The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-11-30
THE PARCELS posr
Farmers Can Mail Produce Direct to
Customers In Town.

Customers IN Town.
Washington, Nov. 26.-The parcels
post commission, after months OF
study and investigation, have work
ed out regulations by which eggs,
meats and dressed fowls can be
safely carried through the mails
from the farm to the city consumer
under the Lewis farm products
provision of the parcels post law,
which is effective January,
Manufacturers hxvs submitted to
tho commission scheCns tor light
weight corrugated paper boxes in
which these arttcsls can be packed
for transportation without fear OF
damage. The egg crate is made of
strong corrugated pasteboard. II
consists of square partitions for each
egg, and the scheme is one which
the postal experts declare will en-
able the poultrymen in the country
to ship eggs to any part of the
United States. Boxes have also been
made for meats and dressed fowls.
The scheme is one which 1t Is
said will go long way toward break
ing down the high price of eggs in
the cities The poultryman on the
farm, it is pointed out, can adertise
in city newspapers for customers OF
about dozen eggs once or twice
week, delivery by parcels post, At
the present time the price of eggs in
the cities is nearly three times
greater than it is in the country.
The same scheme regarding dressed
fowls can be worked, by which the
city consumer can have delivered at
his door a dressed chicken at a lit
tie over half what it costs retail in
the cities The city butcher on the
other hand, with the meat crate that
has been provided for him, can send
to the urban resident or a nearby far
mer every morning roast or steak
With the establishment of these ia
cilities the postal experts declare it
now remains with the city merchant
and the poultryman and trucker in
the country to extend their trade
through the medium of the parcels
post.
The parcels post commission has
also worked out the insurance regu-
lation, by which valuable packages
sent by city merchants to their ur-
ban trade can be Unidentified in
case of loss. This means that the
insurance provision of the law will
be put into operation when the
parcels post is inaugurated in Janu-
airy. The collection delivery system
has not yet been perfected, but the
experts expect to originate scheme
for returning the money collected on
delivery of packages without much
bookkeeping on the part of the gov
eminent. Some of the experts be-
lieve that the parceles post collection
delivery business will eventually
bring fractional currency. If this is
done, they contend, the problem to
return money will not be hard to
solve
Steps have been taken by Postmas
ter-General Hitchcock to ascertain
just to what extent city and town
merchants intend to use the parcels
post. Each postmaster has been
sent circulars that contain num-
Der of questions which, when answer
ed will give the department de-
tailed information as to any parti-
cular city, town or locality, showing
the average number of fourth-class
parcels now mailed; the number
that will probably be mailed when
the parcels post law becomes effec-
tive. together with the average
weight of the parcels and their aver
age size; what proportion of the en-
tire number will be for local delivery
and whether they will be mailed in
large quantities at frequent intervals
or in regular daily mailings; what
percentage of the parcels will be in
sured, registered, made up of perish
able or fragile articles, and whether
when the &C. o. D." feature is plac-
ed in operation any considerable por-
ton of the parcels will be sent by
that method.
With this information available
Postmaster General Hitchcock be-
lieves that 1t will be possible for him
to begin the parcel post service on
January l with the necessary equip
ment, and thus establish a nation
wide service of large proportions
with the least possible friction. II is
his desire to give to the patrons
of the postal service at the outset all
of the privileges and advantages
contemplated by the law establish
ing the parcel post system.