The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1907-11-22
MAIL ORDER
John ". EnS Says Rarai Parcels Post
is Trap Set by Catalogue
Houses.

Advices from Washington. promul-
gated in tho form Of special cor
r~espondenec, represent the rstaii
ers of the country as being favorable
to the proposed reels pest. Post
master General Meyers plan for the
rural delivery Is credited with having
wrought the change in sentiment.
He proposes a general parcels post
rate Of twelve cents per pound, with
Il limit OF eleven pounds. to apply on
all parcels sent to points on q rural
route from outside the city or town
where the route starts. For parcels
sent from residents on the route.
however, or from the town from
which the rural route starts, a special
rate Is proposed of five cents for tho
first pound and two cents for each
additional pound up to the eleven
pound limit. The result will be it is
argued, that the homo merchants"
Will! be given q s@carn bold on The
trade Of their communities, and thai
tho farmer will be enabled to shin
small products 10 market and receive
supplies by the rural carrier.
Elisha Winter, organizer for the
National Association OF Retail Nor
chants, is quoted as giving the post
master general the assurance of the
united support of the country retail
ers to this proposed amendment of
the parcels post service.
John Lux, president of the Retail
Grocers' and General Merchants AS
ISOLATION, of Minnesota. ta'sec vigor-
u exception to this assertion OF
MIR. Winter.
"While I know who this man Win
Ter is, l seriously doubt the existence
of tho National Association of Retail
Merchants further than that there
may be such an association in name.
I'LL venture that it is simply som2
organization framed up 10 promote
the efforts of the Chicago catalogue
houses in behalf Of their pct measure
for using the United States mails as
a pnc'aage delivery. At any rate. thi
so-oalled asrociaticn should net ba
~corfoun5ed with TIA National Reta,9
f'reecrs' Association. nor snv oti,er
a*Seeiatior CT real national scope and
Importance.
II am positive that l speak fer
the retail merchants OF Minnesota
wsen | say that they are unanimous
II opposed to the parcels post. They
regard this new feature of a rural
parcels post as simply an entering
wedge. 1t is hoped by this sop to
the country merchants to get con-
gress ITO commit itself at this session
to q domestic parcels post policy.
Legislation that will shape the SER
vice to better suit the catalogue
houses win come later on. This is
a smart move IN the part of the
postmaster general, but I hope it will
not deceive any n
.sThe mere fact that the Postal
Progress League, made up of mail
order interests, is sending out litera-
sture to the farmers, advocating this
rural post delivery, and Is using the
newspapers so freely in its advocacy,
is enough for me. ] am in favor Of.
circulating an ominous petition
signed by the country merchants gem
orally, in protest against the parcels
post in any form to our representa-
tives in congress, and further sug-
gest that merchants write letters
yoicing their individual protests"
John r. Ryan, secretary Of the
association OF which Mr.. Lux Is pres
5ident, says: 1T has been a part
.ofmy duties to visit the fifty odd
towns in.the state in which there are
merchants associations, and have
found the sentiment uniformly strong
Against the parcels post#as a mail
order scheme. pure and simple. The
only method by which the measure
't1as afghostscf 9 show, is adopted by
the postIlasteE general by the modi-l
AeatSens be hassInade. It, isyansadroit}