The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1912-03-09
FOR
PARCELS POST
MUST WAIT
GOVERNMENT IS NOT READY
TO UNDERTAKE THE BUSINESS
UP TO THIS TIME NO THOROUGH
INVESTIGATION OF THE COST
OF SUCH A SYSTEM HAS BEEN
MADE.
MADE.

WASHINGTON, March 9.-ParceSI
post legislation viii be put off again
and from the present indications itl
WI be some time bfore the country
win enjoy this great mail facia4y.
Whiae the advocates of such a sys-
tenn are busy and have been for yeans.
while both political parties are
pledged to this proposition and while
about everybody one sees who Is not
engaged in the express business be-
heves IN the parcels proposition, it
viii not become a law for at leaSt
another congress and perhaps two.
The reason is because the house
and senate committee on postoffioes
and post roads have decided that
they know nothing at all about the
parcels post, that no investigation of
any consequence has ever been made
Of the cost of the system and that
to plunge into this addition to the
postal service at this time would be
dangerous.
~ - ALOnA SAesC AACA1LpC1S III lAACSC
committees have urged this very view
and have declared that they will not
so on the floor of the house and
senate and ask for a parcels post
law until some inquiry that is com
plete has been made into the cost OF
the system. 1t IS also known that
President Taft, who is an ardent par
GELS post advocate, has been tipped
Off by his friends on these commit
tees not to make any rash promises
in any of his speeches as to when
the system will be established. This
was done lest the executive in his
enthusiasm tell the people that the
new facility is in Sight and will sooG
be at their service.
On the other hand the friends o
the proposition declare that the be
ginning of the parcels post Shouh
be inaugurated now and that it vii
be useless to wait indefinitely for al
not develop the facts as to the cost
For instance, it is proposed nov
that the government establish ha.
dozen parcels post hines in as man.
different sections of the country t
ISee for certainty what the cost vii
be. These lines could be used as tn
llbasiS for an estimate and could b
depended upon more completely tina
| s,,t OF for
in other countries, it is pointed out
The answer to this, according t
members of the two congress on9
committees, is that the parcels pos
could not be operated on smal
basis, as proposed, with any degre
of accuracy. That is, no eStimat
based upon the operation of fifty Q
100 routes could be used as reliabl
guide. This is due to the fact tha
the whole system would have to
inaugurated before the cost could b
determined.
Already the poStoffioe departmeI
} is the greatest business organizatbo
] in the world. The amount of ma
ter it handles, the number of en-
} ployes, the value of the products
} transports are so large that ii
United States Steel corporation, Il
instance, is but mere corner Ct
3 Gerry in comparison.
And the postal service will be eve
2 greater in volume when the post
) savings banks are opened I'm eve
4 postoffice in the country. At lea
z $500 900 900 deposits year are e
. peoted, and this half billion dolla
4 added TO the enormous revenue al
9 expenditure now handled by the d
partment viii make this a busine
Z inst tuition of overwhelming mmer
2 ity-
: 1t is now proposed to add a pa
= GELS post to the postoffice sys:el
2 This means that the government "
! go into the express business as
x has gone into the mailing and ban
2 ing business. 1t means that ne
) establishment. involving probat
( $3.50, 600 900, will be added to the
9 ready great institution It means th
: an additional horde OF employees v
Z be needed. and that thousands