers and
others the rural routes. because when they
card it Witt viii relieve @ Them Of the iRRconye3ence 1 Of
sGng to town to obtain the necessares of life 1t
business OF the country merchant, who necessarily
result of this service Will be an increased canceil
tion Of stamps, which, in turn, means an increase
as large revenue for the postal service. which
could be credited TO the rural delivery routes. as
above the commission to the postmaster.
Taking up the question of postal savings banks.
the Postmaster General said:
During the fiscal year ended June 3d. 1907. the
Postottce Department sent TO Europe the money
OF Immigrants TO The extent OF $71s00G0-S6.50OOOO 600
Austria, the same amount to Russia. and s10,U0OOO
TO Great Britain. This merely represents slight
10 10 give give away but a small part This money. whie
Ihe postal savings banks. In fact II has been
brought to my attention that many OF the Italians
our language and suspicious OF our private insti-
tutionS, are sending their savings home in order
their native countries. This. 1 told, would
postal in an 99 M b9 saySgs If banks had I'd
the United States one-third in the New Eng
land states. Then the two great states OF New
York and PENNSYLVANIA are possibly quite we'll
equipped but there parts of the country
where people long distances from any savings
hank and where il is practically impossible for
them to put their money in safe keeping.
NECESSITY OF POSTAL BANKS
In the South the postoflce averages thirty-three
miles in distances from savings bank. and west
OF the Rockies tho average is hfty-fve miles. It
is in order 70 accommodate large class of people
who have not the proper facilities that l believe
postal savings banks should he established. As
evidence that u is the desire the govern
ment TO compete with the private savings banks In
obtaining the denosits of the people shall advo-
cate rate Of interest Of per cent per annum
! per cent semi-annually. and a limit Of $50. not
more than $3.50 10 he deposited in any year. My
belief is that. far from its being a detrment
To the established banks, II would be in the end
advantage. because. having encouraged the habit
of economy and thrift, the depositors. after accu-
mulating a surplus. will seek for better returns
than Is possible for the government TO give Hence,
tho private savings banks vii! eventually profit
largely. Now, in order TO get this money back into
the channels of trade I propose to ask Congress
for authority TO pace the savings in the national
banks which government repositories in the
districts where the money is first deposited I
have taken the pTecauton to consult a number Of
bank presidents in different districts, and they
have assured me that on special deposits OF this
sort from the Postofce Department they will allow
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