The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-11-29

their charges even now are less than
distance
4. Thus. the government Gun get no
haul OF less thun 400 miles. and from
that up to possibly 1000 or 5000 miles,
INTO Alaska, and aa the government
only begins to haul at the point where
the haul is Improbable to tho express
ana railroad companies, the deficit from
the parcels post at the proposed fig
nres must OF necessity be an enormous
s. Suppose. to avoid this preposterous
loss, the government should advance
Its figures? The simplc result would be
an increased zone OF operation for the
the government would get any of tho
business, and then every particle of IL
would be done at a heavy loss.
y. suppose. again, that the govern
ment would reduce Its figures, with Il
view of securing q short maui The eX-
press and railroad companies would
again simply, reduce their zone to the
line where the profit disappeared ana
leave the enlarged amount of loss
bearing territory for the government 10
operate. thus making the government
do and be d II you don't"
10. \ few figures Will show the alb
normal differences making for or
against the working of parcels post
England and Europe. and yet many or
those countries do not attempt Hat
rate for all distances. but mako their
charges correspond TO the distance Gov
cred
II. The area Of the United States is
2 %, square miles; Great Britain.
tES rano m an3 GERMANY, 2oS,s60 miles:
miles. The population per square mile
In the United states Is about 30: Bel
Gum Gum 622; England, $50; Germany. 200;
cred by parcel sent by post from
London is 10 miles; from Chicago. 500
G irses n .af average move OF mail ~
miles: In United states, $40 miles
~. The advocates OF the parcels post
claim that the farmer Will get the
greatest benefit from thia measure If
adopted. Let us Look at this phase
Of the subject IN one or two OF Its
bearings The surplus products OF the
ordinary farm. such as eggs. butter.
fruits. etc, thoTash the quantities OF
each are small and come TO hand at
odd seasons, make up n most vital part
of the farmers income. These items
como to hand. say half-dozen eggs
or one or Two pounds of butter at Il
time. and SO on through the list. Can
the farmer afford to make n dozen
shipments per month Of these small
items. and Will these items stand the
parcels post transportation charge Of
, cents per pound even II the farmer
did make the shipments to a distant
10. The country merchant and the
merchant OF the small town has here
tofore bought from the farmer In such
quantities as are offered the items men
toned IN the last paragraph. and the
aggregate of these small purchases en-
ables the merchant to make shipment IS
each day or two. while the proceeds
enable the farmer to purchase very
many absolutely necessary things from
the local merchant.
II. II The farmer. MS the advocates of
the parcels post, say. will be the case.
make practically all of his purchases
from the distant large cities via the
the merchant of the small towns WILL
as class, be practically eliminated.
and with them, the market OF the
above mentioned important part of the
farmers output, which can be handled
In Il practical way, only through the
local merchants. as Is now done.
10. The elimination OF the local mer-
chant would eliminate the local mar
ket for the farmers small or surplus
crops, and they would go to waste on
the farm, or not be produced at all.
and as about all of the dollars for the
principal crops would be sent TO dis
tant cities to pay for goods which
would be returned by the parcels post,
tho dollar would become an extremely
rare bird in our rural community.
&c. The farmers lot under these con-
dltions would he to hunt the fast van
ishing and almost extinct bird on the
silver dollar. through the, waste places
formerly used q his zeal place OF as,
semblage at the country store or small
catamount, the parcels post ana other
tnp .4,t