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This tariff is wonderfully constructed. As rcgnrdv the columns
t,owards the right hand, I giro the puzzlo up altogether. It
passes my understanding why thc limit of weight should bo
made to vary at different distsnces from 14 lbs. to 15 Ibs., 16 lbs.,
and 18 Ibs. I l~ave studied inductive logic; but no logic seema
likely to disclose reason or method hew. As regnrtls wcighta
tinder 7 111s. there is at least the nppcm*anco of I*cLw1s0n, that
reason is the csncting tahc utmost tllnt the unfortunntc owner
of the parcel can be induced to pay. It is true tht for smnll
distances tho chnrgr, cew[usI'w q/' 7t00Zitt~ .fi'r, is ]lot nltogcthcr
immoderate. For &?. n 7 111. ~ I T C I W:I>- bc sent 30 milos, a
2 111. pxrcel 100 milcs, and so on ; tllis no doubt is designed to
prercnt co~np~titic~ll by rontl cnwiers ; but at II~I*~CI* distnnces,
when horse conrcynncc is out of the qucstinn, tho public is
macle to smart. A 1 Ib. parcel trnnr;mittcd N O to GOO xnilos
costs 1s. 3d., cxclusirc of booking fee; by post tho book rate
is 4d. per lb., or barely mort than the fourth part. The post,nl
rate for n letter weiglling ~tbovc 1.3 oz. is Id. for every ounce.
The parcel rate then is only n penny less than the postal rate
of a letter! What is most cstraordinary about this tariff is
the import,ance attributed to distance. I supposc n 1 Ib. parcel
sent from London to Glnsgow may IN put into the van at
Euston, and never stirred until it rcacl~eg Glasgow; yet tho
mere transit costs the sender Gd. more than for short distances.
Nom me must suppose t'hat Gd. covers all the terminal charges,
and costs of collection and delivery, for this is all that the
companies ask for short distance parcels, exclusive of hooking
fees, whatever they may be. Hence at ieast Gd. goes for the
cost of traction, wear and tear of van, interest on capital, etc. ;
but a ton consists of 2U9 Ib., and a ton weight of 1 lb. parcels
mould be no great load for R van. Thus the tolls collected on
merely carrying that ton load for 400 or 500 miles would be
$56, and including collection and delivery it would be g.112.
A ton load of third-class passengers would yield only &25 all
told.
These very excessive charges apply, it is true, only to the
smallest parcels; on examining the other columns it will be
found that the higher weights are charged at much lower rates,