The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-02-27
PARCEL POST N

. NAAhAS4Al!N1
One of our neighboring editors, in
whom we have the utmost confidence
has made a very thorough investiga-
tin of the effect of the new parcel
post on our home merchants. In
answer to u question, 'Will the
new law hurt the home merchant"
he says:
While the plan was under consid-
GRAFTON in Congress it had to meet
the solid opposition Of retailers or
CARNATIONS. Their enmity was based
on the theory that the parcels post
would prove an immense advantage
to the big mail order houses. Now
that the new delivery system is about
to become a fact, the wise country
merchant is preparing to make the
best of it.. In investigating his
opportunity under the new law the
country merchant finds that the best
gives promise of being not half bad.
"Whatever the big mail order
house may have hoped for in the way
Of advantage under the fiat rate, the
zone system finally adopted gives a
distinct advantage to the local re-
taller. Instead of hurting him it
really ought to be of service to him.
The bargain rate of the whole sys-
TEN is the rate between the rural
delivery center and all points ON the
outlying routes. The rural routes
get the local rate. That is to say, a
package will be taken to any point
on a rural route for the same rate
paid for the delivery Of packages
within the town limits. This local
| rofn 10 five oont1 for tho Grot n1,r1
and II cent a pound for the other
ten. An eleven pound package at
the local rate would be delivered for
Is cents. When you locate the de-
livery of the package at the far end
OF a country route it offers the best
package delivery bargain offered in
this country. While the country
town merchant is getting this local
bargain rate the big mail order
house Is paying a high rate that in
creases in proportion to the distance
of the house from it's patron. The
country merchant not only has an
advantage in the rate, but his natur-
al advantages in time is materially
augmented. The rural telephone is
now the cOncomitant of the rural
route. Where both are available all
that is required is a little fore
thought in early ordering. and goods
may be delivered from town on the
same day the order is 'phoned in.
apparently all that is needed on
the part Of the country merchant is
a little enterprise in utilizing the ia
%cilities afforded him. In this .direc-
ton advertising in the local papers
should seem to be his long suit. Up
to-snuif merchants in a small town
a get up just as attractive an adj
vertisement-prices and alias any
OF the catalogue houses. Many in
them have been doing it regularly in
this territory, and even without de-
livery advantages, and have found
little difficulty in holding business in
competition with the far away mail
order house. Advertising, Of course
viii not count for much unless the
merchant keeps in stock the kind OF
goods his patrons call for. With
goods suited to the needs OF his com
munity, the newspaper advertisement
to attract attention to his wares and
prices, the rural mail delivery to
take his advertisement to his custo-
mers. the telephone transmit the or
der and the parcels post to deliver
it, who can say the country merchant
hasn't a combination that must be
hard to beat? With that combina-
ton on his side the country mer-
chant that gets the bulk Of the or
ders from his territory go far away
catalogue houses will not be justi-
fled in blaming Congress for his in
ability to transact a profitable bust
ness"