Milford chronicle., 1958-04-04
APRIL.


Who among those then living will forget
April 9Th, 1917, for example? That was the
day on which Congress in special
session-declared that state of war existed
between the United States and the Govern
ment of Germany. 1t is hard to believe that
in the forty-one years since that war has been
won, another World War has been fought and
won, and another has grown to be major
threat facing the world.
In another war, April was famous
month. General Robert E. Lee surrendered
his Army of NorthernVi Virginia to General u.
S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virgin
ia, on April 9th, 1865.
Perhaps the greatest non-military news
story of all time occurred in April. On the
night of April 18th, 1912, the White Star
liner Titanic scraped an iceberg and sank in
two hours. Although the Californian rested
at anchor only few miles away, within sight,
fifteen hundreds perSons-many Of them
prominent citizens of the United States and
Great Britain-drowned in the icy North
Atlantic that night.
Many do not know that the Hugenot So
ciety of America observes April 18th, which
is the anniversary of the signing of the edict
of Nantes The Society was organized by
descendants of French Hugenots who fed
from France to the United States to obtain
religious freedom.
NOT LOGICAL
The postal deficit will continue to run
into many hundreds of millions of dollars a
year unless positive corrective steps are TAX
en-. Two solutions are commonly proposed.
One is for increase in letter postage. The
other is revolution in the mechanics and
techniques of mail and package handling,
through automation. This has been done in
some European countries, with notable sue
mi md
1t may well be that the final solution will
require both these steps-more automation
and higher rates. But it is an unfortunate
fact that practically all of the attention seems
to be given to the mail categories-first, sec
ond and third class. Little attention is being
given to the fourth class category, which is
parcel post.
This is simply not logical, and for two
reasons. One, parcel post does not pay its
own way, and so makes substantial contri-
button to the post Offices taxpayer-borne an
nual deficits. Second, parcel post is not
basic post Office function. 1t does not con-
tribut to public entertainment, education or
enlightenment, as does the carrying of mail,
newspapers and magazines. 1t is, instead,
purely commercial Junction. operating in di-
rect competition with private, taxpaying
carriers of packages and freight. Long be-
fore parcel post was heard of these carriers
did the job in efficient fashion. If parcel
post was abolished tomorrow they'd pick up
the load
So, in considering postal reforms, every
activity of the department should be con-
sidered and evalued-parcel post included.
HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR
Everybody uses some of the post0ffice
services to some extent. So, inevitably, pro-
posed increases in postal rates become hot
political issue. That, as all readers OF the
news know, is certainly the case today.
Then, there is another complication. Many
people believe that the carrying of letters,
newspapers and magazines should not neces-
sarily be on a self-supporting basis, on the
grounds that this contributes to public en-
Gghtenment and knowledge and so consti-
tutes an essential contribution to the general
welfare.
A good case can be made for that point
of view-so long as it is confined to materials
of the nature mentioned But it can't be made
for another post office function-parcel post,
the fourth class mail category. 1t is a horse
of another color.
Parcel post is comparatively new SER
vice, dating from the World War | era. 1t
is a strictly commercial enterprise, which
makes no needful contribution to anything
resembling public enlightenment or knowl-
edge. 1t is directly and unfairly competitive
with private parcel carriers And, as gen.
eral rule, it has been operated at deficit
Over the years, that deficit has totaled huge
amount of money.
Entirely aside from what may be done in
the case of other postal rates, parcel post
should be made to pay its own way-which
means that charges should cover all costs, the
indirect as well as the direct.
<&SoR[
ANOTHER POLIO WARNING
The polio season is fast-approaching
again. 1t is nice to report that paralytic po-
lilo has been reduced by some eighty-fve per
cent, as result of the Salk vaccine, and that
a relatively small number of Americans will
be stricken with it this year.
The point of this editorial, however, is
to point out that there are still millions of
Americans who refuse to take the necessary
rnrocantinnS To arntact ti,ennSelueS AGAINST the