The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-12-13
Merchants Should Not Oppose
The Plan as Proposed.
Low Rate on Rural Route Should
Be Put Into Effect.
H. A. Patterson and Geo. E.
Brett Give Their View.

The Mankato Commercial club did
not have quorum present at its
meeting last evening, which was un-
fortunate, as there was considerable
business to be transacted, but fortu-
nately it can be attended to by the
officers of the club.
Those present listened to the read
ing of the following excellent paper
by Postmaster Veigel, on the "The
Parcels Post:'
"'Parcels post means the sending of
parcels, merchandise, through the
mails. We already have it at the
rate of l6 cents per pound. We are
all in favor of it, the only question
is the rate to be charged.
''The postmaster general recon-
mendations, relative to parcels post,
can be divided into three distinct
propositions.
"First. That rate of 5 cents for
the first pound and 2 cents for each
additional pound be made on parcels
to be delivered on rural routes from
the offices where mailed.
Second. To increase the maximum
weight on parcels from four to eleven
pounds.
''Third. To reduce the rate of post
age on parcels from l6 to II cents per
pound
''These three propositions do not
necessarily 60 together. Any one or
two could be enacted into law with
out the others. In speaking of this
matter then, let us say which partic-
ular recommendation we are for or
against, and not say we are for or
against parcels post.
"The first proposition, making a low
rate on rural routes, certainly ought to
become law [ cannot think of any
good argument against it. The cata-
logue houses would be the only ones
to object and their objections ought
to have little weight. Everything is
in its favor. The government would
get the addition revenue without one
cent of expense. There would be no
outlay for transportation, which is an
important item. The rural carriers
have plenty of room in their rigs and
it would not be a hardship on them.
The farmers could order their goods
by telephone or by mail, and would
practically get a free delivery of mer-
chandise from the stores as we do in
the city. I think the merchants
would pay the postage on some classes
of merchandise without charging more
for the goods. 1t would give the local
merchants a decided advantage on
goods sold in their immediate terri
tory. 1t would make farm life more
attractive, which would be a, good
thing for the country.
''The objection has been made that
the catalogue houses would send cata-
logues and goods by freight to the diff
ferent postoffices and have some agent
feel sure this would not be the case,
because they, and not the customer,
would have to pay the freight, they
would be obliged to have an agent
at every one of the thousands of post
offices in the country, and because
they would have to prepay the post
age. The catalogue houses would have
to pay these three items of expense,
and they could far better afford to
ship the goods as they do now. Their
catalogues and all books, ETC., can al
ready be sent in the mails as printed
matter, at the rate of 8 cents per
pound. This reduction in rates would
benefit the small merchants, and
think they would be very short sight
ed to oppose it.
81 am also heartily in favor of the
second proposition, that of increasing
the maximum weight from four to
eleven pounds. There is no good reason
why the government should carry mer-
chandise for less than cost, but it can
better afford to carry one large pack
age, at the rate of cent an ounce
than several small packages at the
same rate. For instance, one eleven
pound package would cost $l.76, at the
present rate, and eleven one pound
packages would cost the same. The
net revenue to the government would
be more on the large package because
| it would be less work to handle.
"This second proposition, of increas-
ing the weight to eleven pounds is not
very important, and if passed, there
would be very few packages mailed
weighing over four pounds, but if any
one desired to send such package by
mail, 1 challenge anyone to give a
good reason why the government should
not be glad to accept it.
IL cannot state too strongly my con-
viction that these two recommends
tions, relative to rates on rural routes
and the maximum weights, should be-