The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-04-29
PUSHING PARCELS
POST BILL
PERSISTENT EFFORT BEING MADE
TO GET CONGRESS TO
ACT.
Postal Progress League Files Striking
Document With committees-For-
eisn Merchandise Enjoys Special
Privilege in Mails Of This Country.


GUS effort in favor of the parcels post
is being concentrated upon the post
office committee of Congress. A strik-
ing document, bearing the Endorsement
of the Postal Progress League and OF
other organizations, has been filed with
these committees. Among other things
it says:
"The United States postoffice has al
ways been an express service, although
confined to sealed parcels of small
weight-not over three pounds sand
at very high rates, graduated accord
ing to distance. In 1874, however, the
postal express service was extended
to all kinds of merchandise in unsealed
parcels at a common rate of l cent
each two ounces, regardless at once of
distance and of the volume of pat
ron's business.
This legislation placed the hum
blest citizen in the most out of the
way postal district of the country on
a par with the biggest corporation in
our greatest metropolis as to the cost
of the transportation of his produce
and his supplies in parcels up to four
pounds. The public service postofice
Immediately became a dangerous COM
petitor of the private profit express
company, with it's distance rates based
upon what the traffic will bear, and
always discriminating in favor of the
big town against the little town, and
the big corporation against the private
citizen.
"The express interests got quickly
to work, therefore, and soon checked
up the growing postal express rate by
100 per cent, from eight cents to 16
cents a pound. Later the book and
seed interests got the postal express
rate on their merchandise reduced to
the old rate of 1874; and now for many
years the postofice and the public
have been subjected to two sets of
rates on matter indistinguishable in
character and altogether indistinguish-
able as to the cost of their transporta-
ton. Yet the federal government,
while denying parcels post facilities to
the people of the United States, has
arranged for an international service
by means of which foreigner may
express by our postal service and his
own a package from any part of his
own country to any part of ours at q
uniform rate of II cents a pound in
parcels up to IL pounds each. Thus a
| man in London can send by mail a
package of IL pounds to New York
| and thence clear across this country
to California and there have it de-
livered at some remote point by rural
delivery, all for IL cents pound, and
| with no question asked as, to whether
it contains cut flowers or growing flow.
ers, roasted chestnuts or raw
'The conservative Bennett postal
bill, now pending in Congress, pro-
poses to remedy this condition OF
things in some measure by provid.
ing:
First, for general express post at
one cent each two ounces, the old com
mon rate of 1874.
! Second, local city post for sealed
parcels at two cents for the first four
ounces and one cent for each addition
al two ounces, with a common weight
limit of four pounds in each service.
third, cheap local service on the
rural routes with all mail matter in one
class.
"Fourth, insurance of all mail mat
ter
i Hearings on this bill will commence
before the House committee on posi-
Offices and post roads in few days.