New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-15
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR DECEMBER l9' l9i@

letters and kilograms from the country merchants IN
his district or State protesting that such project
would be the ruinaton OF their business O.
However as the investigation developed ana qlS-
cssion Of the plan widcncd the smaller merchants be-
gan 10 see that the big mail order houses IN Such cenerS
as New York and Chicago could not andersen thGh' DC
cause in addition 20 the prices charged by inc plS
horse, there would be the expense OF the parcel post
rate That is to say, the difference between the prices
Of the country merchant and OF the mail order house
on the articles generally charged by country store
would be SO Slight to make no difference IN tlc Sul
stores trade
Chairman Sharp Of the posottice committee sad to
country merchant during of the sessions:
MY friend, if YOU cannot compete with mail ordcr
house ON your own line Of goods when the bigger house
has 10 pay the parcel post rate "'' SOU VI '"'''
81 guess YOU are right, replied the merchant.
This cnigrnatic answer settled that man doubts. ana
described his position as well as that oil most o INC
rest i'm regard 10 the proposition
On the other hand the parcel post will be great
sbonping agent for the farmer and the farmer Wc.
There are so many articles desired by pe0pe living III
the country and not carried as regular stock by GouiII!
merchants that the parcel post system vi" nc DeicVo-
lent supplement to the country store ms IS an age
when the farmer is almost invariably well to 90 or
wealthy and when this the case the needs ana tastes
Of himself and his family require q bigger ShiPinh8
center bigger line Of goods TO select from than the
stock on which the country merchant thinks ne Is SAFE
in taking chance.
NNE Of the greatest instances Of the care with which
" the parcel post system is being put INTO erect Is
the conviction of the Postmaster General Senator ona-
than Bourne and all others connected with the matter
that the Government will not lose cent by ITS opera,
ton When you realize that the authorities nave iad
10 figure on the cost ounce mile OF transporting
handling and delivering each parcel whether 1t be car
rcd fifty miles or eighteen hundred miles, from WASH
ington to Baltimore from New York 10 San frail.
cisco it is brought home that the computations ana
h., trfr tie "a
,lcgr,e Another proof Of Uncle Sans confidence thdt
he will not lose on his newest big business venture IS
the fact that Congress appropriated only threc-quar
ters Of a million dollars TO start It, NO such undertake
ing could ever be promoted by private corporation on
such mcagcr capital.
This brings up another problem that can be solved
only after the system has been in operation tor some
time How many more electric will be needed for
tbr d.liycr, If parccls i'm the cities, VIII the rural
ricr i'm the thclv populated and wealthy sections OF
the country discard his horse his horse and buggy
for q wagon or q gasolcnc car, And how near Will ne
approximate 10 tn. scenes Of the old days When inc
mail, were carried by stugccoach,
II is considered certain that the system will bcnctt
the people Of cities well those IN the country; tor
any institution that promotes the spending OF money
or more ready Access, of on. class 10 the markets Of
another adds To- the wealth and prosperity OF all the
Their. should be- AN explanation Of why the zone sys-
tenn Of charging postage Was adopted instead OF the
fiat rate plan. The flat rate is what Is now used for
ihc transmission of letters For two cents You can send
your letter from section % another part OF the same
city or 20 some foreign countries. But m the carriage
of parcels, the zone system adopted on the puncpc
that each person should pay nearly possible exactly
the cost of hauling the parcel sent. nat Is, the HAT
rate would have put burden upon the person sending
package fifty miles and would have gwen undue bcIlc-
Nh 90 one sending parcel two thousand miles. he
.nanc,- of thc cost Of sending letter practically pro
hbs any difference IN the charge; but I'D hauling ana
delivering bulky packages there Is vast difference
which can b . anil has been. reduced To- dollars and