The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-02-06
PARCEL POST PROVES SUCCESS
Freakish Things Sent Through the
Mails by Persons.

w dSuluSlOll, TSU. uO poA SCi
post system, which has been in op-
Grafton since the first of the year,
is working like well-oiled Corliss
engine. The experimental days seem
to have been passed and the people
are trying to reduce the cost of liv-
ing by the use of the new postal ex-
press. Postal employees are doing
their utmost to make the law sue
cess.
There are two sides to the enforce
ment of the parcel post regulations,
one is humorous and the other Sc
rious.
The strict letter of. the parcel post
act is not being adhered to all along
the line. Many postmasters act with
out learning the rules and lessons
prescribed by congress and Post
master General Hitchcock.
Some of the infringements Of the
law that caused -merriment are re-
ported. In the mountains of Georgia
a trapper shipped an odoriferous
skunk skin to friend at Seattle. The
postmaster at the receiving point did
not know that the package contained
such loud-smelling parcel and pass
ed it along. The skin wended it's way
across the continent, leaving it's
unique trail in it's wake, before the
postal authorities we're able to de-
tect it.
Anything with a bad odor is "un-
mailable."
What is bad odor?" the depart
ment has been asked.
S, J. Bats, seed corn farmer of
Raleigh, has entered his protest
against a law that permits the post
ing of skunk skins by parcel post and
not seed corn.
Il see," said Mr.. Bats in protest
ing, where one of our farmers has
Just sent skunk hide which had to
be kept out of the building until the
mail wagon started to the depot.
''Now, as 1 see it, corn for horse
can be sent by parcel post is favored
above his master, but surely skunk
will not be preferred to the farmers
corn.
Il mention these things in argu-
ment in behalf of seed corn. The
law should be changed
The postoffice department is in
possession of a letter from Miss
Louise Moore, of Sandy Springs, Nd,
expressing her appreciation of the
good service the parcel post is doing.
II have beautiful cat that came
to me by parcel post" she added by
the way of a postscript.
Cats and other live animals are
barred from the parcel post, but
now and then they get by the post
masters.
John Medrick, of White Oak, Va,
sent by parcel post to Mrs. Sarah
Ellington, of Washington, five corn
crib mice that he trapped one night
for "Sallie," the family cat. The post
office people never knew about the
live rodents until they saw notice
about them in a local paper.
At Blair, n. D., the postmaster
gave a little party. A parcel post
package was made up, pasted over
with all sorts of stamps, and started
to an ex-postmaster of the town who
then resided in California. Among
the stamps used were some postage
due" ones. The sequel is told in
letter from the postmaster to the de-
partment. The letter reads:
Il beg to offer further information
why the postage due stamp was. af-
fixed. On New Years eve company
of Blair people gathered in the
store, suggesting that as it was on
the eve of the inauguration of par
eel post, that they, the patrons of the
Blair postoffice, send out the first par
eel post package to the eX-postmaster
of Blair, now at 80 Carl street, San
Francisco. 1t was the desire of those
present to affix to the package all
of the different types of stamps, in
Guiding the postage due stamp; fully
believing that the regular postage
'had been paid, I allowed the postage
due stamp to go on the package in
order that the addressee would re-
ceive all of the different parcel post
stamps.