The Washington herald., 1913-11-16
DAVID J. LEWIS, FATHER OF PARCEL POST, AN 3
ADVOCATE OF GOVERNMENT OW NER SHIP
Maryland Statesman Undismayed by Being Called Socialist
Keeps Working Night and Day for Federal Controlled
Telegraph and Telephone Would Not Disturb
Lines Controlled by Farmer Organizations

I Of management but in actual money,
either earned or saved.
Says Ii Is n Gold Mine.
''The Postoffice is an old institution with
U.S. We don't think Of it very often ex-
cept superficially. We drop a letter in
the box at the street corner and then 20
about our own affairs. feeling sure that
I, it VIII reach the person to whom it is
written. And 1t does reach that person
The price for transmission. whether the
letter is carried to Maine or Alaska, is 2
cents big privately owned corporation
as 1 have said, would not bother itself
with transaction so utterly insignificant.
Why, 1t costs cents to ride block on a
street car.
What the Postofice has recently ac-
complished with the parcel post can
be accomplished in the new business
which we now propose to undertake.
Predictions were made that the govern
ment would lose money IL 1t attempted
to engage in the business of carrying
small packages by mail. 1t could not
compete with the express companies, we
were told. Besides, we were warned
not to encourage Socialism and dis
courage private enterprise.
Now let US see what the financial
result has been. i have been keeping
tabs on the situation. On June 30, 1914,
the end of the government year, the
| parcel post will show a surplus over
expenses of 100000 1t is gold mine
The express companies. have been DAM
aged, Of course, but in all civilized coun-
tries the interests of the few must not
weigh against the interests of the people
as a whole. A machine comes into a
factory and displaces twenty men The
twenty men must find their living in
some other direction. 1t is hard on them,
but it is good for the rest of the people
in that the machine cuts the cost of
production. .a
There was a gap in the retail trans
portation OF commodities. The railroads
wouldn't carry anything for any dis
tance at less than their usual charge on
shipment weighing 100 pounds. They
were doing what might be called a
wholesale business in freights, hauling
trainloads and carloads and broken con-
signments Of a minimum weight. II a
barrel weighed fifty pounds, the trans
portation charge was figured on a
basis of 100 pounds.
Why Express Rates Are High.
THE ultimate consumer, as he is
called, never needed 100 pounds of
eggs, butter, ham. or country sausage
at one order, and so he never used the
railroads for such freight. II he had
gone to an express company he would
have paid many times the normal rate,
because of the contract II had with
the railroad company, by which the ex-
press company was bound to pay the
railroad company one-half of each spe-
cifc rate that it collected from the
person sending or receiving the ship
ment.
Furthermore the express companies
do not 60 any farther than cities and
villages. Unlike the Postofflce, they do
not reach the farmers door. There are
1000, 900 miles OF rural delivery routes
in the United States. Until the estab-
lishment of the parcel post. the postal
wagons travelling these routes were prac-
, Iically empty. Now they are carrying
produce away from the farms ana mer-
chandise ordered by mail or telephone
out to the farms. So the wagons are
loaded going and coming.
There are 5000 postoffices in our pos
tai establishment and 10000 men are
given employment. All Of these Offices
and all of these men are constantly
available for such work as is required
by the parcel post No express COM
pany. even though its capital broke all
the records OF private investment, could
successfully compete with the Postoffice
"
Then, again, the Postoffice can do
business on a cheaper basis than can a
corporation made up OF business men.
The acts OF attention and the account
ing processes of a railroad which re-
ceives, transports, and delivers a car
load of freight are no greater in num-
ber than are the accounting processes
of an express company which receives,
ships and delivers a package that one
can easily carry in his hand.
There are eleven items in the account
ing methods of an express company,
whether the article transported weighs
two pounds or more, which are eliminated
by a postage stamp when a similar trans
action is carried on by the parcel post.
speak of these various matters because
they show why a privately owned and
operated express company. cannot COM
pete with the government.
Potatoes to Go by Mail.
las 1 see the future, all retail trans
portation. as 1 term ii, will be done by