But enough of this local application of the proposed “test” regulations. It will readily be seen that if the farmer or villager on a selected test route desires to send a parcel, not above the regulation weight—whatever that may be—to any point not on the same route, he will have an express charge to pay—whatever that charge may be. And if he orders something, inside the regulation weight, from some factory or city not on his carrier’s route, he must also pay an express charge for its carriage to his local railroad station. If he wants the article or goods delivered at his home by the rural carrier, he must pay an additional charge—the postal carriage charge, whatever that may be.
As a “test” of the service value of a parcels post, could anything be more absurd? If so, it would be difficult to frame it up. Such a “test,” however, will still leave the raiding express companies in position to hold up the selected “home circle,” rural-route residents on all shipments, which go to or come from any city or point outside the home circle—and that is about what, if not just what, the proposed “test” is designed or intended to do, or so it appears from the ladder top.
In this connection it should be noted that the rural-route delivery enactment, or the department regulations under which it was to be applied, carried an express protecting “joker.” If not, why was the rural route carrier required to furnish a cart or other carrying vehicle of only twenty-five pounds capacity? Was it valid for ulterior reasons which named so small a weight? Would it have cost the government any more money for rural carrier service if a maximum weight of 500, or even of 1,000 pounds, had been named for the carrying vehicle?
The reader may answer. To The Man on the Ladder, though, that 25-pound requirement looks to be of doubtful mail-service value, if, indeed, not suspiciously queer.
It was carefully figured in 1900 that our rural, or non-railroad, communities alone lost $90,000,000 a year in excessive express charges and delays in delivery by reason of the criminal apathy of their government in the matter of furnishing even a reasonably adequate domestic parcels post service, such, for instance, as that furnished by the German government. The German government carries an 11-pound package anywhere in the German empire or in Austria-Hungary for 12 cents.
To aid the reader, I give, following, a table covering the data essential to a fair understanding both of the excessive pay for a service which our government should render for a tenth of the money and, also, of why our express service is inconvenient—is wasteful and expensive—by reason of the distance the express offices are from the people ordering. This last is clearly shown by comparing their number with the larger number of postoffices in the several states named.
THE WORM UNCOVERED.
| STATE. | No. of express offices. | No. of postoffices. | Average express charge. | Amount saved by parcel post at 12c. | English merchants’ advantage at 48c. | German merchants’ advantage at 58c. | Mexican merchants’ advantage at 66c. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 334 | 2,445 | $1.33 | $1.21 | $0.85 | $0.75 | $0.67 |
| Arizona | 41 | 202 | 3.89 | 3.77 | 3.41 | 3.31 | 3.23 |
| Arkansas | 262 | 1,880 | 1.66 | 1.54 | 1.18 | 1.08 | 1.00 |
| California | 586 | 1,659 | 3.16 | 3.04 | 2.68 | 2.58 | 2.50 |
| Connecticut | 108 | 511 | .61 | .49 | .13 | .03 | |
| Georgia | 451 | 2,657 | 1.33 | 1.21 | .85 | .75 | .67 |
| Illinois | 1,495 | 2,622 | 1.09 | .97 | .61 | .51 | .43 |
| Kentucky | 471 | 2,892 | 1.22 | 1.10 | .74 | .64 | .56 |
| Maine | 248 | 1,254 | .61 | .49 | .13 | .03 | |
| Michigan | 737 | 2,161 | 1.22 | 1.10 | .74 | .64 | .56 |
| New York | 1,309 | 3,735 | .61 | .49 | .13 | .03 | |
| Ohio | 1,362 | 3,398 | 1.09 | .97 | .61 | .51 | .43 |
| Oklahoma | 30 | 576 | 2.10 | 2.07 | 1.62 | 1.52 | 1.53 |
| Pennsylvania | 919 | 5,206 | .61 | .49 | .13 | .03 | |
| Rhode Island | 90 | 153 | .61 | .49 | .13 | .03 | |
| South Dakota | 229 | 639 | 2.67 | 2.55 | 2.19 | 2.09 | 2.01 |
| Texas | 662 | 2,968 | 2.19 | 2.07 | 1.61 | 1.61 | 1.53 |
| Virginia | 263 | 3,468 | 1.22 | 1.10 | .74 | .64 | .56 |
| Whole country | 20,155 | 60,000 |
Had I the space at command I would print the figures for the whole United States. However, it will be seen that the states I have taken are fairly representative of the whole country—the populous with the sparsely settled.
The figures as to number of express and postoffices are from the United States census for 1900.[18] The estimates are made on the parcel weight of 11 pounds. Eleven pounds is the English domestic parcels weight that is carried anywhere in the United Kingdom for 24 cents or, by international postal agreement, to any point in this country for 48 cents. In passing, it might be noted that for the year 1900 the British postoffice turned into its national treasury over $18,000,000 profit. It might also be well to notice that English merchants imported nearly five and a half million dollars value by parcels post and exported nearly twenty and a half million dollars of value by means of the same service.