Evening star., 1914-03-22
UNCLE SAM, CARRIER
Continued from page 4

little more than year old; but, so far as its
utility and its popularity are concerned, it
has demonstrated that it is entitled to per-
manent place as one of the necessities of the
day, just as we find streetcars indispensable.
If the public will do its part the Postoffice
Department can much more easily bring
about beneficial changes, whether by re-
duction of rates, increases in distance of
zones, greater weight or size limits, and
such other changes that trial and time
alone can successfully indicate and bring
about.
The percentage of loss and damage has
been relatively small, as has also been the
number of complaints of delay or unsatis-
factory service. To 4 certain extent these
troubles arose from the fact that the public
did not take kindly to distinctive parcel post
stamps, and when announcement was made
that the mandatory use of the special issue
was discontinued the change was favorably
received AS result the complaints on
account of delay, nondelivery of parcels, and
loss of postage, due to ignorance of the dis
tinctive stamp requirement, have been elm
mated. Public patronage of the postal ser
vice is sirnplified and facilitated by having
a single variety of stamps valid for all pur
poses, and at the same time it has also served
to reduce substantially the cost of admins
tration, by enabling employees of the depart
ment to relax their vigilance in scrutinlzlng
the kind of stamps used, as was necessary
before.
ANOTHER feature is that of the precan-
celed postage stamps, whose advan-
tageS are not vet known by even SenderS of
large quantities of mail The precanceled
stamps-wlich are Cancelled in bulk by print
ing on them in two black horizontal lines the
name of the postoffice at which they are to be
used-ought to be used more largely. Their
advantage to those whose interests require
large purchases of stamps is no less than the
advantage derived by the government, be-
cause it effects considerable saving in time
and expense.
Cancellation by hand is slow process.
A clerk working industriously for eight
hours could cancel the stamps on not more
than 5000 packages. When it is borne in
mind that perhaps 1000, 100000 packages
will be handled during the present year, the
time, labor, and expense involved in can
ceiling becomes apparent In other words,
it would require one industrious man, work.
ing eight hours a day every day of the year,
54S years to dispose of ,O00, ,OO0, 900 pack
ages. If he worked-were it possible-day
and night, allowing for no time to sleep or
eat, he could not do it, because it would take
him 1872 years and eight months And
don't forget that to count 1,O00,000,OOO it
requires, at the rate of one a second, thirty
one years and eight months.
So, it will be readily seen, the volume OF
business done by the postoffices of the coun-
try in one year is beyond the grasp of the
mind, because the separate pieces that are
handled run into the billions!
So let Uncle Sam, Carrier, and the people
get together The parcel post is an institu
ton worthy of the United States; although
its advantages were recognized and put into
operation i'll Europe many years ago. 1t
carries into the remotest cabin of this coun-
try all those comforts of home that the regu-
lations permit, and there are few, if any,
that are prohibited. 1t stops neither for
time, for distance, nor for elements. Any
thing that must go to the address of any
resident of the United States, whether con-
tinental or in the Philippines or in Alaska
or in our other dominions, the parcel post
will take it.
1t IS for us, the people, and it plays no
favorites!