Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-01-02

written Specially for The Bulletin.)
l suppose you've noticed what POST
master General Meyer is trying to get
from congress in the matter of postal
package service. Briefly, and as a
common farmer man may understand
it, it's about like this:
He wants congress to authorize the
sending OF small packages of merL
Chandlse, up To some ten or a dozen
pounds, by rural free delivery car
TIers. at a reasonable and human rate
of postage. Taught by the experience
OF his predecessors that there is no
use asking for this except under very
narrow limitations. he suggests that
the carrying Of such small packages
by carriers on rural free delivery
routes, and shall only be between
points on one route. That is, the car
rler who starts from Podunk and goes
twenty miles through Hardscrabble
and Satan's Kingdom and Wayback
and over Rattlesnake Hill and through
Jones Hollow, shall be allowed TO car
~ and deliver on that route packages
Of said reasonable weight at said rea
6onaDle postage, provided they are
mailed at some point on that route.
He may carry a box from the store in
Podunk to Mr.. Waggles Of Rattlesnake
Hill; he may carry a bundle of cat
back to Mrs. Woggles Of Hardscrabbie.
Hnd so on. but he may not carry any
package, though 1t be Of reasonable
weight, at the proposed reasonable
postage rate, from any person or place
of this particular route to any person
or place on this particular route. Even
this bill we are credibly informed,
stands no chance Of securing a hear
ing before congress; much less of be-
ing enacted.
Well, there'iI be no great harm done
" it isn't. Tor Of all the suggestions I
which have ever been made for the
bettarmcut Of rural conditions, this !
is about the most fantastic Don't think
7 am criticising Mr.. Meyer. Nobody
who knows that energetic and intel /
lIgent gentleman would ever suspect
him OF the real responsibility for such /
poppycock He has evidently seized on
the idea, despairingly. as offering a
feeble hope that something, no matter /
now trivial. might be gotten into the |
alleged brains Of our alleged represen- J
tatiyes in congress, as a starter to- Z
ward real reform. I for one will (
never believe that he regards ii as /
anything but makeshift, which he |
feels himself compelled TO propose and /
Nrse-not because he finds it valuable /
put because it is all he sees even a /
For years and years the public
spirited and often statesmanlike men
at the head Of our postal department I
nave been describing its failures and
l-cturing its needs and begging con- /
gress TO remedy the evils we endure.
ana Tor al these years congress has
DULY, stolidly' wooden Indian-liIle ig- 1
uoled them. Don't forget for one mo-
ment that for the failure Of our pos
tai service to be OF the use IL might
be, especially In the country districts.
it Is congress, and especially the sem
ate which is wholly and directly re-
Eponsi1le.
7 hope YOU won't think I'm slang
Thansing the pOstof1ce. Not much;
80 far as it goes it's the best managed
sna most satisfactory business con-
Quoted In this country. / don't know
or any private enterprise in the land |
winch gives Its patrons 50 swift so !
ure, so honest and so economical SER I
zee as Jhe postofice-as far as it is
allowed 10 serve. But its service is re- /
stricted within too narrow limits. II
-7 just because it is so swift, so sure /
so trustworthy and so economical that !
us operations should be widened. so as
10 include the carrying of reasonable |
packages as well as letters and papers
and magazines.
IN this matter of parcel delivery, as
well as I'm some other relative to the
ending Of money by mail. etc. we Of
the United States are half n century
behind the rest Of the civilized world.
The people Of England and Germany
and Austria and many other European
countries use their pOstofices freely
and cheaply for sending small parcels
and paving small bills We are kent
out of the use Of that service which the
postal department would be glad TO
give us ana is organized TO give Us.
simply and solely by the refusal Of
ongress to act IN behalf Of the people.
.ts an old story how Postmaster Caa-