El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-22

! wv No new service for the people
ever instituted by the govern
ment has proved a happier surprise in
| the success that has attended its oper-
alton than the parcels post system.
| Its creation as a nation wide service
starting only a little more than four
months after the law creating it was
/ passed, was somewhat contrary
to the judgment of postal authorities
They thought it ought to be started
/ in a limited way and in a limited ter
ritory first, so that it could be tried
out on a small scale and brought 10
an operative basis in a small terri
tory before extending it to the whole
country.
But congress thought otherwise. It
believed the best course would be to
make the scope of the service narrow
and its extent wide, and so they Gre
ated a parcels post embodyfng only
those features deemed certain Of sue
/ cess, vesting in the postmaster general
power to extend these features as eN-
perience should demonstrate their Wis
DOM Acting on the principle that II
! would be much easier to give some
/ thing more in the way of service to
! the people than to take something
| away from them, it was decided to in
I stitute the service without any OF the
| features that might handicap 1t, and
able additions, permitting the post
master general to exercise a sort of
legislative power, with the interstate
commerce commission as the APPROX
ing or vetoing authority
Wisdom shown in Six Months.
The first six months of the opera
ton of the system showed the wis
dom Of its creation. During that
time the law required special stamps
for parcels post packages, and it was
found that the people paJronized the
service during that period to the ex-
tent Of approximately Sl4,OOO,00O.
This indicates that the first years
business Of the parcels post system
will aggregate 500 900, 600 packages.
The number of fourth class packages 1
handled the previous year amounted
sumed that at least 35O,000.00O parcels
will be sent forward by parcels post
that would not have been handled
by the mails under the old system
The average parcels post package
handled during the first six months
of the operation Of the system weighed
only seven and a half ounces, so that
the government in the end got rather
liberal rate for handling the parcels
The average haul amounted to 5S3
miles, so that the average rate was ,
that applicable to the third zone, seven
cents a pound. AS packages Weighing
less than pound take the pound rate,
it will be seen that the average rate
actually collected still Appropriated
the old fourth class matter rate of
one cent an ounce. These figures are
Of the parcels post matter carried and
comparing them with the total amount
of stamps sold. Such a comparison
shows that the average package was
carried for about five cents.
Big job to start System.
Getting ready to install a nation
wide parcels post system within four
months after the enactment Of the law /
had 70 ha
provided 100000 extra sacks, $50, 600 /
parcels post guides, 125,00O tape lines. /
and $4,000 pairs OF scales. Each OF I,
these items had to be further in J
effect
It was not long after the system /
came into operation that important I;
changes came to be regarded as ad- 4
portant changes permitted the extern I
sion OF the special delivery service /
TO the parcels post. thus allowing the /
user to hasten the delivery Of his /
created a c. o. D. service for the sys- /
TEN. permitting patron TO send .
package collect and to have the money /
returned to him by affixing 10 cents |,
farmer to send his city customer a 1
ham or several dressed chickens c. |
o. D. by parcels post, and once the l
farmer learns how to advertise his /
wares and the consumer to look for
his advertisements, this feature OF the
service will be most appreciated
among many.
New Departures Beneficial
The next departure of great I'm
portance made in the extension OF the
idea was the abolition of the distinc-
tive parcels post stamp and the pro-
vision that any postage stamps would
be honored on parcels going through
the mails. Then followed an order |
permitting the insurance of parcels
for fee of five cents on packages
valued at less than $25, or for a fee I
of ten cents on packages valued at
less than $50. But it was not until |
Is" came out of the de-
partment that the country began to
sit I'D and take real notice.
It was then that postmaster general
albert S. Burleson issued his famous
order increasing the weight limit OF
parcels in the first and second zones
from II to 20 pounds, and reducing
the rates to five cents for the first
pound and one cent for each addi-
lonaI pound This order also extend
ed the service in these two zones to
1resh meats when properly wrapped.
Cuts Price of Turkeys.
The full significance and the posi-
bilities of this order have not yet
daWned upon the country. Under it a
man may ship a 20 pound dressed
for an advance OF one and fifth
cents a pound. In other words, a
turkey usually finds Its
way into the city dwelleF's market !
basket at an advance of about 10 cents
a pound over the price the farmer re-
ceiYed. The producer and the con-
sumer would, brought into touch with
one another, have nearly nine cents
4 pound to divide between them as
extra profit for the farmer and as
saving for the consumer.
The one weak element in the situa-
lion is the difficulty of producer and
getting together and bridg-
ng the price raising gap between
hem. A number of suggestions have
oeen made as to how this may be ,
overcome. One is that the postoffice
department. issue a monthly publica-
Ion containing a directory of all the
armers who would like to ship direct
% city consumers. copies thereof to
1e furnished to city consumers at
rice sufficient to cover the expenses.
Another suggestion proposes that
Individual enterprises shall take up ;
he work in each city of compiling
list of all the farmers within a .
adius of $50 miles who would like
O sell produce to consumers direct, | =
larElnO- each farmer small fee for /