The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-12-27
Parcel Post viii
Soon Be In Effect
Ieslie's Weekly Publishes Following
Items About the Workings Of
the New System

the New System
Do YOU know that after the first of
next month you will be able to mail
anything from bird cage to sewing
machine? You are live, up-to-date
citizen; but if man asked you how to
send five dozen eggs from your home,
Washington, D. c., say, to Bismarck
N. Dak., by parcels post, could you
answer him?
First of all, pack the eggs carefully.
Mark plainly the address of the sender
and to whom sent on the tag. Then
take six-foot string and wrap it
around the box to see if your package
is not too large. Anything containing
a farm or factory product which may
be girdled by tape six feet long may
be sent by parcels post, provided it
weighs less than eleven pounds. Re-
member that and you will have memo
rized as much as the average shipper
will have to know. Later the post
master-general hopes to provide street
boxes like those now in use for larger
packages, but at present the par
GELS post customer must convey his own
package to the nearest postal station.
After weighing your package, the
man at the window will look up Bis
marck, N. Dak., in his parcels post
guide. After Bismarck he will find a
numbers, 1874. Then he will look up
at his map and run his hand along the
Canadian border and the row of figures
there until he comes to column numb
cred $3.50, which is the nearest number
to the one he is looking for, 3,254. He
will follow that column down until he
comes to the square numbered 1884,
which contains Bismarck. He will see
that it is in the big general zone mark
ed 6. Then he will look down at a table
in the lower left-hand corner of the
map, where already tabulated for him
are the rates for all zones. He will
read in this case. Give pounds to
Zone 6, $.46." You will pay that
amount and he will place special par
GELS post stamp on the box. From then
on until it is delivered to the one to
whom it is sent the parcel will be in
the custody of the postoffice authorities.
That is the whole business in nutshell.
Each postoffice will have map of its
own. The country is divided into these
great zones, numbered from to 8, and
small squares, one of which contains
your city, which is referred to in the
parcels post guide by number. These
are the rates which apply everywhere.
Rural route and city delivery, S cents
for the first pound, and l cent for each
additional pound; first zone, within SO
miles of the postoffice, S cents first
pound, and cents for each additional
pound; second zone, $50 miles, 6 cents
first pound, cents each additional
pound; third zone, 800 miles, Z cents
first pound, cents each additional
fourth zone, 600 miles, 8 cents first
pound, 6 cents each additional pound;
fifth zone. 1000 miles, cents first
pound, z cents each additional pound;
sixth zone, 1,40OO miles, 10 cents first
pound, 9 cents each additional pound;
seventh zone, 1900 miles, II cents first
ponnd, 10 cents each additional pound;
eighth zone, over.1 800 miles, IL cents fol
first pound, IL cents for each additional
pound. These figures make it easy fol
the sender himself to calculate the cost
of mailing any parcel. The limit
weight of eleven pounds, should Of
course, be borne in mind in every in
stance, and never exceeded.
The magnitude Of the parcels post
has not yet dawned on the general pub.
lie, but when one Of these maps appears
in each Of the 81, 600 postofiices Of the
country, they will awaken toits general
scope. Within the next month every
man, woman and child will be inquirine
into the new system. In the meantime,
Uncle Sam is making preparations t1
do aland Office business. Not only will
he have to get all Of these maps com.
pleted, without which the system could
never be operated, but he will have t.
provide special scales. The kind in the
postofRce now only weigh up to foul
pounds, which is the weight Of the
largest. package carried at present. The
scale factories have been swampei
with the order for 50. 600 pairs Of scales
but BY the first Of the year it is hopei
that all requirements along that line
.,,,;ll l,o nat with The Arafs nnnaint,a