The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1894-01-25
A System That Has Grown with
Amazing Rapidity.
what Was an Unknown Convenience Ten
Years Ago Ia Now an Almost In-
dispensabie Adjunct TO
Daily Life.

The act authorizing the parcel post
was passed In 1889. But II may well be
imagined that time was necessary to
mount an entirely new postal service
without disorgani2ing the ordinary
mails, and IL was not until August /,
1883, that the post was actually placed
at the disposal of the public, says the
London Timea
May l, 1885, new scale OF weights
and charges was issued. The scale,
which still obtains, assembled by
single instead of double pounds, and
thus represented a charge of Sd for the
first pound and I'D for each sue
ceeding pound. At the same time the
maximum weight was raised to eleven
pounds, parcel of that weight being
carried for isd. Compensation was
promised for the loGe or damage OF any
parcel in the post ~ TO the sum OF Ell,
while further suns Of 20 and fl0 might
be secured by the ~ snent of penny
and Cd respcctiycly
The original scale OF weights and
charges was for u parcel not exceed
ing one pound, Cd; up to three pounds,
3D.; up TO five pounds, Cd, and up TO
seven pounds, Is. At seven pounds the
post stopped. The maximum dimen-
sions allowed were three and one-half
feet in length and six feet in length
and girth combined, and these dimen-
sions have been found throughout to
be sufficient TO meet the public demand.
The effect OF these changes at once
became visible. From June, 1885, on
wards, the number of parcels increased
| by more than twenty per cent. over the
number for the corresponding months
OF the previous year, and the total
number OF parcels carried in the year
! 1886 rose to 81 100000 In the mean
time parcel posts had been established
with many colonies and foreign states.
The admirably managed post Office of
! India and the post Office of Egypt Tor
ganized by the country were the first
| 10 respond 10 the invitation OF the
postmaster general, and the inter
change OF parcels with India, Burmah,
Alden and Egypt commenced July /,
| 1885.
At the end Of another six months
Germany and Belgium, forerunncrs of
this country in parcel post enterprise,
from the commencement of 1886 tho
work OF connecting this country with
the rest OF the world for the purpose
of interchanging parcels by post pro-
ceeded apnce.
The next change of Importance took
| place juno /, 1901, when the system Of
registration was for the first time ex.
tended to inland parcels, together with
compensation on n liberal scale. For
the ordinary registration, fee OF I'd,
compensation up TO Is was promi ied,
while for every additional Id another
- coulJ be secured up TO maximum
Of E25. At the same time the compen-
! satlon payable on an unregistered par
eel was raised from Al 10 e.. Finally,
| December last, scale of payment
rising to ESQ (Which had previously
been applied 10 The post 10 India and
/ the West lndiesl was adopted; and il Is
now possible 10 obtain compensate
up 90 that amount 10y payment OF the
| registration fee of "a and additional
/ Zee OF ol, or lid in all. II Is not sur
| prisiug that under the influence OF
/ those improvements the number OF
| parcels sent per head Of the pop,Ila-
ton has more than doubled since the
| post was instituted.
So completely has the parcel post
now become an adjunct OF daily life
that IL is almost difficult to realize
that ten years ago anyone wishing to
send parcel, even between two CEN
tiers Of population, had no certainty
when il would be dispatched, when It
would be delivered, and how much he
would have topayi while rural districts
were, for such purposes, practically out
of reach. $780,