The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-19
Will Be In Operation First of the
Year and Postal Department is
Busy With Prep
aratlons.
NEW SET OF STAMPS
Express Companies Expected to Lose
One Third of Their Bust
ness to Uncle
Sam.
limited Press Special Service

lUnlted Press Special Service.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19.-How to
get the gerat machinery of Uncle
Sans postoffice department, with its
l,O00,000 miles of rural delivery and
star routes, into such shape that it
Will assimilate and transport to their
destinations millions of parcels weigh
ing as high as eleven pounds each, is
the mammoth task that department.
officials are now working on with the
knowledge that they must organize
and have in readiness for action an
adequate system by January l, 1913
Some idea of the parcels express bust
ness which the government is under
taking to handle under the new par
GELS post law is gathered from the
study made by Senator Jonathan
Bourne, Jr, chairman of the senate
postoffice committee and father of the
new law
Statistics show that the express
companies of this country handle each
year about 300,0Oo0o0 packages of
one kind and another. Allowing for
the difference in conditions between
this country and Europe-the senator
bases his figures on the experiences
of parcels post systems in other coun-
| tries-he calculates that the postoffice
department ought to get about 80 per
cent of the business row handled by
American express companies. This
would impose on the United States
4 nnStnfGna 10 hyyrf Of
about 90,000,000 packages a year ulti-
mately, when the public becomes ac-
customed to the new service At first,
1t is doubtful If the postoffice will be
called upon to handle more than 25,-
100000 packages a year, 1t Is almost
certain that the first years business
will not exceed this figure.
Postmaster General Hitchcock has
foregone his annual vacation entirely
to be on the job and supervise the
working out of the details.
4 A general executive committee has
/ been appointed to assist him. consist
| ing of Chief Inspector Robert S.
/ Sharp, Supt John c, Rooms, of the
Division of Salaries and Allowances,
Chief Clerk A. A. Fisher and Supt.
George l.. Wood of the division Of
rural mails.
The first problem to be solved is
| the means of actual physical trans
portation. Additional carrying space
! must be provided in u S. mail cars,
additional facilities for handling to
and from postoffice buildings to the
recipients. 1t is probable that the
packages will be packed in large ham
pers for transportation on trains.
Rural carriers all of whom are equip
ped with wagons, have at present
plenty of unusued space in their
vehicles to carry parcels. In this re-
spect the postoffice will be able to use
space not now used for anything at
all, which in theory at least will re-
suit In large economy to the govern
ment. The delivering Of parcels in
cities, it is thought, is certain to
cause the government additional ex.
pense. as carriers will be unable to
deliver packages in addition to the |
other classes of mail they now carry.
In all probability the government will I
install systems of automobile delivery |
in the larger cities or farm out deliv- /
cry contracts to private transporta-
tion companies This latter course is
considered less likely, though, and 1t |
Is probable that the government will |
try to carry all its mail without resort
ing to the expedient of calling In out.
side assistance.
Literature outlining the rules to be
formulated and explaining to post.
office employees and the public sys.
TEN of indemnity, the charges to be
made and the general regulations re-
garding the transportation Of this
class, must be printed and circulated.
Contracts must be let for supplies
and Washington this fall will be the
mecca Of many agents who will strive
to land for their concerns the Job OF
supplying accessories for the service.
The government printing office will do
all the printing and the Bureau OF
Engraving and Printing will turn out
all the stamps necessary. Stamps I
ranging in the denomination from Sc
to 81 with odd denominations to fill
In must be designed printed and gen
orally circulated throughout the coun.
try some time in advance of January
1. No hint has yet been given of the
designs that will be used on the par.
cells post stamps.
As the zone system is to be used in
determining charges, each postmaster
must be equipped with postal zone
map which will enable his assistants
to determine at glance the cost of
transporting parcels from his particu-
lar postoffice to any other point in
the United States.