The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-12-08

I. Ivsy. - TIE CaT04ana 1aaoa
Farmer
The recent address of our dfsssa-
wuIshsa and exceedsnxiy practical Ma
tsonaI President. c - Barrett ap-
pearfnx IN The Carolina Enson Farn-
sr and other publications On the ira-
porsant subject Of Parcels Post. car
rses vita It convincing argument OF
It's righteousness. It's necessity has
already been decided By > large ma-
iority OF thinking people
President Barrett has great hopes
Of getting this measure passed ~ the
coming short session OF Congress.
and in that every member o. the
Farmers Union ought 10 gIve him
loyal and helpful support He says
that Q poll OF the last Congress dem
onstrated the fact that a majority OF
the members Of both the House and
Senate were willing to pass parcels
post Law in some form"-that In
just the point am come TO now, TO
warn Brother Barrett and our legis-
lative committee and all those who
essay TO help. against the some
form"
Now, IL we will start right with
parcels post, IL will come. and come
TO stay. Every well-wisher In inter-
ested In this start. The writer does
not claim to know more than others
who have studied the subject, and he
may be entirely In error. but wishes
to state his views here for the con-
sideration of those interested.
The plan OF parcels post recon-
mended a year or more ago by the
Postmaster-General, and which our
National Farmers Union legislative
committee induced North Carolina
Congressman, just at the close OF the
last session, to introduce, would
prove wholly inadequate, produce
failure and prejudice the cause. The
only feature that could commend 1t
to any one was that it might prove
an entering wedge for a general par
cells post, and, it is presumed upon
this superficial idea our committee
acted.
The plan as introduced was to put
the service into operation only upon
rural routes, beginning with the in
itial of the route and ending with its
finis-that is, package could be re-
ceived and posted at the starting
point Of route, or at some point up
on the route, and it's transmission
must stop at the end Of the route.
(The weight and the rate l do not
discuss here, as | have not the fig
ures at hand, assuming it is all that
could be desired.)
Now, that proposition, should it be
enacted, is to be a test measure. If
it succeeds, the Government will
probably establish general parcels
post If it fails, probably many
years would elapse before the meas
ure could be successfully called up
again,-and therein lies the danger.
What element of success does this
measure forecast? Absolutely none,
but it does forest failure.
1t is not seriously contemplated
that farm products will be transmit
ted in any appreciate quantity from
the country to the towns over any
sort of a parcels post Then the bulk
of the business must be from the
towns to the country. Now, what is
there of value in the average little
country town, emergencies excepted,
that the farmer is going to order by
mail? He lives only one mile or two
- - h. g.
thest, and a very small proportionate
live the greatest distance.
Suppose his town to be good trade
center and one at which the family
shopping is usually done, there is
such a variety needed, that the in
if it be SO regarded, of
hooking up nice team and driving
a few miles to town, is overcome by
the pleasure of selection, and the
saving of trouble. Besides, there are
no local catalogues. You see the
many difficulties that would arise
The plan is deceptive and will ben
eft neither the country nor the local
Besides, no one will be
quicker than the local merchant to
observe that if he assists in making
this success. he will be encouraging
just what he does not want-that |
success would hasten the day of
general parcels post. So this whole |
class of intelligent and alert men
would set themselves to work to |
make it failure.
The only measure desirable is that |
which operates all over the country |
and brings the farmer close to the |
great manufacturing centers. If he |
has the inconvenience of buying from |
a catalogue, he will know at the same
time that he is saving a valuable
profit. There has not been a time
perhaps in forty years when retail /