Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-03-31
U. s. A BUSINESS FAILURE.
Adoption Of Parcels Post Would
Turn n Dehcit into q surplus for
the Post Office Department.


the Post office Department..
The government Of the United states
conducts one business. the greatest, most
far-reachng In the world--and 1t is a fail
urc. The universal practice has been to
leave everything to private enterprise
in this land OF the free which private en-
terprise could possibly attend 10. Rail-
ways and telegraphs, banks and shipping
lines, even the church, which are part
ard parcel of the government. and bossed
BY the king In countries where there Is a
king, have oil been left for the fellow
that should get there frst Uncle Sam
has thrown the field wide open and stood
by to SEQ that there was no fouling In the
race, reser,ing FOR himself one single
functfon-the task Of delivering the mail
And while private enterprise has reaped
annual profits Of millions in the perform
ance of all tho other tasks Of public ne
cessity. Uncle Sam has gone forward
steadily, ploddingly. fulfilling his part
Of the contract, and losing Sl7cn,1o
year 1t has arbitrarily limited its field
Of operation and so shut itself of from
both service and profit.
While the government OF the United
last year in the transaction OF lite bust
ness. the wells-Fargo Express company,
transporting packages generally light,
and covering the same territory AZ tho
postal service, declared a cash dividend
OF 30 per cent. Take these two facts
OF the governments loss and the express
! company's profit together, and look at
them squarely. and what Is the answer?
| ltaU
let the government establish parcels
post But that shows the lack OF judicial
! training on the part OF the average In
I dividua President Taft focuses MS
well trained legal mind upon the question
and decides unhesitatingly Raise the
rate on second class matter; penalize the
magazines
! There Is a celebrated story told OF John
Wanamaker who once was postmaster
general, and like all celebrated stories 1t
Is old An Englishman visiting our coun-
try and studying it's institutions was
amazed that a nation otherwise so pro-
pressive should have failed to establish
anything similar to the parcels post which
renders such excellent service in most of
the countries Of Europe why Is It. Mr..
Wanarnaker." he asked. that your gov
eminent which could carry parcels at one
twelfth the present rate. and at a profit.
does not do it,
And Mr. Wanamaker answered. my
dear sir, there are four excellent rea-
SONS The Adams Express company. the
American Express company. the Weiis
Fargo Express company and tho SOUTH
ern Express company" That was back
in 1890, and there are Just as many rea-
sons against a parcels post to-day, ana
no more than there were then.
II tho inaugura ton Of parcels post
involved any changes Of revolutionary
character, there mght lie some reason
for the long delay in undertaking 1t,
But think how simply the thing could he
done Here is the government already
euuipped with all the machinery OF an
express company. including hundreds OF
thousands Of branch offices, 5000 rural
delivery routes and disciplined army
of employees Without interfering In any
way with the even course OF business
without even adding an empioye to the
pay roll, parcels delivery could be trle%
ont on the rural routes and Its value
proved So great Is the need for parcels
delivery on these routes that the post
master-general has been compelled to is
sue an order forbidding rural carriers Il
deliver packages along the route. II no"
instead OF prohibiting this service, small
tariff not to exceed twenty-five cents
we're charged for IT, We should have par
cells post established at once, which coul'
not harm anybody, least OF all the coun
try merchant and II would be an I'm
mense convenience to the farmer and tn
| nf
ment.
Postmaster General Meyer recommend
ed this reform repeatedly. but for the fou
reasons originally urged against par
GELS post, his recommendations hav
never bossomed forth In legislation
Equal consideration has been granted /
his second very mild proposal that III
government treat its own people as we
as 1t treats foreigners by reducing IN
parcels rate OF sixteen cents a pound t
twelve, which is the international rate
It Is one OF the delightful incons!ster
cies which are said to make our cnara
Ter interesting to the visitor. that We Am
, orleans who have set UP tarin wall as
protection against the foreigners. shout
, allow these same foreigners TO enter on
, country through the mails At rate tina
Is four cents cheaper than Is granted
our own home fsahs
II the United states can afford to tram
port package from Glasgow to Ne'
York and across the continent TO Beattl
. for twelve cents a pound, II can certainl
afford to perform the Same service be
I tween New York and Albany at tho sam
> rate II is difficult to discern anythin
5 in these proposals that might offend III