The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1912-03-11
GOLD BRICK
HANDED FARMERS

Washington, D. c., March 1.-THE
house postofiiee committee has order
ed printed bill attached as a rider
to the postofice appropriation bill
which provides for system of parcels
post. Much has been said about the
benefit such system would be to
farmers in sending products to towns.
It would appear that the farmers have
been handed beautifully designed
gold brick" The rural route rates
do not apply to products sent from
farmers to the towns. They are only
available for the shipment from a per-
son on one rural route to person on
the same route or from the starting
point of s1oh route.
Represe. .tatives of retail mail-order
houses have been anxious to obtain
a delivery system to people living
along rural routes. Thus they would
be able to ship their goods by freight
or express in quantity to an agent in
a town and all such agent or solicitor
will have to do will be to deposit these
in postoffice and the packages up to
eleven pounds will go to all farmers
along the rural routes at low rates, an
eleven-pound package costing them
nraltr o. &c nttf tf g., -t-l,<
to send an eleven-pound package to
town or to a farmer on another route
such package would cost him 1872
Representatives of large retail mail
order Houses have been active in
Washington and it seems they have
gotten very much of what they wanted
from the house committee. The COM
mittee also attempts to compel the
senators to abandon any convictions
they may have upon the subject by
attaching. the bill as a rider to an APP
preparation bill. 1t also proposes to
avoid criticism by shutting off debate
with cloture rule Members of the
committee have said they did not aim
to alarm or injure any legitimate bus
mess interest; but they have decided
to condemn the merchants of the small
Ter cities and towns by instituting also
a flat-rate system with haul any dis
tance in American territory at IL cents
per pound for package up to eleven
pounds. The bill says something about
d commission to investigate condk-
tions abroad. The country merchant
is condemned to undergo course of
blood-transfusion for the benefit of the
retail maiforder houses of the big
cities Then a commission will in
vestigate abroad, while the blood let
ting operation is proceeding, to see
how similar operations have affected
in the smaller cities and
towns of Europe.
It would appear that the majority off
democrats upon the committee have
decided to become protectionists and
protect distant concerns by getting the |
government to equalize from its treas
ury the difference in the railway cost |
of haul of several hundred miles and |
that of few miles, for the benefit of
the distant shipper against the repre-
own home industry or deal |
er. Some of them seem to have for
gotten they were elected to represent |
certain districts and not Chicago, New
York or Boston.
The bill provides: That on each
and all rural mail delivery routes of
the United States, until June 30, 1914,
The postmaster at the starting point
IF such route shall receive and deliver
10 the carrier or carries of said routes
al articles, parcels or packages not
prohibited to the mails by law and
falling under the definition of fourth
slass matter, and not weighing in ex-
sess of eleven pounds for transporta-
ion and delivery on said routes only;
md the carrier shall receive at inter-
mediate points on all rural routes
;uch mail matter of the fouyth-cIass
or delivery on their respective routes
,nly.
Postage shall be paid on all ar
icles, parcels. or packages entitled to
under the provisions of
his act as matter of the fourth-class
IN rural mail delivery routes only at
he following rates. One cent for