The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-04
(By Hon. David J. Lewis, Of Mary
 land, Author Parcel Post Act.)

(By Hon. David J. Lewis, of Mary
 land, Author Parcel Post Act.)
 The railroads of the United States handled one thousand millions tons of freight in 1910 and the express companies handled 318 millions o1 packages This was before the lntro- duction of the parcel post, which De- gan its career in 1913. At present the railways seem to be handling up wards of 1900, 100000 tons of freight the express companies about 3oo' ooo'- 900 pieces, and the parcel post 4oo'- 100000 pieces per year. The speclal significance of these figures is the clr- cumstance that the gross number ol packages has grown from the SIS millions carried by the express com panies, in exclusive possession of package transportation in 1912' to 700 million of packages, combining express and parcel post trafhc' In 1915-16. In 1912 the package, trans portation business of the country was about 3A packages per capita. --lt has since grown to seven packages per capita. And the cause? It is the par eel post. The four hundred million packages carried by parcel post nave reference only to packages weighing one pound and upwards, and do not include the parcels of less than a pound in weight, which were formerly carried in the mails.
 The railways handle ten tons 'of freight for each man, woman and child in the United States. How packages Should be handled? The Swiss parcel post handles 10 packages per capita, but it has a 11O pound weight limit, and gives all the facill- ties accorded by our express con- panies including a pickup service and the 'collection'' of the rate from the consignee, when desired. The Swiss experience indicates, then, a potential traffic of ten parcels, of. pound and up, per capita per year. And the potentiaNtraff1c in the United States is likely quite as great.
 \Of the 4O0,O00,O00 postal express pAckages, probably not more than 75 million have been taken from the ex- press companies. That is, 300 million of the postal traffic is new traffic, largely new business, too, created ipso facto by the parcel post facility. This business existed but did not move prior to 1913, because it could not pay the express rate, and more, or because the express agency could not deliver to the farmer and country store on more than a million miles of postal rural routes.
 This is a good illustration of the evil consequences of refusing the pos tai system the right to perform it's functions. Half the potential pack age traffic of the United States has been thus killed, for more than a eel post.
 That the parcel post has already doubled the gross package trade of the country shows it to be a business proposition of the first order. What about it's extension?
 As to efficiency; what is it that the express company does? It handles the parcel on 250,000 miles of rail- way. But the postal system handles its package on the same 25O,000 miles of railways and handled it besides or 1,092,679 miles of rural routes, with 25 million people. The post then has more than a million miles, and 25 million patrons, the advantage in the way of efficiency. But the matter o1 economy stands at least equal in i'm portAnce. What is the relative coS1 of handling this parcel by express an6 by parcel post, barring railway pay which is practically equal pound fol pound and mile for mile? Happily we have the exact experience of the aia nd fha most hnfnra
 It cost the express companies ar average of "A cents to handle theil package in 1915, and for this package they secured an average rate of A cents to handle the package of three railways. It cost the postoffice cents toh andle thep ackage of three pounds and up, which requires the special facility of delivery by vehicle Of this expense 2.8 cents per piece was the cost for the carrier and ve hicle, 5 mills for railway post office attention, mills for clerical services and IS mills for miscellaneous, or cents in all, The postoffice secured al average of IS cents for this veh1culal parcel. If the pickup" service a cents per piece, the "collect- -of-the rate' from the consignee at cent more, and automatic insurance at cents, with an addition of 2 cent again to cover the greater weight o the express package, 8 cents in all be added to the present cent actua cost, the total cost to the postoffice il handling the express parcel, grantin, each of the facilities Accorded thu shipper by express, would be 1; cents per package, against a servic cost of 24 cents for the express com pany,
 Tested then by both the laws o efficiency and economy the packag function belongs here, as in othe
 countries, to the postal system, whicl alone commands the necessary eff
 ciency, and economy for the service And this superiority of the postal ex press agency in it's efficiency an' economy of operation means that it i
 entitled to all the privileges accorde' l the best foreign systems. The fulles
 study of the subject warrants me il
 proposing the following improve | ments;
 Weight limit: One hundred pounds l Size limit; Eighty-four inches I measuring the length and HALF tn girth combined.
 Pickup: When postage on shipmen
 is not less than 15 cents.
 Insurance: Graduation of insur