212 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



who are interested. The report shows, among other things, that all of 

 the transactions earried on during the experiment were conducted 

 without a single complaint on the part of a grocer or a consumer. It 

 also contains statements from both the consumers and the producers, 

 all of whom seemed to have been more than sal isfied with the results and 

 who seemed to be of the unanimous opinion that the parcel post was a 

 good medium of bringing the producer and the consumer closer. 



The system employed was very simple, as evidenced by the fact that 

 farmers who had no previous experience in the handling of such things, 

 were able to conduct the transactions with accuracy and without com- 

 plications and mistakes. In some respects the system is largely auto- 

 malic and it is pertinent to state thai the system does not make the 

 government act as a commission merchant. 11 is not, therefore, open 

 to the criticism of being paternalistic in character. It is simply a 

 system which tends to increase and enlarge the carrying capacity and 

 efficiency of the parcel post through the medium of the post-office 

 department. In fact there are only three parties to the transaction, viz., 

 the post office, the producer and the consumer. "With respect to the 

 experiment in question the grange acted as the post office. The equip- 

 ment necessary to carry on this business is very little, consisting of a 

 set of shelves or simple racks, and any form of a rack that will accommo- 

 date small cards will do. The only other equipment necessary to the 

 transactions are a number of tags, blanks and forms, all of which are 

 quite simple and easily handled. The government issues these tags 

 and forms and sells them to the consumer and the producer at a price 

 slightly above cost in order to make the service self-sustaining. To the 

 consumer is sold a coupon book, let us say $2.35 worth of coupons of 

 •">. 10 and 25 cent denominations, the hooks being redeemable at any 

 time at the post office. To I he farmer is sold tags containing the farmer's 

 number, the quantity units, the article to he sold, the price to be paid 

 and the date, and containing a transportation coupon. The farmer, 

 before he buys his tags is registered at the post office, not by name but 

 by number and is thereafter always known to the posl office and the 

 consumer by number. In the experiment which was conducted the units 

 of sale were as follows: One box. one dozen, one pound, one single, one 

 basket, one sack and one crate, these quantity units being printed on the 

 tags which are sold to the farmer. We are now ready to enter into the 

 actual transactions. The consumer may or may not decide to go to the 

 post office to order, but we will assume that a consumer does go to the 

 post office to order. Then what happens? The consumer goes to the 

 rack on which are hung a number of cards. She looks over the cards 

 and finds for example that number 16 has 5 dozen eggs for sale at 

 25 cents per dozen, 10 pounds of butter at 35 cents per pound and five 

 boxes of pears at $2.20 a box. The cards which tin.' consumer finds upon 

 the racks were made out by the farmers and picked up by the carriers 

 for delivery at the postoffice. When the consumer has signified her pur- 

 chases to the clerk in the post office he makes out the necessary cards 

 indicating those purchases, adds the total sum of the purchases, tears 

 out of the consumer's books the number of coupons necessary to repre- 

 sent the total purchase and returns the purchase cards to the farmer 



from whom the purchases have I n made. Upon the receipt of these 



cards the farmer tills the order and lias it already for the carrier. When 



