Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-28

| Washington, June 2s.-When it gets
together next winter, congress may
have some definite information about
the parcels post proposition. Post
master General Hitchcock has set on
foot an inquiry covering the use that
| is made in rural communities Of the
present opportunity for parcels post
| Opponents of the parcels post In
Washington assert that there is very
| little carrying of parcels by rural car
7iers. 1t is asserted that persons re-
siding on rural routes either do not
understand tfe privilege They have Of
bargaining with the carriers for car
| rying heavy stuff, or else have no real
occasion to take advantage of the priv
| ilege. The law permits a rural carrier
to carry packages for persons residing
on his routes, and omake his bargain
with them as to what the rate shall be.
The only requirement of the govern
ment Is that the package must weigh
more than four pounds and that 1t
must be heavier or bulkier than could
be mailed in a single package under
the present postal laws.
Carriers to Make Reports.
The government has never collected
thorough data about the operation Of
this independent rural parcels post. but
/: is collecting the Information now.
Carriers all over the country will be
required to submit a report Oh the
number of packages carried during
given period, and the amount charged
&c 4 is hal
furnish a basis for determining wheth-
er there is a real demand for the par
lcels post. It is alleged that, on many
accounts. arrangements made between
the farmers and the carriers are likely
to be more advantageous to the farm
ers than arrangements which would be
made by congress for a parcels post,
Ieither Of the rural or the general type.
It Is asserted that the present rates
charged by carriers are very low. In
many cases. it is said, carriers make no
charge at all. The government, on the
iother hand. would be obliged to make
a rate high enough to pay for much
bookkeeping and inspection, along with
the other red tape of governmental
procedure.
The chief difficulty with the figures
which the government will get is that
they cover packages weighing more
than four pounds and none weighing
less than four pounds unless of great,
bulk. The question is whether a large
proportion of service which farmers on
rural routes would really like to have
would not fall under the four-pound
limit. The farmers wife can not have
the rural carrier bring her a little
cloth or few needles or some fresh
meat. If such stuff be sent by the car
rier under the present law. 1t must pay
I16 cents a pound. Three pounds of
fresh meat, sent by mail, would cost
4s cents for the mere transmission,
while the carrier would doubtless carry
five pounds for 10 or Is cents. The
| law enables him to carry on his own
account the larger amount and not rhe
smaller; therefore, the strange differ
fence in cost.
Iowan Collects Inform alton.
The only valuable information which
has been presented to congress on this
point. has come from the National Re-
| tail Hardware Association. 1t was pre-
| sented by S. r. Miles, of Mason City,
Iowa, an officer of that association.
DESTROYS Of having something definite
! to place before the postoffice commit
tee of the house when he came for the
parcels post hearings, he sent out hun
dreds of letters of inquiry to retail
hardware dealers in Michigan, Minne-
sofa, Wisconsin and many other states.
He asked these hardware dealers to
| learn from their postmasters and car
riers the answers to a list of questions
which were submitted.
| The hardware dealers secured infor-
nation from about S49 carriers, who
reported to the committee that they
| handled 837 packages in the month of
January of this year. The total weight
Of thes packages was 1850 pounds.
No charge was made by 100 carriers;
seventy-two charged from 5 cents to 25
cents, and the average charge was not
| more than 10 cents. Here are some
| other questions asked. with the an
| swers:
with this present equipment, can a
carrier handle 80 to 500 pounds OF mer-
chandise daily7 1s7, no: %, yes, 50 to
| 500 pounds.