Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1913-07-11
Parcel Post C. o. d.


A C. o. ID. system for the
parcel pos! goes into effect today
C.. O. ID. means cash on delivery.
If merchant in Roanoke sends
package OF goods to the home
of a customer and collects the
money at the door. he applies
the C.. o. ID. principle. Mail order
houses ship annually millions of
dollars of goods and collect only
when the goods are delivered.
Express companies TO a consider
able extent are collecting agncies
handling enormous sums of
money to take care of the collec-
tions of mail order establish
mentS.
The government by entering the
G. o. d. field becomes yet
stronger competitor of express
concerns. Having established
parcel post and through the
operation of it having captured
a certain portion of the express
business, it now goes a step fur
Their and bids fair to make it's
invasion of the express territory
vastly larger.
Parcel post however, even with
G. Cd. privileges, is a long ways
from the sort of institution it
will be after a while. This is
because congress is extremely
slow in adopting reform move
ments. Parcel post was COM
promise and the C. O. d. as
framed, is also a compromise,
but every time congress meets,
however timid it may be, it takes
another step, and after a time
we shall see it passing measures
for an express business complete
and up-to-date in every par
ticular.
For the present the post office
can handle no package for which
more than a hundred dollars is
to be paid and fifty dollars is to
be the limit of insurance. These
figures necessarily restrict the
scope of C. 0. D. delivery, but
in year or two they will be
many times larger. AS small as
they are, they promise to make
heavy inroads into express COM
panies operations. And this fact
reminds us of one phase of the
matter which congress seems to.
have considered but slightly.
Express owners and employees
are American citizens andas such
are entitled to the enjoyment of
a citizens rights. However
beneficial parcel post may be to
the general public, congress
should not run the risk of con-
tiscating the business of it's ente-
rprising people or of hurting the
men whose services they engage.
In other words our lawmakers,
while striving to develop the
well-being of constituents, should
not overlook the claims of those
who have invested money in
great undertakings or those
whom these undertakings sup
port. 1t might be possible for
congress through the adoption of
laws to eliminate every private
Interstate industry. Just as it
has constructed canal across
the lsthmus of Panama, so it
might build railway system
across the continent, and rail
roads would have butlittle chance
before its mighty power. No
standard as yet tells how far con-
gress may go. In the establish
ment of industries it may do as
1t pleases nor can anyone compel
1t to pay a penny for the bust
ness interests that may be de-
stroyed by it. We do not believe,
however, that congress will legis-
late in any such fashion or with
any such end in view. While
advancing parcel post, the C. o.
ID. system, or any other economic
reformation, it will be careful to
guard its honor and to advance
the welfare of all its citizens
the capitalists as we'll as the poor
man, the commander as we'll as.
the artificer.