The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-01-27
THE PARCELS POST BILL.

Morrisvile News and Citizen to the
effect that Congressman Fosters
parcels post bill, intended to be ap.
! piled to rural routes, would be "a
black eye for the country store
| keeper" Mr. Foster has written a
letter to the editor of that paper
which satisfies the News and Citi-
zen that the proposed bill is of q
local character, and instead of being
an injury to the home storekeeper
would be a benefit to him" Mr..
Fosters letter sets forth the purpose
of the bill so clearly and so forcibly
/ that the Journal takes pleasure in re-
producing the principal features, as
follows:
I'VE have now more than 10000
of these rural routes. The carriers are
prepared to carry 1875 pounds of mail
In point of fact the department says
that they do not carry on an average
to exceed % pounds. The expense of
the service to the department in ex-
cess of its earnings is $2S,000,0 900
yearly. These parcels for which a
local rate of postage is suggested
would never go upon the cars and as
no additional expense would be in
CURED by the increase of business all
the income from this source would
be profit to the department. 1t is
estimated by men who are in posi-
ton to judge that these carriers I'M
der my bill would earn on an average
not less than dollar per day each,
This means $12,000,000 per year. There
are many others who say that within
five years those routes under the pro-
visions of my bill would be self-sup-
porting and the $2S.000,000 deficit be-
longing to the service would entirely
disappear.
mo one can possibly be injured by
the service. You will note that the
local rate is limited to the routes en-
anating from the same postoffice or
station. 1t is analogous in all re-
spects to the local letter postage in
those villages and small cities where
there is no city delivery. Take YER
gennes, for instance. The postage on
a drop or a local letter is one cent
The local merchant instead of being
brought into competition with mer-
chants in larger places is given the en-
tire advantage under my bill. Middle
bury is a fairly representative town
in rural route matters and can be us
ed as an illustration. There are six
routes emanating from its postoffice
| suppose that the average number of
families on the route is not less than
JUS of these carriers are $50 families.
Neorly all of these families have the
telephone. Under the provisions of my
bin these $50 families would be
brought into closest contact with the
village merchant, the village grocer,
the village meatman and the village
doctor If a farmer wanted a piece
of meat or some groceries or some
thing for his broken moving mach
inc. or a bottle of medicine, he could
telephone to Middlebury for the arti-
Gle and have it sent him by mail The
rate of sixteen cents per pound at
present in force is prohibitive. The
result is that in extraordinary cases
when a farmer wishes package
weighing say two pounds sent him the
merchant instead of paying thirty
two cent postage throws in enough
old junk to make the package weigh
more than four pounds. 1t is then
non-mailable and he can give the
carrier ten cents and have the pack
age delivered.
81 repeat that the provisions of my
bill will injure no one. They will
prove OF advantage to the farmers on
tn will
which they respectively emanate. They
will enable the service to become
more nearly, if not quite self-support-
ing and thereby will enable the gov
eminent to perfect them by delivering
the mail at every patrons door. Under
present conditions this is in many
cases not done. | respectfully sub
nit that with deficit of S17 100000 in
the postoffice department and with
the cutlery that is heard in this con-
nection against newspapers and peri
odicals it does seem to me the height
of absurdity that these rural routes
should not be permitted to serve the
people and thereby vastly increase the
revenues of the department. What can
be more absurd than the present ar
rangement whereby the Middlebury
man can send for siXty-four cents
a four pound package to patron
on any rural route in the State of
California but must pay the same
amount for a similar package which
he desires to send to patron on one
of the Middlebury routes living five
miles out?"
The rates provided by the Foster
bill are as follows:
On parcels weighing two ounces or
less, one cent.
over two ounces and not over four
ounces, two cents.
Over four ounces and not over eight
ounces, three cents.
over eight ounces and not over ~
ounces, four cents
over ~ ounces and not over one
pound, five cents.
Over one pound, five cents and two
cents for each additional pound or
fraction thereof. Weight limit, II
pounds
Apparently the bill would increase
vastly the usefulness of the rural
delivery routes and greatly decrease
the deficit now resulting from that
service, combination not found in
every legislative measure. Any per-
son who has lived on farm, or is
at all familiar with rural condi-
Al M