Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1912-02-23
TRUSTS AGAINST
THE PARCEL POST
Stereotyped Reasons Why
the Convenience Does Not
Obtain in This Country.


Parcel POST Allow me to state brie
fly the stereotyped arguments in it.
favor and then the objections thereto
L. "The only objections to Parcels
Post are the four chief express com
panies"-From Wanamaker, mail. or
der magnate.
A. All of the merchants of the Unit
ed States doing business along regul.
ar lines have their associations. All
these are opposed to Parcels Post.
The Commercial Clubs of Missouri, in
their State Convention few DAYS
ago passed resolutions deciding that
the proposed Parcel Post was hostile
to town development. One of the men
most active in opposing carriage of
merchandise at rates regardless of
distance, is Charles S. Hernly, the
most famous town development ex-
pert in the country. He says that car
riage of merchandise by the Govern
ment regardless of distance would
eliminate all arguments of locating
factories that they might be placed
near centers of markets and popula-
tion, inasmuch as the distant concern
would have its products carried thro-
ugh Government subsidy hundreds of
miles as cheaply as the products of
home industries are cal.:ra : few
miles.
2. International postal rates are
cheaper than our domestic rates.
A. Not altogether. A fraction of
pound is charged as much as a pound
under international rates. Not through
action of Congress nor of the State
Department, ratified by the Senate
but through postal Conventions
made by the Postmaster General, a
situation has been brought about
which is used as an argument for
Parcels Post. 1t is charged, further
more, that employees of the Postoffice
Department are missionaries for Par
cells Post; that rural carriers in some
instances act as agents for retail
mail-order houses and that such re-
tall mail-order concerns are allowed
to place advertising in postoffices.
3. r. f. d. wagons are frequently
not filled with merchandise and in
many Instances such carriers could
transport heavier loads.
A. Some mail sacks are not even
full, but to lower the rates upon all
other classes of matter with the ex-
pectation of just filling them would
be about as sensiable as to try to
forecast that such r. F. D. wagons
in each instance would have their
proper carrying load and no more.
d. That express rates are too high
and that therefore the Government
must go into the express business it
self to bring them down.
A. A decade. ago it was charged that
railroad rates generally were too high
Many people said that the Govern
ment must either own and operate the
railroads or the railroads would own
the Government. The Interstate Com
merce Commission lowered the rail-
road rates and is now working upon
the, matter of regulation and reduc-
tion of express rates. If the Govern
ment is to 60 into private business
every time that it is claimed that
somebody is making too much profit,
such policy cannot end otherwise ex-
cept than in total Socialism.
5. That Parcels Post would be a great
benefit to the farmers.
A. Any rate which would enable the
Government to carry farm products
except at tremendous loss would be
so high as to be impracticable for
transport of farm products. Even un-
der the proposed rural scale of the
Sulzer bill. the postage upon dozen
eggs would be seven cents and upon
four pounds of butter eleven cents.
Eggs are now expressed from fifty
miles distance into Washington per
case of thirty six dozen for thirty
five cents.
Farmers and merchants prefer to
sell products and goods through per-
sonal inspection. Such ystem
would enable those who feel no ties
of loyalty to their home communities
to buy of distant mail order houses
and have their packages transported
for less than they now pay. But the
saving of few cents to each indivi-
dual per year would be far more
than balanced in destruction
of the local mercantile industry
deadening of towns and depletion of
values of surrounding lands. In times
when credits are needed, such retail
mail order houses would not afforc
them. The business of the country il
yet done largely on credit. 1t is esti-
mated by retail merchants that the
loss of 25 per cent of their presen
volume of trade would put rs pc
| oook of &harr IT, I.~tx r.