The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1913-01-11
THE PARCELS POST
David J. Lewis, Representative
from Maryland, in the New
York Herald \


the housewife can make OF the
present parcels post by ordering
direct from the producer to reduce
the cost of living.
Several kinds OF answers to this
question must be made. First, the
housewife living in village or
town from which a rural route
starts can even now make practi-
cal use OF it. Suppose she is buy
ing for a family OF five and needs
two dozen eggs, two pounds OF
butter, two pounds of sausage and
dressed chicken. These would
weigh about II pounds. For IS
cents on a rural route she can
have them carried from the farm
to her kitchen
AS illustrative OF the difference
in farm and city prices on these
articles, | have the exact figures
for about year ago. Two dozen
eggs cost A cents, two pounds of
butter, 4S cents, two pounds OF
sausage 10 cents and the chicken
(three pounds) 80 cents, altogether
$I.3S at the farm, about 20 miles
from Washington. These took
the roundabout processes OF COM
merce and cost the consumer in
Washington $2.7o. These articles
about II pounds, might be made a
standing order with the ..armer,
who would ship them on a given
day every week through the postal
van, as is done in England in a
limited measure. This would
mean silly saved on that list of
articles or nearly 100 per cent. of
their cost on the farm.
OF course, New York City has
no rural routes, | take it, and so
will have to resort to longer dis
tances. The parcels post rate
would be IS cents if the farmer
lived within 50 miles air line from
New York, and 40 cents if he lived
$50 miles distant air line, and 81
cents if he lived 800 miles air line.
That is, the rate shifts from cent
a pound on the rural route up to )
cents pound for 800 miles.
OF course, the farmers and con-
sumers should have wisdom
enough to get together. In Eng
land the farmer advertises in the
London papers his prices and the
rates. Farmers within shipping
distance OF New York under pres
ent rates must take some means
to acquaint the cosrs,fmer with his
supplies and prices. Until credit
relations, develop between them
the farmer can tack on the ship
ment c. @. D., under regulations
soon to be provided, at a trifing
charge.
Now what the ;armer can do the
manufacturer can do likewise for
his retail products-that is, he can
advertise and do a direct retail
trade where the rates permit. But
this statement is subject to an i'm
portant qualification, OF course.
The consumer in practice will only
deal with the manufacturer where
his products are standardized and
have a known value and character
in the market. Take the maker
of shoes whose make is we'll known
for its value and reliability. Such
a manufacturer can sell direct to
the consumer, because the latter
will know what he wants and what
he is getting, exactly as in the case
OF farm products. In other cases
of nonstandardized products, or Of
articles produced in wholesale
form only, which must be cut into
retail forms or sub divided by the
local retailer, the parcels post is
not available.
A word or two to the farmers
and truckers who wish to make
New York their market. They
should take the most up-to-date
measures for packing purposes. AS
an illustration, paper box manu-
facturers have already, in antici-
patton of the parcels post, worked
out containers that will carry eggs,
butter, chicken and bther farm
products without danger or injury
or loss. These containers, | I'M
derstand, can be very cheaply
manu- actured, and the shipper
should examine their availability,
both to save themselves the trou-
bic and difficulties of packing and
the possibility OF injuries to the
shipment.
1t is going to take some time for
both farmers and consumers to
learn the art of dealing together,
however easy the conditions are
mn Jn pct f,r,,, D-oJ,,,.- ,,-.,,I'