New Iberia enterprise and independent observer., 1910-09-03
THE PARCELS POST AND THE
LOCAL MERCHANT.

We are clad TO sec that some
of our Southern da ~ papers are
taking up thc fight for the parcels
post. This is one measure now
before Congress that would be of
such immediate and decided value
Ito the rural districts that no far
mcr can afford to be Indifferent
to {. II does MT speak much for
our lt'ogresSiycncSs i hat Amer
leans should bc the only civilized
people deprived of this couy
renee That we have not had it
before now IS due to the mac
tIvty Of the mass Of farmers and
f. the active opposition Of thea eX-
press companies and the mer-
chants Of the country towns.
The express companies VIII con
tnue TO fight it, Of course, but 10
the merchants we would commend
the following words NJ the CharI-
cston tS. 60 News and Courier
The proposition is simply this:
Do the people Of the United States
want small packages, Of twenty
pounds weight. say, or less, trans
ported At but fraction Of the
present cost. with every rural de
livery box a point Of Shipment as
we'll as point Of delivery?
: We are told that they do not,
that It is better to pay eNtortlon-
ate rates for the present service
than TO run the risk of the mail
order houses competing with mer-
chants N small towns We do not
know that such an argument viii
appeal to the farmer. II VIII
strike him as kind of body blow
at his INTERESTS. He is willing
enough to endorse good roads 50
that he can 90 INTO the towns to
buy and sell. but he is hardly pre-
pared to keep upon himself a
transportation tax n addition. not,
il seems. for his own benefit. but
for the benefit of the merchants
of the small towns. Opposition
to the parcels post. as expressed
N the arguments we have seen,
is based on the propoS ton that
town merchants will not Get the
farmer 5 business If the fcrmcr
can get better and mora conven-
lent service elsewhere. wherefore
the town merchants do not want
him TO have any better service
While. then considered thus.
this opposition IS a selfish and in
thing. we feel that the
town merchants do themselves
great economic wrong III oppoS-
mo the proposed service. They
would be the very ones to profit
by if. Farmers can now buy in
town only by coming dnto town
in person. With cheap delivery
Of parcels by rural carriers. far
mers would telephone or write into
town for everything they needed.
They would not order from New
York or Chicago They would or
der from the local stores. which
would give practically as good
No people N the world
should more heartily endorse the
parcels post than town merchants
who do business with the far
mers.'
There is good hard sense IN
this. and the opposition Of the
country store-keepers is based not
only ON pure selfishness. but on
very shortsighted selfishness. The
present system is unjust to the
as we'll as to the far
mcr. We have a parcels post
treaty with England and the re.
'fit :. th1t q merchant in Lon
- liverpool could send by
mail II pounds Of merchandise to
a farmer in Mississippi or Alaba-
ma for 81 80. If a merchant in
the farmers nearest town want
ed to send the farmer this II lbs.
of merchandise. he would have to
pay 81. rs postage and make four
separate packages out of the
goods.
Logical. isn't it? Exceeding
creditable to the men who make
our postal laws2
How long Will farmers continue
to elect Congressman who vote to
such a system. Progress
srve Farmer.