The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-12-12
TIE PARCELS POST.
Carter B. Keene Speaks for the Post
master General,

l Ia III iSoioSiPPi CoiHHleTclal congress
IN Muskogee, Oklahoma. Nov. Dist.
The Postmaster General was invited to
be present and present his views con.
corning improvements in the postal
service which he would recommend in
his Forthcoming annual report. Very
urgent business prevented his attend
The MuSkogee Phoenix prints his ad-
dress in full. We can only give a few
extracts. Mr.. Keene said:
Fifteen years ago when the extension
of parcels post first received attention
serious problems arose which have
been solved by rural free delivery, and
be a positive advantage to the small
and end at the village post office or the
cross roads store. In fact, they origi-
centers of the people they supply. This
routes yet to be established to accomo-
date the tide of home seekers that
sweeps across the Mississippi every
year.
''The postmaster general will recon-
at the beginning of route, or at any
on that route shall be dispatched at the
the first pound and 2 cents for each
additional pound, making the expense
of sending | / pounds on the rural route
% cents, while the mail order house at
st. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, San
ra
S1.32 In other words the local mer-
chant would have an advantage in
postage over the outside concern of
S1.07 on package of maximum weight,
and the same proportion would hold on
smaller parcels Today the large dealer
and the small dealer must pay GA cents
to send a pound package anywhere, be
the distance long or short.
The accommodation that rural par
GELS post would be to the farmers is
apparent to you practical men many of
whom have been forced to interrupt
your work to go miles for household
necessities that an order by telephone
or postal card would have brought to
your door for few pennies
Mr.. keene then took up and discuss
ed the objections urged against this
plan, principally through trade jour
mails, contending that parcels post can
have 10 competitor, because private
transportation companies make de-
liVeries almost exclusively at railroad
points. while the mails penetrate every
nook and corner of the land; that so
far from the expense. being an unwar-
ranted drain on the treasury the pro-
posed extension of parcels post can be
conducted at profit to the govern
ment. AS to the question whether the
proposed reduction III postage from 16
to u cents pound will operate to the
disadvantage of the small dealer Mr..
keene said:
The local dealers experience their
most damaging competition from the
mail order houses in articles that are
shipped by freight or express, and the
comparatively small reduction in post
age proposed on packages sent any
where IN the United States would still
leave the rate too high to offer induce
ments over the present transportation
practices of those houses. On every
II pound package the local dealer
would have an advantage over his
stronger competitor of $132 if the par
Gel be delivered to the purchaser at the
store, and 81 if it be sent over a
rural route touching the merchants
post office.
Cannot the farmer employ the rural
carrier to bring him packages from
town? Yes. under certain restrictions,
if the carrier elects to be accommodate
ing. The mixing of private business
and official duties does not work well.
BY rural parcels post it is planned to
make it the duty of the carrier to de-
liver a parcel to any address and con-
slderationS of personal preference and
favOrltlsm are sunk when the stamps
are affixed.
Mr.. Keene said the parcels post will
mean much to the 4th class postmaster,
the hardest-Worke and poorest paid
servant of the government. The bus
mess of his office will be Increased and
d substantial share of the revenue from
parcels post business will go into his
pocket
is the lower rate of postage on rural
routes intended as a temporary or per-
manent arrangement? | am aware
that the statement has been given wide
circulation that the lower rate is mere
ly an experiment and that uniform
rate of II cents would soon be put in
effect. | will say emphatically that )
cents pound for the first pound and
cents pound for each additional pound
Will be the recommendation of the
postmaster general, and if congress
adopts his views on the subject postal
official would be as powerless to change
that rate as any person here. Ar act
of congress only could modify it.
at has been asked if catalogue
houses, so-called, could not under the
proposed plan freight or express cata-
logues to rural route centers and dis
tribute them at the proposed rural
parcels post rate.
mo, because parcels post deals with
fourth class matter only; catalogues
are third class matter under the pres
ent law, and there is no proposition to
change the classification of them.
eff a catalogue weighs three pounds
it costs "a cents, s cents per pound, to
send it by mail, one mile or one thou
sand miles, and it will cost no less or
no more whether parcels post as rec
commended by the postmaster general,
is adopted or rejected by congress-
On postal savings banks Mr. keene
said: ''postal banks conducted on the
lines the postmaster general will rec
ommend to congress will reach two
classes of citizens, those who are now
without savings bank facilities, and
those who distrust the safety of com
mercial institutions but have absolute
confidence in the government. Immi-
grants unacQuainted with our language