Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-12-27
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


With the coming of the New Year
the United States government will en-
ter into a new field of enterprise
the transmittal Of merchandise by
what is known as the parcel post.
For. years there has been demand
for such system of inexpensive
transmittal of packages. The camps
of favor and disfavor of the parcel
post scheme have been about equally
divided. Finally at the last session
of congress a bill was passed which
will put the plan into operation, but
only it must be said in little moro
than an experimental way.
1t is the intention Of Uncle Sam to
move rather slowly In the parcel post
matter. He wants to find how popu-
lar it will be, how much it will cost
the government, and whether there IL
to be profit or loss at the end of
each year. If It is found that the
plan is successful from the point of
view of the people, which means the
government also, the parcel post will
be extended until finally it reaches
the proportions which its proponents
say they believe 1t is destined to as
sumo.
Zone System Explained.
1t is no exaggeration to say that
thousands upon thousands of inquir-
les have been made of the postmaster
general as to just what the parcel
post will mean to the people. 1t was
the law of congress establishing the
system which made provision for .
division Of the country into zones
and into $4,000 units which are to be
used as centers in describing the cir
cles which mark the boundaries of
the zones. There has been no clear
understanding, apparently, Of this
zone system, but really 1t is very
simple matter.
The accompanying map shows the
country divided into zones from the
unit in which Washington is sit
uated, as the center. Accompanying
the map is a table showing the rate
Of postage per pound for parcels from
Washington to places within all the
zones.
Each unit contains an area thirty
miles square. Now each unit Is .
center from which the zones are
drawn and so every unit in the coun-
try no matter where 1t is situated will
have zones drawn from 1t just exactly
as Washington has them drawn from
It, For instance, take Keokuk, Ia.
which is in unit in the fifth zone.
From that will be drawn circles ex-
actly as they are drawn from Wash
ington and they will be numbered from
Keokuk as number one just as they
are numbered from Washington az
number one. OF course, however.
Zone Six will have a different geo
graphical position as related to Keo-
kuk than it has as related to Wash
ington, but as the radius of the circles
drawn from Keokuk is the same
length as the radius of the circles
drawn from Washington, Keokuk's
Zone Six will be just as far from its
+ center, as Washington's Zone Six Is.
How Rates Are Fixed.
1t can be seen from this readily
enough that the postal rates from
Washington to its particular zone will
be the same as the postal rates from
Keokuk to its particular zones. Each
unit being about thirty miles square
will of course contain in most cases a
number of postoffices. but each Office
in the same unit is considered as be-
ing the center If the circles from
which the zones are drawn. The
rates of postage are fixed from the
unit in which the sending postoffice 10
situated, but the price to every place
in any zone is just the same. To il
lustrate. it will cost exactly the same
amount to send parcel from Wash
ington to Erie, Pa, that 1t costs to
send 1t to Atlanta, Ga, because Erie
and Atlanta with reference to Wash
ington are situated in the fourth
zone. The rates therefore are fixed
from the unit in which the postoffice
is located, but they are the same
from that Office to any point in any
one zone.
1t will be seen by reference to the
table Of rates OF postage thet it will