The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-12-26
WILL LOWER THE
COST OF LIVING


Washington Dec. 26.-In the opinion
of officials OF the postofiice department
the parcels post system will have a
vital effect on the problem OF the high
cost of living.
Based on examination covering two
months. the officials today declared
their conviction that the parcels pos;
| will do more toward reducing the
cost of food necessities than all the
legislative Investigations i'm the past
ana all that may come An the future
| The department expects the parcels
post will be the agency to break up
combinations OF commission merchant F;
and middle men in the larger cities. II
is believed the new system will brins
the food producers, particularly the
truck farmers adjacent TO the large
cities. The farmers. the department
says, will take advantage of the par.
GELS post to rush food products direct
~ 10 the tables of the city consumers
| The investigation by the department
has disclosed that the farmers i'm the
rural sections adjacent to Cleveland
lhaye not been slow 10 recognize the
tiers have reached the department
showing that the truck gardeners,
farmers and pouluymen around
Cleveland are anxious TO build up a
daily farm service with tho consumers
Tor daily shipments Of eggs, butter and
fa
stated. that patronage can be develop
ed and made remunerative TO the pro-
ducer. as well as highly satisfactory
ITO the customer.
Such transactions, the department
believes 20 large extent will remove
the producer and consumer from the
manipulation of the food iobber, who
is charged IN practically all the large
cities with buying at the lowest mark
TO which he can better the prices and
then selling at whatever figure his con
troll of the market can command
! II il pointed out that the farmers
surrounding the larger cities-hereto-
fore almost entirely at the mercy OF
the express companies-invariabl
held eggs. butter and other prOduc,
until such time as they had consider
liable bulk to send TO the food jObbers
AT one shipment that would insure the
lowest possible transpoi tation charges
Under this system it frequently is
several days before eggs and Other
perishablc farm produce reach tlt
consumer. This concentration will b'
wiped out. the department officials be-
lieve. through the building up OF {
mail order business FOR the handling
of small farm products.
The department has sent out notiii'
,ation that skill i'm packing the pruduc'
will be big factor in the successful
lcOnduct of the business and the desiSl
OF cartons of minimum weight will
maximum security for fragile ship
, ments will call FOR ingenuity. II Is be
| lieved that cartons will be devised -
that they can be used repea tedly, jus
as bottles are used In the milk trad
in the large cities.
The department officials fore sec sue
n rapid growth of the parcels pos
tended far beyond the shipment Q
butter and eggs. II is believed tn
farmers soon will be supplying clt
consumers with berries of all kinds
shipped at a minimum cost. vegetable
and ripened fruit picked mmediatel
before shipment
Attention is called to the fact tina
the British system of parcels post wa
in operation IN this country ten year
ago. Shipments made from Great Bri,
ain were by contract received at port
Of entry by the American EXPIRES
company FOR carrying packages TO an
pari Of the United states were as fol
lows. Jhirty-siN cents for package
mp TO three pounds in weight; forty
eight cents between three and seNe
pounds, sixty cents between seven AN
eleven pounds BY this arrangement
p citizen of England could send an eleN
q. On pound package from Liverpool
San Francisco for more than 81 lie!
4 than an American could send SINH;
package from Cleveland TO san frai
cisco by express An investigation
4 this business shows that the America
Express company found this busihe
" extremely profitable. although u
I greatest revenues came from packas
Weighing less than five pounds on u
shorter hauls in this country VINE
IL in some instances the charges exceed
,h. regular pxpreSS rates
How u Hit Him,