The San Francisco call., 1909-03-20
HOW THE PARCEL
POST IS VIEWED
Country Merchants in Great
Britain Find Low Rate
On Goods Assists
Their Trade

Editor The Call: So much ink has
that the poor country merchant would
be ruined if he accepted the offer of
the postmaster general to reduce the
rates OF transportation on his mail
matter that 1 think this letter from
I. w. Cowan should be of much inter
est and use.
Parcels post has been an established
fact in Great Britain since 1853 Nearly
quarter of a century of experience
should suffice to prove a truth. Cowan
mere summarizes Britains experience:
For some years l have watched
the controversy respecting parcels post
and have been surprised at the objec-
tfons put Decentralization that have
proved to be groundIess, considering
the very satisfactory manner in which
parcels post works in Europe. When
was in California 1 supplied friend,
who was president of the Postal Con-
sress league, with statistics which
showed what an inestimable boon par
cells post has been to all classes, and
now, instead OF being a hindrance, it
is stimulus to trade
see an extract from the Shoe and
Leather Gazette, in which an endeavor
is made to show that parcels post
would be an advantage to the
large mail order houses and an in
Jury TO the smaller local merchants.
ms is not true, for we have
round 1t has been just the reverse.
Small shop keepers who could not keep
large stock of goods formerly lost
orders because they could not compete
with larger firms. who. with their
larger capital, could afford to keep a
large stock Since the introduction of
parcels post all this is changed. and
these small shop keepers have been
able 10 get a living, as they do not
heed to have a large stock on hand
samples of the different goods being
su1neient. Customers select from these
samples, and the goods are delivered
at their doors in from one to three days
at the same prices as would be charged
at the large houses. The customer
does not pay more, but the tradesman
gets his legitimate profit.
1t does not appear that the whole
sale houses have suffered in any way.
and there is no doubt that the small
dealers have been benefited. and the
oenent has extended to the purchasing
pubic, for il has brought shopping ia
cilities of the city within the reach OF
every one in the country. No doubt
your express companies will suffer; but
is 1t not an anomaly that it costs more
TO send a. parcel from New York to
San Francisco by express than it does
from London, to- say, China, by parcels
post? Even parcels from London to
different points in the United States
cost less for postage than the express
charges in the country. If the ex-
press companies can make a profit on
English parcels after deducting cost
or freight by steamer across the At
Iantic, they /are surely charging too
much for carrying parcels in the coun-
Try. 1T is surprising TO us that a prac-
'tlcal people should have so long kept
out OF parcels post, and submitted to
eSofbitant express charges. No one
in Europe would for one moment adyo
cate doing away with the advantages
we now derive from parcels most.
nope you may also soon share the same
benfits with us"
"a word to the wise is enough
EDWARD BERWICK.
President Postal Progress League OF
California.
Pacific Grove. March 10, 1909.