The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1910-06-02
How Brantley Answered
Barrett

devising and enacting legislation
that will give the people | represent
more money to deposit and invest
than [ am in providing places of de-
post. [ do not know of any one in
my section who would care to deposit
money at 2 per cent. interest, the
rate proposed to be paid by the Pos
tai Banks. | do not know of any
reason why the BANKS alone should
r be permitted to borrow the money
deposited with the Government. and
to borrow it at a rate of interest so
much less than any PEOPLE have to
pay to borrow it elsewhere, which the
proposed Postal Banks authorize. /
am afraid the operation of Postal
Banks would, to the extent of the
deposits made, drain the rural COM
munities of their circulating medium,
and | believe that such Postal Banks
would eventually result in a great
Central Bank
In the matter of an enlarged Par
cels-Post, in SO far as the purpose is
to secure reasonable and fair rates
for the transportation of merchan-
disc, am in entire sympathy. I am
in the dark as to how the scheme of a
general Parcels-POst can be worked
out. So far as rural free delivery
routes are concerned, the Govern
ment pays and controls the carriers
and can impose such duties upon
them as the Government sees fit. I
would like very much to see thor
ough and careful experiments made
for the purpose Of determining the
feasibility and the cost of an en-
larged Parcels-Post on the rural
routes with view to establishing it.
So far as the other branches of mail
transportation are concerned I have
to bear in mind that the Government
owns no railroads and no express
companies, and has to pay for the
transportation of all mail and mer-
chandise that it undertakes to de-
liver. The Postmaster-General and
the President have announced that it
cost the Government last year to
transport second-class mail matter
more than sixty million dollars in ex-
cess of what it received in postal dues
on such second-class mail matter. I
take it that you would not be in ia
vor of swelling this great deficit by
increasing the amount of second
class mail matter that can only be
transported at loss. I take it that
the only Parcels-Post you favor is
one that can be operated without loss
to the Government, and it might be
that the cost of such an one would
result in no saving to the people on
present railroad and express rates.
The problem is great If the Govern
ment can compel railroads to haul
merchandise for it at rate that
would come within the postal dues
charged, why cannot the Government
force such reduced rates for all the
people? Why should our Govern
ment engage in competition with the
common carriers in the matter of
hauling merchandise when it must
employ these very carriers to do it's
hauling? In solving the problem of
general Parcels-Post in this coun-
try, have to bear in mind, not only
the absence of Government owner
ship of railroads, but also the mag
nificent distances in our country
and our postal custom to transport
one thousand miles as cheaply as we
do one mile, which custom is not fol-
lowed by the railroad and express
companies with whom it is proposed
that the Government shall compete.
Would not this result in the railroad
and express companies making rates
that would give than cOp+roI 0f +Lo