Gunnison news-champion., 1915-04-09

for public 0Wnersotp. IT Oncs< -.
cen run the expsess business 10 esscs-
emily sad economically, Why sot p'eee
him M charge Of the telegraph ssoaape-
ly. the tesephoRe Monopoly end shs sssa-
Rod moaspoiyg
These are disconcertinG questions tor
the monspol,es affected. and SO they 80
trying to discredit the entire movemsut
by hsmperine the parcel post.
FIGHTING UNDER COVER
OF course, they do not dare come eut
in the open and frsnkly svew their Pss-
pose. The people would never stssd
for that. The parcel post must he
knitted in the dark, and that is wAst TIE
express compsnies and their allies, The
railroads have been doing for two yssrs.
Up to date the score is in favss sf
the conspirstors. They have pies0a-
holed in the senate every bit of rsWsdi-
sl legislation end - . final evidseee u
their power they have defeated ~
postofice appropriation bill.
But, ss usual, they have overpaaysd
their hand. Nov the national sAnsnis-
tration is aroused and Postmaster Cen
eral Burleson, backed by the PresiaeNt,
has publicly declared war on the enemies
of the parcel post.
A SAMPLE CANARD
He points out that the press agents
of the railroads and the express m0oe-
poles have spread the story that the
postofice department IVES not paying
the railroads. anything extra for carry
ing the parcel POST, whsn % matter ef
feet, the roeAs have slssely received .
spscial silowsaee Of ~, 322 .S54 for their
services ssi the Aslestsa aPpsopristion
bill authorised tAe Apartment to pay
them On additional million aOllsrs.
1T is impossible to 0verstste the i'm
pertsnce Of this mstter," says Mr..
Burlesoa. "AlthouGA ~ FailFsoAs con
tend that they ere sn6sr-peid for carry
ing the mails, the facts ere they are
ovsr-paid. and that they sse receiving
from the government s1ounts which
for hauls Of any considerable length,
exceed by two to one the amounts they
receive from the express companies for
hike and similar ssfvice.
Upon the two principal mail routes,
from New York to Chicago. over which
is carried the lsrgsst daily weight of
mail transported anywhere in the world
by rail, aggregating about SlS tons
daily railway mail, pay amounts to 81. 5s
per 100 pounds, while the railroads pro-
portion of the first class express rate
between those cities is approximately
81. 70 per 100 pounds.
From New York to Los Angeles the
railroads receive from the express COM
psnies Sass per 100 pounds and from
the government %. O6 per 100 pounds.
These are not isolated cases they
are typical"
1t is because of the inequalities in
transportation charges that the parcel
post rates for the longer distances and
the higher rates exceed the rates Of the
express companies. For instance be
tween New York and Chicago, the par
eel post rate is 81. 20 for twenty pounds
and the express rate is GA cents.
Under existing conditions, the parcel
post can compete with the express com
panies on short hauls, say up to lbs
miles Outside of that radius its act
vities must be confined to small PACK
ages.
Despite these restrictions, the growth
of the parcel post has been truly re
markable. 1t has been in operation
less than two years and is already car
rying over 800, 100000 packages per
annum. The government is doing this
business for very much less than the
express companies charged before the
parcel post was organized and in add
ton is giving express facilities to ham
lets, villages and towns which were a b.
ways ignored by the express monopoy.
General Burleson points out that
the enemies of parcel post say it was
responsible for the prospective deficit in
postal receipts.
No more absurd falsehood has Ia 1
respectful consideration in respons e
publications in my recollection. The
depletion of the postal revenue is entire
ly due to the conditions caused BY the
war in Europe.
In response to General BurIesoa's e
broadside. the representatives of the
express monopoly and its allies brazenly
announce that they viii carry the fizht
INTO every congressional district The