Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1912-01-19
meeting Of the Implement dealers. MI

meeting Of the implement dealers. Mr..
Creel says:
SIN reading President Towle Is. adj
dress before the Implement Dealers
convention here, I was surprised to
see that he is opposed to the estab-
lishment of parcels post and urges
all honorable means to defeat it. He
also in the same breath complains Of
excessive express charges; does he not
see that parcels post system-like
they have in old Monarchial, Europe
would very quickly lower express rates 2
In either case who pays the charges
Not Mr.. Towle-no, the farmer pays
for little extra for his machine that
he bought from Mr.. Towle to which he
very thoughtfully adds the present eS-
cessivc express. charges. The railroads
have recently refused to ship any
freight under 100 pounds for less than
the 100 pound ratc-thus forcing the
shipper to patronize the express com.
pany, which in this country is nothing
but 5000 per cent adjunct of the
railroad.
*sPrior to 1874 in this country, the
maximum weight of the parcels post
was as it is now, four pounds-postage
eight cents per pound-now the rate is
sixteen cents per pound. Yet the cost
of transportation is not one-ha!f as
great.
*'In Boston, a Japanese can scut BY
mail eleven pounds at twelve cents
per pound to the Orient, a distance 9.
5000 miles. Yet an American either
in the same city can only send foul
pounds by mail, paying sixteen cent:
per pound if he only sends it five miles
GA person in England can send by
mail to New York, eleven pounds
weighing two and half times as nue'
as our maximum package for one-thirt
the rate we pay in the United States
and the express companies will trans
| port all these packages at the minimum
charge of "a cents. Yet charging a
/ high as $3.50 for domestic packages
Of the same weight.
"In Germany and Austria the max
imum weight of parcel sent by pos
is ITO pounds; in Belgium 1872 pounds
and all the other countries IL pounud
, <eScs}sc E~nnce, 5Shszs1;ty is IL pound
with varying rates, 'buYin no instanc
onc-half as much as il the Unite'
States. Even revoht bnary Cuba onl,
charges ten cents a}pound up to fv
pounds and six cents pound for eacl
additional pound. Yet in this grea
democratic country, by the people an
for the people, we can only send fou
pounds ami pay sixteen cents pc
pound. Even. Chili-more sparsely set
tied, with annual Notwithstanding
population of less than eight to tn
square mile, allows II pounds parcel
post, charging ten cents per pound u
to seven pounds and six cents for eacl
additional pound. Here we send on1,
four pounds and pay 16 cents pc
pound.
i 'HThe express companies are solel.
responsible for adverse legislation an
they have very ably appealed to tn
small country merchant, advancing tn
theory that the farmer would patroniz
the mail-order houses.
!; fFThey patronize them now under ez
isting conditions-but if country mel
Iyhant will attend to his business-dea
fairly with his customers, keep an up
| to-date stock Of goods, he will find tina
increased weight limit by mail will in
crease his trade on the rural routes.
! "There are about Al 900 rural routes
1.-THE carriers making over 100000
trips year, if postage was eight cent
per, pound, each carrier would have t
carry only 13 pounds on way and L
pounds the other to make $500 NOR
than he does now each trip. He is re
CURED to provide himself with We
hiele that will carry at least 125
pounds. He could carry several hund
red pounds more, and the increase iron
this source would amount to over $50
100000 per annum, not only wipin.
out the postal deficit, but would enabl
the postofice department to material,
increase the pay of the rural carrier
and more rapidly enlarge the rura
mail service.
ga modern parcels post would bene
fit 100000 families in the country
and the majority of che town people
and ad greatly to their comfort, saw
ing many trips to town in the busy sea
son that the phone and package would
bring in half the time at a nomina
cost.
"Last year, representatives of owe,
100000 American voters asked the
House Postal committee for parcel:
post as cheap as we give the foreign
ers. Over IS per cent of the Americas
people want this change. No reform.