Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-08-11
PARCELS POST
INCONSISTENCIES

Parcels up to eleven pounds in weight
may be sent through the United States
mails to Hungary at the rate of twelve
cents a pound or a fraction of a pound
according to the long list of countries
having parcels post conventions with
this country. Thus Hungarians who
have become residents of the United
States will have better mail facilities
or treatment than the plain American
citizen. A parcel weighing four
pounds can now be sent to Budapesth
or any other city in Hungary for 48
cents, while the postage on like par
eel would be sixty-four cents if it
were sent from Scranton to Pittsburg
or Wilkes Barre. If the parcel bearing
the latter address weighs more than
four pounds it will be rejected as un-
available, but it may weigh as much
as eleven pounds if its destination is
across the Atlantic, and a thousand
miles inland, if we have parcels post
agreement with foreign country.
Thus far it has been found impossi-
BILE to induce congress to enact the
Necessary legislation to give our people
parcels post reform. Several bills pro-
viding for the institution of an effec-
tive parcels post in the United States
were introduced during the recent
session, but they all failed The post
office department could not even OBJ
tain permission to establish an expert
mental service on the rural free deliv-
cry routes. Realizing the strength of
the opposition to the institution of a
service through which parcels might
be transmissible from one place to an.
other within the continental area of
the republic upon as favorable terms
as they are now transmissible from
here to the other side of the world. the
department confined its efforts to pro-
noting the passage of bill authoriz-
ing the transportation of packages
from one point on a rural free delivery
route to some other point on the same
route at the rate of five cents for the
first pound and two cents more for
each additional pound up to twelve,
but it was no good. Every reformatorv
proposition was persistently TUNED
down.
The express companies are the main
obstructors to a parcels post. because
they have maintained lobbies in con.
gress in order to prevent Uncle Sans
mails cutting their profits and busi.
ness.
The WellsFargo Express company,
after paying ten per cent. dividends
ON capital of IS, 900 for MANY
years, last Winter distributed a cash
dividend of 300 per cent, and stimuli.
taneously empowered its stockholders
to subscribe at par for twice the
amount of their holdings. Of course
they all availed themselves of this on.
portunity and Iputting IS, 600, 600 in
their pockets they used the other SIG.
600, coo in paying for the new stock
which it had been decided to issue.
The other day semi-annual dividend
OF five per cent. was paid on the in
creased capitalization of S24, 900, 600,
and at the end of the year there will
still be handsome balance TO carry
TO profit and loss. And the other ex-
press companies are doing as equally
fourishing and profitable business
as the Wells Fargo M woudar +ba,,
fight any parcels post through the
mails. They can we'll afford to oppose
any such measure at Washington, but
the people will not stand much longer
for their congressional representatives.
to act as the stoolpigeons of private
or special interests.