General Meyer, however, fails to state that while there is this large number of foreign countries with which we have postal conventions, yet not a single one of the twenty-four countries with which we have an eleven-pound convention is on the map of Europe. They are all of the nature of Jamaica, the Windward Isles, Venezuela, Barbados, Costa Rica, Danish West Indies, etc., countries with which we do not do any great volume of business.
It may further be stated that the weight limit with the remaining nine countries, most of which are European, is in reality intended to be the nearest approximation to our own domestic four-pound limit, that is, it is two kilograms—about four pounds six ounces—and the European countries all closely scrutinize this weight limit as the business is one that involves a loss in its operation. Germany, for example, for a number of years recognized an eleven-pound limit but changed to the two kilograms about three years ago.
It should be borne in mind, moreover, that the exchange of parcels between these countries and our own is made as a matter of comity or international courtesy, and is permitted because the amount involved is small. The work is done, too, in connection with the carriage of first-class mail which produces a large profit.
To illustrate this matter, Great Britain carried in her parcels post last year 104,819,000 parcels. Of these only 2,575,000 (less than 2½ per cent) went out of the country to all foreign countries, her own colonial dependencies included, and to the United States she sent only 61,000 and we sent to her 89,000 only. The difference which is after all what we make or lose upon, was some 28,000, and that was but a fraction of a tenth of 1 per cent of the whole business. With some of the other countries in question, we exchanged less than 1,000 parcels in the last fiscal year, and with one of them it was less than 100, while with all of them aggregated it was a total of but 330,000 parcels dispatched and 181,000 received; so when we examine this question of inconsistencies microscopically we find that it is truly of microscopic proportion only, and may be disregarded as having no important bearing upon the general question.
One Cent Letter Postage, Second Class Mail Rates, and Parcels Post. pp. 14-22.
Charles W. Burrows.
Paternalistic, socialistic legislation does not diminish the expense account, but simply transfers it from one person’s shoulders to those of others. It is with a people as with a person. If a father gives to his boy a pair of shoes, the shoes cost the lad nothing, they are to him as if they had descended from the skies, but the cost is a charge upon the father, unless he stole them, and even if acquired dishonestly the cost has simply been moved back upon the shoulders of the merchant. The compensation for the labor of producing the pair of shoes and of transporting them to the place where they are put to service is just as much a charge upon the community whether one individual pays for them or another. Similarly if the users of any governmental service do not pay a high enough tariff for that service somebody else must foot the bill.
Now to endeavor to demonstrate that whether the rates imposed for such service be high or low the government will inevitably be a loser and in large amount. To this end let us examine for a moment the parcels post systems of foreign countries.