Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-11-14
q HOME TRADE MENACE.
How Parcels Post Would Help Mail
Order Houses.

Order Houses.
The following editorial appeared in
the Minneapolis Commercial Bulletin
recently and sets forth several new
and strong arguments against any leg
islation in favor of parcels post as ad-
vocated by retail mail order houses:
at is predicted by those who are
well posted that there will be much
more determined and intelligent effort
to secure the enactment of IL parcels
post measure in the next session of
congress than was made in the session
which closed some time ago. In pre-
pairing to combat this effort those who
believe that the extension of the par
GELS post service would be detrimental
not only to their own business, but to
the country as 4 whole-to the great
J body of the American pcoplc-must
| bring forward those arguments which
are most likely to appeal to the great
masses of the people and must to
large extent set away from those ar
guments which relate specifically to
| their own interests.
1.-THE change or disruption of eStab-
liShed methods and channels of dis
tribution is not likely to appear TO
the ordinary mind as sufficient ground
for opposing plan that is loudly add
Vocated as Il means of progress and
| Improvement, and it may not seem
clear to the general public in what
way this plan mcnaceS the existence of
retail merchants or why they should
be guarded against means of dis
| tribution which is claimed to be in
the interest of both the producers and
the consumers of the articles thus
cheaply and conveniently distributed.
But there are more valid reasons
for Directing to the parcels post than
appear on the face of the matter at a
casual glance. This is not u mere
question of maintaining the relations
of manufacturers, jobbers or whole
salers and retail dealers and giving to
each class fair share in the profits
of production and of distribution to
consumers. Disrupting this system
would be of small account if the re-
suit was to be an economic and So
cial Improvement or even if it was to
| CduSt III lujuiS W tic COllu unity
But while the government is con-
tending against the control of indus
try and trade by great combinations
that tend to monopoly and the ex-
tinction of competitive effort, and
while there is q general depreciation
of the tendency to draw population
J from rural and village life and mass
1t in congeSted centers, it seems like 4
4 POOR policy to lend the service of the
! as the parcels post would certainly do
! The transportation afforded might not
& be especially cheap in aggregate cost
! but by means of the uniform charge i
B would be made cheap for long dis
q tances and give tremendous advan
A tage to the great manufacturing anl
d trading concerns at central points.
would cause the small MANUFACTURED,
places, scattered over wide areas ant
affording employment and comforta
bic subsistence to small communities
to anguish and die out. 1t would en-
able the big central manufactures
department stores and mail orde
houses to reach out to small town
and villages and extinguish the loca
tradersxand storekeepers or reduc
them 70 struggling and precariou
existence. The various tendencie
which it would accelerate are thos
most desirable to counteract.
1.-THE purpose of the government
postal service is to facilitate commit
nication among the people in their s,
cial, business and political relation
and not to transport commodities q
the public expense. The purpose {
the merchandise rate for small pacl
ages is to enable the people to sen
these to each other readily and cheal
ly and not to afford to manufacturer
and traders a cheap method of di
= tributing their goods to customers. ]