The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-28
TRB PARCEL POST.
Mr.. Durieson's Hish Resolve 20 aeduce
The Cost % Llvlng Thereby.

W.T. uurb6SOuu ntBu bsovOtvo W SeUuoo
The Cost % Livlng Thereby.
To TINS Epiroa o. TINS svN--Sw: The
press dispatches this morning announce
that Postmaster-0enerai Burleson has
caused uhe preliminary steps TO be
taken ito perfect his plan for reducing
the high cost Of living BY having the
parcel post carry the products Of the
farm directly to the door Of the con-
sumner" Why stop at the door Of the
consumer? Why not pass inside and
teach the consumer how to cook this
produce, how to save each particle ana
how to bring out q by-product which
will pay at least the cost Of the postage7
When you are bent on doing the people
good, why not DO Il to the limit? Why
not furnish them with silver spoons
with each package Of produce from
the farm. to the end that dishwashing
may be reduced TO the minimum? Aye!
why not issue stamps and attach them
to the dishpans, and have the parcel
post men gather them up and take
them to . central station. where they
may be washed and returned In sani-
tary envelopes. ready for dinner? Let's
really do something for the people.
Just imagine q Chautauqua county
farmer wadlng through three feet Of
snow to feed fhe chickens and TO milk
the cows and doing up dainty parcels
OF produce for his brother man IN New
York city and giving this brother man
the advantage OF the reduction in the
cost Of transportation and the elimina-
ton Of the middleman! Imagine II. I
say. for you will never md him doing
It. The farmer is not peculiar he 10
human. lie 10 seeking to sell his
produce where 1t will command the best
prices and to buy his merchandise
where he can get II cheapest. II he
sends any OF his produce to New York
he Will insist upon getting the best
price there that the market will offer.
he will sell In competition with the
dealers Of that city. just as the dealers
Of that city will get the best prices
they can from the farmers Of Chau-
tauqua county for snythinG they have
TO sell and these things will continue
to be regulated by the amount Of de-
mand In relation to the supply At any
given point.
There will OF course he individual sx-
captions In the early stages Of the OK
pertinent; the people love novelty and
they will pay the price for time. but Il
is childish TO suppose that any appre-
ciable effect will be produced upon the
cost OF living by the incidental ship.
ments OF parcels Of butter. eggs and
cheese. parsnips and horsersdish through
the malls. Low ~ the postal rates are.
they are extravagant as compared with
car load shipments. and the average
housewife will much prefer TO purchase
where she can see the goods and have
them from q reliable dealer than to
decker with a farmer hundreds Of miles
away. particularly as the farmer has
no seductive advertising manager to
herald the merits Of his goods And
the Chautauqua county farmer. while
re may occasionally buy gold bricks
will not care TO peddle out his farm
produce to Tom. Dick and Harry when
there 10 reliable dealer who will
take his entire output and give him a
New York draft for IL before the prop
erty leaves the shipping point.
When any one talks Of reducing the
hiRh cost 81 living by means Of . hand
to mouth process through the medium
OF the parcel post he Is talking nom
sense; he might as well hope TO ssinen
the spinal column Of the man in the
moon by an application Of porous plas.
ters 70 a lunar ray.
BgNJAMiN e. DIAN.
JAMESTOWN, March %.