Evening star., 1914-07-26
PARCEL POST P[AN
CAUSE Of PROTEST
Washington Merchants Think
Postmaster Praeger Is
Working Injustice.
OUT-OF-TOWN DEALERS
GET FREE ADVERTISING
Should Be Stopped, It Is Claimed,
Unless Capital Business Men
Have Equal Treatment.

Washington merchants welcomed the
parcel post, but cannct help but look with
alarm upon your disposition to encour-
age trading with out-of- town people"
The above statement is made by
Charles c. Columbus. secretary of the
Retail Merchants Association. in a let
ter which has been forwarded to Post
master Otto Praeser informing him that
his efforts to bring about a wider use of
the parcel post in buying produce out Of
town is looked upon with marked dis
favor by the merchants of Washington.
The governing board of the Retail
Merchants Association calls special at
tention to a list of individuals in vari-
Gus states from whom produce may be
purchased by parcel post, which was
printed recently in an advertising
sheet. issued by Mr.. Praeger's direction.
The retail merchants believe Mr..
Preager' should cease his efforts to get
trade for out-of-town dealers or give
local merchants equal opportunity for
advertisement out of town.
Letter to Mr.. Praeger.
The letter sent to Mr.. Preager by Mr..
Columbus follows:
AT a meeting of the board of gov
ernors of the Retail Merchants Asso-
citation. held last night. the attention
OF the board was called to an adyer-
tising sheet issued by you as post
master May ~. in which YOU en-
courage the buying of produce out of
town, giving the names Of numbers of
individuals in various states in the
chased. w p1A
This matter was discussed at great
length, and 1 am directed to advise YOU
officially that it was the sense of the
BOARD OF governors of the Retail Mer-
chants Association that they regard this
and other publications of a like nature
which are issuing from Your office as a
paternalism that is unnecessary. unfair
and wholly outside Of the province of an
arm OF the government. 1t is strange
indeed. that the Washington post office
should make itself the medium of free
advertising, especially for the benefit of
those who pay absolutely no local taxes
Equal Treatment Asked.
1t was the sense of the board that
Since you seem so willing and anxious
to advertise out-of-town businesses in
Washington. that you will be equally If
not more anxious to print and dissent
nate list of the names which thew
merchants. and the lines which they
carry. with which this office will gladly
supply you.
The Washington merchants welcomed
the parcel post. but cannot help but look
with alarm upon your disposition to en-
courage trading with out-of-town peo-
pie. In this instance you have not only
done an injustice to stores handling all
the lines of merchandise enumerated in
this list-and it is understood that there
were still others-but by this You seem
to be showing a disposition to pave the
way for incursons Of mali-order buying
in all lines.
THE board Of governors questions the
wisdom and the necessity Of these acts
on the part of the city post Office and
asks that they be discontinued, or that
our local merchants be given equal op-
portunity for advertisement out of town
az you have given out-of-town dealers
in Washington" 4"