Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-08-02
LOCAL MERCHANTS
GIVEN ADVANTAGE
New Ruling in Parcels Post
Service Most Bene-
ficial
REDUCES THE RATE
Increases Weight OF Packages to
Twenty Pounds and Knocks
Out Competitors.

Pine Bluff merchants have a rare
| opportunity Of "scoOping' their old
! enemy, the mail order" house, if they
| will take advantage of the offering
made under the recent ruling OF the
Postal Department., notification of
which has just been received by
! Postmaster J. =. Wilbourne. and made
known for the first time at the meet
ing of the Young Mems Progressive
Business League, last night by that
gentleman.
For some time it has been known
that the Department was working on
plan whereby the local merchant
and buyer might have a better adj
vantage of the parcel post in their
and other big business concerns of the
larger cities, and Pine Bluff is among
the first cities of the south to receive
official notification OF the new rates.
which are effective August 10, 1913.
Under the new ruling it will now be
possible for the merchants Of Pine
Bluff to increase the weight of pack
ages up to twenty pounds for local de-
livery, including rural routes, and
first and second zones, or within a
radius of $50 miles of this city. Just
here it might be stated for the bene-
fit of readers who are not familiar
with the distance zones" that the
Postal Department measures distance
by "air line" and not the distance re-
quired to be covered by railroad or
other means of transportation. The
rates covering packages by parcel
post have decreased in Pine Bluff ter
ritory as follows: Local, including ru-
raj routes, 5 cents for the first pound,
and 1 cent for each additional two
| pounds or fraction. In first and Sec
| Ond zones, 5 cents for the first pound
| and cent for each additional pound.
To those who have been using the
| parcel post in making deliveries to
customers on the rural routes or
points within the Pine Bluff zone, this
| ruling means a cut of about one-half
of the old rate, and is in favor of both
the purchaser and merchant, and dis
eliminating to large degree against
the mail order" houses, of Chicago
New York and other points.
The insurance feature, adopted by
the Department., is a great factor to
merchants and others using the parcel
pest, as it is possible under this ruling
to insure package up to $25 for the
sum of cents
| With the large number of rural
routes leading out of this city it will
now be possible for our merchants
to make deliveries to their out-of-
town customers promptly, safely and
| II the good housewife, fifteen miles
from the city, desires a nice beef
roast for her Sunday dinner, it will
only be necessary for her to step tc
the rural phone in her home and call
up the local butcher Friday and on
Saturday morning the roast, which
may weight up to as high as twenty
pounds, will be carried out by the ru.
\ raj carrier. and at a minimum cost
Other purchases can be made in the
same manner.
This is only one of the good things
which the Young Mems Progressive
Business League has in store for the
citizens OF Pine Bluff and surrounding
territory, and while it comes from oul
"Uncle SAM" it remained for a mem
Der of the League to bring the matter
before that body at it's meeting las
night.
1t is now up to the merchants oil
this city to get busy and secure this
volume of business before Little Rock
and Memphis merchants, who will be
quick to see their advantage, flooG
this territory with their advertising
ard letters of solicitation, using the
al gument of the very low rate afford.
ed by the parcel post in making quick
deliveries.
y Miss Myrtis Sage, who has been the