Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-08
POSTMASTER GENERAL MEYER
ON THE PARCEL POST


try postmasters have long been a matter
of jocular comment among outsiders. The
postmasters themselves. naturally. don't
see the humor of it. and there has been
more than one instance where the office
of fourth-class postmaster has gone beg
ging because it did not pay enough even
to cover the expenses incident to it's in
cpmbency.
This parcel-post scheme of Mr.. Meyers
would not merely increase the postal
trevenues of the rural districts, but would
automatically increase the salaries of the
fourth-class postmasters. There are some
thing over 41,OOO of these who receive
salaries of $500 a year or less, and more
than 1880 who receive $50 or less. Wher-
ever the postmasters are giving rural free
delivery service, the adoption of some such
parcel-post scheme would increase the
cancellation of an office and the pay of
the postmaster without any further &C
ton by Congress. Suppose the cancella-
ton increased 80 cents day. 1t would
amount to $40 a quarter, and the post
masters share of this, while perhaps not
| large would certainly help some"
Speaking of the effect of the extension
of the parcel post on the express COM
| pohiSS, MI. meyer says.
THE proposed reduction of cents a
pound will probably result in the decrease
of express rates to many points. But that
can hardly be called disadvantage to the
people, nor. can postage at IL cents a
pound instead of 16 be deemed radical in
the way of domestic rate when such a
| rate has already been established, to
| thirty-two foreign countries. 1 might add
that a general merchandise rate of Il
cents pound would produce revenue Of
$40 ton and a profit of $279O, as fol-
! lows:
TO railroad transportation, $40 miles '''''
Other transportation charges. ...... 1850
| Labor and supplies. ..1656O
TOTAL cost. ........................ PIP 10
Front. ....................... $3.50
| X
| Mr.. Meyers parcel-post plan is likely to
be favorably received by all except the
express companies; but the fact that they
| don't like it Is not likely to be serious
| disadvantage in the eyes of the general
public. There are a whole lot of people
who have long since been converted to
the theory that Uncle Sam is good
| enough expressman for them-by far the
cheapest, quickest. most reliable and inf
nitely more extended as to his delivery
routes for such packages as he will under
take at all than any express company in
| existence. OF course, unless a package is
registered, it's lost when it's lost, and your
| Uncle disclaims any responsibility for it.
When an express company loses it, it is
months 70 off t.,
cepted, and months more before any set
| Element is made. Meanwhile it is taken
for granted that the shipper is liar and a
thief and is trying to defraud the COM
pany. A dozen different representatives
of the company call On him and waste his
| time and spoil his temper. He is put to
considerable expense in the matter of tele-
| phones and car fares, and is finally ex-
pected to be humb!y and ecstatically
grateful because the company is will
compromise on half the value of the arti-
Gle lost and charge nothing for the time
| consumed. OF course, the express COM
pany's fee in such case. which is any,
| where from 25 cents to S., is a dead loss.
Then. again. in many. many places the
express company merely notifies the per-
son to whom package is address,
1t is held for him at It's nearest office,
which may be five miles away, and he is
expected to hitch up, or pay some one
else to hitch up. and go after it. That is
emphatically true all around in Virginia
and Maryland in the immediate neighbor-
| hood Of Washington. The express COM
panies deliver in such parts of the District
Of Columbia as they see ft-not by any
| means in all parts. There is for instance,
| q large section in the extreme northwest
| beyond Georgetown where they simply
notify the addressee that there are goods
for him at their main ofice-over some
where in the neighborhood Of the new
Union depot. They deliver in Alexandria
on the one side and in Hyattsville on the
| other, but there are innumerable small
towns between Alexandria and Washing
ton, for instance, where people are told
they must come down to Alexandria and
collect their own packages.
X
But even so, Mr.. Meyer proposes to let
the express companies down easy. He
only proposes that Uncle Sam shall carry
comparatively small packages, and there
are still several sorts of merchandise that
are not mailable. He is proposing no such
radical parcel-post laws as exist in many
| countries in Europe, where express COM
panies do not exist. For one thing he
does not propose that postage shall be
COD, as it is in many parts Of Europe,
nor does he propose that Uncle Sam shall
act as collector for the shipper, as Is done
in Germany. Under the German parcel
post law goods may be sent COD, which |
is great convenience to shopkeepers as
well as the general public
Both in Germany and England goods
are practically insured up to a certain
| figure, which covers the value of most
parcels sent, and may. for fees varying
up to 81 cents. be further insured up to
value Of 5000, and in England practi-
cally anything is mailable. 1t is quite
common to send live bees through the
j malls Iva La