The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-23
Parcels Post.

peared many times. But we teel that
no one proposed reform is so 1mpOr-
tant to our readers as this, and that
only persistent effort will bring it
about in the face Of the great oppO-
sition of the organized enemies Of
parcels post It is well known that
"Constant dropping will wear away
a rock" if water will wear away rock,
continual agitation will finally wear
away the opposition to parcels post.
This week we give you number OF
items from various exchanges. The
first is from the Palm Beach News:
One thing is reasonably certain, and
that is that the next Congress will
have to deal seriously with the pro-
posal for parcels post. This IS
thing that has been coming for long
time and the present Postmaster
General has it firmly fixed in his mind
that it will be a good thing. For the
peneral public, it unquestionably will
and the general public, after all, is
what the government is enormously
supposed to cater to. The man in the
street can figure that life would be
a good deal happier if he could send
four pounds anywhere through the
mail for two cents, as he can in many
foreign countries and could increase
this amount up to ten pounds at pro-
portional rates. The opposition first
of all will come from the express COM
panies. They have never been forced
to meet anything like this sort Of
competition and they will fight the
parcels post to it's passage as they
have always done. But there will be
another source of opposition, and the
plant of this class Of people will be
a good deal better worth listening to
than that Of the rich express cor
from the small store keepers Of the
country who will not be able to COM
pete with the immense department
stores of the big cities if the country
resident can write an order to town
and do shopping at an expense Of half
a cent pound. On the countries
where the parcels post is in vogue,
the department store is not developed
to anything like the extent that it is
in all good sized American cities. Yet
the city stores in these countries alb
sorb a large proportion Of what the
country store considers its legitimate
trade The coming Of such cheap
transportation means quite a read
justment in the scheme Of American
life and business, but at the same
time, it is development that will
have to be seriously considered dur
ing the coming winter.
The editor Of the Indiana Farmer
says:
Mr. Charles H. Ingersoll, who has
for a long time urged a parcels post
system, has just returned from trip
to Europe, and says: "There is no
thing that surprises foreigners SO
much about this country as to learn
that we have no parcels post. Abroad
it is as firmly established as the ordi-
nary mails, and is great convenience
and comfort to the people.
He says: II hope to be able to
crystalize public sentiment here so
that congress at its next session will
be forced seriously to consider the
matter
'T note that while I was away the
express companies have paid 200 per
cent dividends, and, Of course, from
them we shall receive enormous Op-
position to any attempt to establish
parcel post for the benefit of the peo-
pie.
"The parcel post in Europe will take
packages up to II pounds, which
covers even small pieces of furniture,
at fraction Of the American express
charges"
The editor of the Farmers Call
saws