Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-21
PARCEL POST is CHEAPER
Two-Cent Letter Postage to Great
Britain After October l.
PANAMA RAILWAY RATES HIGH
With War Department
May Lessen Cost of Mail Service
to South America.

rArtment Postmaster General Meyer has
given close attention to the foreign mail
service. With the Inconsistencies and
Inequalities of this service his residence
abroad made him more or less familiar.
JAS a result of his interest the United
States will shortly have letter communi-
cation with Great Britain and Ireland at
the domestic letter rate of postage. of =
cents ounce or fraction thereof some
thing which has been clamored for for
wears both by exporters in this country
and by the people of Great Britain.
There arc many thousands of English,
Scotch. Welsh and Irish immigrants in
tbs country who keep closely in touch
with :he!r former homes by means of a
weekly letter. Many of these correspond
ems are poor. and few cents even in
the course of a month mean much to
them.
Ply a modification of the universal pos
tai union treaty, in October. 1907, the
letter rate of cents half ounce or
fraction thereof was reduced to cents
an ounce or fraction thereof. 1t was left
optional with the signatory powers to
still further reduce this rate by mutual
agreement
Effective October /.
The Postmaster General promptly took
the matter up with the English govern
ment. AS result. on and after October
L 1908, the letter rate between the United
States. England. Ireland, Scotland and
Wales will be but cents an ounce or
fractioE thereof. the same as from here
70 Baltimore. New 1o k or any other
O2fir" in the United s. ates.
Not only will this grea: postal reduction
be we.SOmed b. the people in this co,: =
tfy who have relatives or correspondents
IN Great Britain, but tie immense belc-
TT IN the matter of commerce and trade
10 ain ost impossible of appreciation at
this time.
On. strong objection on the other side
to this new rate was the fear that the
mails would be flooded with circulars of
entcrrrising captains of industry in the
United States who might reach out in this
manner for an extension of business For
awhile this argument had its weight with
the willy Englishman. who is not over-
generous in giving away trade to ary-
body
But other advantages are so numerous
ana So important. and have been so well
represented to the English government by
postmaster General Meyer that the
minor objection was quickly sent to the
rear. The new rate was agreed upon.
Parcel Posts Cheaper.
Not only in this respect has Postmas-
ter General Meyer demonstrated his wis
conditions some of which are exceedingly
peculiar. but he has also given close at
tertion to what is known as the parcels
post service with foreign countries
Tariffs and customs regulations exist
ing IN many countries of the postal union
make 1t impossible to send to those coun-
tries. except by the slower and more ex-
persive express and freight routes, any
articles of merchandise, however insig-
nihcant, without mourning the danger Of
It's loss by seizure. or taxing il with
lines and penalties far in excess of its
value.
Years ago the parcels-post system was
devised. whereby one might send an artI-
Gle of merchandise by mail, accompanied
WITH a declaration as to its contents The
postal service of the countries with which
these parcels-post exchanges were main
tdiAeo was so equipped as to quickly and
properly handle and deliver such article
Exchanges on Common Basis.
AT the present time the United States
mas parceis-post exchanges with thirty
HVe countries Of the postal union. The
unit OF weight and the rate of postage.
however, vary.
carcels-poSt must not exceed four pounds
and six ounces. In others il may WEIGH
as much as eleven pounds
40 some countries the parcels-post rate
rs ~ cents pound. To others it is as
high as 20 cents a pound The rate va
Ttes. according to whether or not the mail
communication between this country and
inc country Of address is direct, or wheth-
es tne mails have TO be handled by the
service Of an intervening country. in
which latter case transit charges have tn
DC paid that country.
II has been the aim of Postmaster Gen.
efdl Meyer to get all the countries as far
as possible, on the same basis, making
the limit Of weight and the rate of postage
the same In all.
OF the thirty-five parcels-post exchanges
now or will be, on andSafter October i
on the eleven pound weight and the Il
cents pound rate basis. while nine are
on the four pound and six ounce weight
basis.
To Bolivia. Peru, Chile and Ecuador ar
ticies are charged a postal rate of 20
cents a pound. because of the extra cost
OF hanoLng them on the Panama railroad
across the isthmus. Postmaster General
Meyer has taken the matter up with the
Secretary Of War. 1t is hoped the charges
OF the railroad may be reduced, so as to
admit of a service with those countries
with a weight limit of eleven pounds and
postage rate for parcels-post packages
OF IL cents a pound.
Arrangement With England.
Arrangements have been made whereby
parcels-post articles may be sent to Eng
land at the II cents a pound rate and
weighing as high eleven pounds, eff
fective July l. Parcels-post articles sent
to Italy on and after August Is will also
be subject to the eleven pound limit in
weight and the II cents an ounce rate Of
postage.
Up TO the time of signing the parcels
post treaty with France recently the linn
IL of weight to that country was twelve
ounces, the same as TO Italy before the
Italian convention was signed. Arrange
ments have already been made whereby
parcels weighing as high as four pounds
and six ounces may be sent TO France on
and after August ID.
II is hoped. if the French authorities
can adjust their affairs as TO permit
il. that this weight limit may be in
creased to eleven pounds possibly by the
time set for the four pound and six ounce
limit to go into effect
The rate to Germany now is II cents a
pound and the weight limit four pounds
and six ounces II is hoped the more lib
eral weight limit may be among the
early probabilities.
The advantages to trade arising from
these arrangements extending the weight
limit and reducing the postage rate are
incalculable, and Postmaster General
Never has not been slow to see them
His residence abroad, where, by special
conventions. articles are as easily eX-
changed between different countries as
between our own states. has directed him
TO field of postal endeavor which he Is
rapidly and satisfactorily covering In a
way 10 make one wonder why these i'm
provements have not been made before.