But, it is not quite so bad as it looks for the very reason that our “postal agreements” recognize the “tariff wall” that is built around _certain_ “infants” in this country. Your goods from England, Germany or Mexico must be of our “_free_ list” kind, otherwise they must pay a rake-off to the government. As that is pretty stiff, _you_ don’t order many parcels from abroad. You buy home products--_thus paying the tariff rake-off to the protected “infant” instead of the Government_. Does it not appear that we American citizens are an easily “worked” bunch? In connection with the tabulation just presented, should be noted the fact that _millions_ of our people live in non-railroad communities--live, often, _many miles from any express office_, while a postoffice may be near. If these people have pressing need for any article of merchandise weighing over four pounds it cannot reach them, under existing law, by mail. _They must order it sent by express and make the long drive to the nearest express office to get it._ The article may be one needed for the health of the family or it may be a rod, a gear wheel or other part of some machine that has broken in a critical hour of need--_any one of a hundred needs_, delay in supplying which _costs money_. It was carefully figured in 1900 that our rural, non-railroad communities alone lost $90,000,000 _a year_ in excessive express charges and delays in delivery by reason of the peculiar if not studied apathy of their government in the matter of furnishing even a _reasonably_ adequate domestic parcels post service. The hypothetical rate (1 cent a pound or $20.00 per ton), for parcels carriage and delivery by post is low--maybe a little too low. If so, it is only a very little, _if it is figured to have the rate cover only the actual cost of the service_. A nation-wide parcels post service, if properly organized and directed, would, it must be remembered, handle all the short as well as the long haul business. It would not, as now, permit a collusive raiding arrangement between the railroads and the express companies by which the latter get most of the short-haul shipments and leave most of the long-haul parcels to be handled by the mail service.