The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-25

Frederick c Beach, associate editor of
the Scientific American. member of the
Postal Progress league of Massachusetts,
and considered the best-informed layman
on postal matters in thi. country, gave
out the following interview last evening
to The Herald. concerning the proposed
postal tariff revision bill
What We want to accom- lish and pro-
pose to do, if possible, is to have the par
GELS post law changed so as 10 practically
consolidate the present thil d ara fourth
class mail matter into one class on a
basis OF eight cents per pound instead of
sixteen, as is now the case, or rever-
sion to the rate in vogue in 1874. We Will
also endeEvOr to have the weight limit
raised from four to eleven pounds for par
GELS post merchandise, which is the
weight adopted by all foreign countries
having postal treaties with the United
States. The present condition creates the
anomaly that a person in England can
mail parcels weighing eleven pounds to
a San Francisco address for a very low
rate, probably not more than 30 cents,
and have the same delivered by a local
express company in San Francisco. 1t is
received as mail matter, but delivered by
an express company in order that the
fOur-pOund limit law may be Obeyed. and
at the same time the terms of the treaty
not violated.
To Mend Postal Deficit.
Another matter We desire to accom-
plish is the devising of some means
whereby the present large postal deficit
can be eliminated. This deficit has arisen
through the general introduction of the
rural free delivery system throughout the
country. The rural free delivery system
a few years ago was tried wholly as an
experiment. vet thousands of routes are
in operation all over the country now.
AS result of the extension of the
system. and the fact that the present law
limits the carrying capacity of the rural
a V-T1N
pounds per day, four-pound parcels be
ing the limit, a deficit must necessarily
arise They do not allow the sending of
large parcels, the service being practical
~ restricted to letters and newspapers
alone This restriction came about as
matter of senatorial courtesy. Senator
Thomas G. Plat fought the rural free
delivery measure tooth and nail ana it
IS not surprising when the fact that he
is the head and front of the United
states Express company is taken into
consideration. As a result. a twenty-five
pound load limit per day was placed on
the rural deiveTyman and Senator Platt
was silenced.
The Parcels Post.
1T has been demonstrated that the
average weight a rural free delivery
wagon can carry conveniently is go
pounds, so the average system curtails
the possibilities of the situation by about
nlne-tenths- To assist in eliminating the
deficiency. it is proposed to establish a
very low local parcels post rate in such
a manner that a farmer living on q pos
tai route can order groceries flour and
other personal and household necessities
to be sent him by parcels post He like
wise can send small lots of farm produce
to dealers in nearby towns. The schedule
IS arranged as follows:
Parcels up to 1-2i a cubic foot, 1x6xl2
inches, I cent
Larger parcels UP to = cubic foot
6x12X12 inches D cents
Larger parcels up to / cubic foot OK
l2x2i inches, size of the ordinary suit
case or peach basket. 10 cents.
THE salary of the average carrier in
1908 was $3.50. His average earnings with
the twenty-five-pound load limit was not
more than 81 per month, or a yearly in
come of 1882 for the year. The average
loss per route per annum was. there
fore. about 1853 and for the 39.143 routes
in the country now operating. a sum to-
tai of S29.0G0,O00, OF enough to pay the
Standard Oil company's fine
Under the schedule 7 have quoted it
is estimated that the additional income
will be probably 81 more than expenses
it in place of loss monthly on all of the
routes Of the country would soon nav off
the 10000 of existing deficit.
We aim to have a OaTcels post based
on an S-cent-per-pOund tariff. with an
eleven-pOund weight limit in our own
country. We intend to exchange with
foreign countries desiring to do so. on an
international basis Of II cents. or a SIM
liar basis is to be agreed upon.
Merchants Object.
We have met with some opposition on
the part of merchants and wholesalers.
nru1Tr0pOf hnfru t1af inarcs1ra tfor,