Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1914-07-23
Parcel Post Business
& Express Companies
Argument Against Further Encroach
ments by Government Upon
Express Business.

Byron Parsons, writing for the Ev
ansyille (Indiana) Courier of recent
date, takes issue with the govern
mental ownership propaganda con
corning the business of handling what
has hitherto been within the domain
of the privately owned express com:
panies.
THAT the government produces any.
thing or performs any service for the
public cheaper than individuals or
private corporations" says Mr.. Par.
sons, lis open to grave doubts.
THE express companies are 10Y
under the supervision of the inter
state commerce commission.
This is a department of the gen,
eral government created by law to
regulate transportation, Is it fair to
the express companies for another
department of the government to en-
ter into the same kind of transporta-
ton business at a lesser rate than
that provided by the interstate com
merce commission for these COM
panies?
ITO my mind this Is a sane ques-
ton. These companies have vested
interests and the government should
undertake to protect these interests,
rather than TO destroy them. If 1t be
argued that these express companies
have full right to enter into competi-
tion with the governments rate, it
companies will gladly undertake to do
this, If the p~osto1Iice department shall
make a rate that will cover all costs
for service, including such interest on
the cost of the vast equipment devot-
ed to this service, as the Interstate
commerce commission shall decide
these companies are entitled to on
their invested capital.
"When il Is understood Alat the
government does not operate the post
office department for profit, and as.
Stunning that the department can per-
form this service as cheaply as the
express companies can, then 1t is
clearly evident that the express com
panies cannot maintain themselves
in this unequal contest; for they must
have a profit il they are to remain in.
business.
THE only hope open to the COM
panies noW is that their patrons will
in consideration Of better service than
offered by the government and the in
demnity feature OF the service, be
willing to pay such a rate IS the in
terstate commerce commission shall
decide they are entitled to.
THAT the parcels post service isl
a great convenience to people through
out the country served by the rural
mail carriers cannot be doubted. Butl
without special equipment only SMALL
parcels OF small value can be cheaply|
handled and the service should be
confined to this,
Since the government assumes no
liability for loss or damage and has
accounting to make on these small,
Inexpensive parcels, an economic saw
ing fs possible. But when larger and
more expensive articles are admitted
to the mails, there ID need for proper
accounting, and more elaborate equip
ment, and then it is doubtful IL the
government can perform the ~seryice
at q lesser cost than existing agencies.
There is another feature OF this
parcels post service that may well
have the thoughtful consideration of
all OF ON people; for it threatens a
partial II not complete revolution of
existing commercial relations.
THE year 1913 saw the extension
OF the mail order business OF thel
country OF not less than twenty mil
lion dollars Probably much more.
And the parcels post contributed
largely to this enormous business. AsI
these mail order houses are located
in the larger cities Of the country, itl
transfers this immense traffic from
more than two thousand county ~stores