The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-11-15
LATEST PARCELS POST IDEA.


contrary, Postmaster General George
Won l.. Meyer will find spirited OPP
position in the rural districts, among
retail merchants, against his latest
proposition for an emdned parcels
post. The retail merchants will argue
that if the parcels post is wrong as a
matter of principle, it is just as wrong
with discrimination tackled on for
the benefit of the retail merchant in
the smaller town. And it will be fur
Their argued that the greatest good to
be derived from the parcels post will
still go to the concentrated centers of
population.
Postmaster General Won Meyer real
ICES that there have been two effec-
tive opponents to the parcels post.
One is the retail merchant, the other
is found in the express companies.
And the postmaster general further
realizes that if he could but end op-
position from the retail merchant out
side the big cities, his troubles from
the express companies would be Of
slight consequence. He has just re-
Gently sprung a surprise upon the re-
tail dealers by which he declared he
would end their opposition and gain
their cooperation toward his pet meas
ure. But it is not so apparent that
this opposition, deep seated and Of
long standing, is going to die down
with one wave of the magic postmas-
ter generals wand.
Under present conditions. a pack
age that can go through the United
States mails is limited to four pounds.
The rate of postage is sixteen cents
per pound. Postmaster General Won
Meyer desires to increase the limit of
weight to eleven pounds and to reduce
the postage rate to twelve cents per
pound. He claims that the public is
entitled to this reduction, inasmuch as
the United States can already send
packages to foreign countries at the
twelve-cent rate.
The postmaster generals plan for
converting the retail merchants oppo-
sition into cooperation is to make a
discrimination in favor of the local re-
tail merchant whereby he could send
packages at the rate of five cents for
the first pound and two cents for each
succeeding pound. This he would ar
range by enacting in the law a clause
allowing packages originating at the
distributing point of rural route to
be sent at the lower rate, to any mail
box along the route, whereas the
package coming from the distant city
would have to pay twelve cents per
pound. The postmaster general de-
clares that he has received support
from the rural merchants Of New Eng
land in this plan, and he hoped to
receive. similar support from the bal
ance of the country.
But Mr.. Won Meyer allows himself,
perhaps not unwittingly, to overlook
one point which may still be seen at
glance by the country merchant. The
postmaster general lays all stress up
on the rural route feature Of the sys-
TEN. He points out that the local
merchant over a few routes serving
about 100 families each, would have
an advantage; he neglects to empha.
size the fact that with people in
town and with farmers not on rural
routes, the distant city would have a
very material advantage over his pres
ent postage condition. For, under
the proposed plan, the distant city
man would be able to both send bigger
packages by mail than at present and
at lower cost per pound.
The retail merchant all over the
United States has long been up in
arms against the parcels post. He