The Washington herald., 1912-08-20
The Tally.
THE PEOPLES FORUM
OUR SIMPLE, SCIENTIFIC
FLAT RATE PARCEL POST

To the Editor: Its abolition having
been duly decreed by the Republican
Senate and the Democratic House of
the Sixty-second Congress (this with
out any public hearing whatever) their
conferees are now considering as TO
whether the revivified zone system,
killed in Great Britain in 1897 and in
the United States in 1868, shall have
for its base an average square 90 zone
sixty nine miles long by hfty-four
miles wide. with seven concentric zones
around 1t. and with eight different
rates according to the length of the
various radii of these concentric.
square circle zones, or as to whether
the revivified zone mummy shall have
as its base county or a series of coun-
ties with a l00-mile radius and with
zones OF increasing rates with each
150-mile increase of distance within
our national boundaries.
In each case s750.o0o is to be wasted
at the outset, in expenditure upon
maps, directories, &C, &c. (We doubt II
sl0.OO0,000 will begin to meet the cost
OF this scheme to the post-office and
the public), which we have never need
ed under our fat rate service. and for
which We should have no need II these
wise men would but extend the weight
limit and lower the rate of the fiat-rate
parcel post already in existence. In
the place of this unhappy scheme we
suggest the substitution of II. R. 262s0,
providing for the consolidation Of the
third and fourth classes of mail mat
ter with weight limit of eleven
pounds and with rates:
"On parcels up to four ounces, /
cent; over four ounces up to eight
ounces, cents: over eight ounces up
to twelve ounces. cents; over twelve
ounces up to one pound. cents: for
each additional pound or fraction
thereof, 2 cents. making the rate on
an eleyen-pound parcel 25 cents. No
half feet in length or to occupy more
than two cubic feet of space"
Let us try this as an experiment for
couple of years and then II IL doesn't
work, wipe it out, and IL the public will
submit to 1t. then try your zones. This
plan enacted into law would at once
cut down the cost of living. widen the
opportunities for getting a living by
giving us our whole country as a mar
ket for the supply of our wants and
the disposal of our wares.
We make this last protest against
the abolition of our wonderful fiat rate
parcel post and the substitution in its
place of a zone service which is espe-
cially recommended by the express
companies who have so long exploited
the public.
Gentlemen of the Sixty-second Con-
gress, we pray you to go slow in this
business. When Rowland Hill set to
work to abolish the old zone parcel
post of England he appealed to the
common people, the working classes
whom 1t had cursed, as we'll as to the
business interests which 1t had checked
up and to which 1t had done hardly
less harm than to the workers.
The Postal Progress League will ap-
peal to you, gentlemen OF the Sixty
second Congress, to the voters whom
1t is your duty to serve in case your
hnal Judgment is to destroy our long
established hat-rate parcel post. In
whose extension and development rests
the very life Of the republic
JAMES L. COwLES,
seretap-Treasurer Postal Progress League
August 10. 1872