These exhibits are generally so instructive to the people, the farmers so willing to show by card or samples of goods what they can furnish, and the postmasters so ready to cooperate in every way to make these postal exhibits a success by showing different styles of containers, the best method of packing, etc., that no opportunity should be lost where county fairs are held to secure space for such exhibits and make the most creditable display possible. The postmasters are the proper parties for carrying out the purposes of the Government in this connection and the Department is anxious that such opportunities be availed of that the advantages thus offered may be utilized to their fullest extent.
The Great Express Service of the Government
The parcel post, the great express service of the Government, is now used so generally and for so many purposes that the mention of some of the things that are being shipped may be of interest. For instance, at the Lincoln County fair at Merrill, Wis., some time ago, there was an exhibit of a take-down house all the parts of which had been sent to Merrill by parcel post. Indeed the shipment of lumber by parcel post is not now an uncommon thing, due attention being paid to postal requirements.
At Gridley, Cal., a patron entered the office with several small sacks of some heavy material and asked to have them forwarded. The clerk after weighing them regarded the sacks with some suspicion and upon inquiry of the shipper learned that the sacks contained dirt, soil from a farm, which he was sending to the State University for analysis. Another patron appeared at the office in the morning with a package of meat under his arm and posted the parcel to a family in Marysville, Cal., remarking at the time that Mrs.—— ordered this meat for supper!
An enterprising farmer at Burke, Va., advises the Postmaster at Washington, D. C., that he would kill a steer on December 1, and would sell the cuts of meat at one-third less than Washington retail prices. His offer was advertised in a farm list and in a parcel post trade paper and before the steer was killed the meat had all been engaged. The cuts were sent to the customers in market baskets and containers. The farmer was offered $35 for the steer on the hoof, but realized $45 by individual sales and the hide paid for help in parting and dressing for market. Orders came from Washington, Baltimore, and even from Long Island, N. Y.
The postmaster of Denver, Colo., reported that on Thanksgiving Day, 1914, more than 1,000 perishable parcels, 80 per cent of which contained turkeys, were received at the Denver office and delivered in good condition.
The list of possible shipments of every conceivable kind and character could be indefinitely extended, for it is known that the scope of subjects that can be handled by the parcel post is practically limitless and only awaits proper enterprise for productive profit to those who will engage in it.
The parcel post is without question a great success. There is no other measure of interest connected with the service which presents so many economic possibilities. Its great advantage over the private carriers is apparent and the benefits quickly seen in practical operation. The United States mail goes everywhere throughout the length and breadth of the country. Private expresses are governed by the avenues of profit. The Government is not concerned about profit but regards service as of paramount importance, hence it directs its activities to all regions alike, going where there are no express offices or ever likely to be. This is the great distinguishing feature of the parcel post and its benefits as can be plainly seen, are chiefly for the rural sections who would be denied these advantages were there no such service in operation.
The whole effort of the parcel post aims to furnish an exceedingly reasonable method of interchanging commodities between the farm and city home, something which no private corporation has ever attempted or would undertake to do, all such enterprises being purely for gain and profit. The farmer can now find the opportunity he has been seeking. By some little care and attention to the conditions that assure favorable results, such as putting himself in touch with his customers, properly packing and furnishing a good article at a reasonable price, he can develop a profitable market for what he produces, reduce the cost of living to others while reaping an advantage for himself.