The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-23
THE PARCELS POST MUDDLE

THE PARCELS POST MUDDLE.
As the Postoficc Department comes
to the consideration of the parcels post
measure grated on its appropriation
bill for the present year. the defects OF
that enactment become evident, and
also embarrassing The fact Is that the
appropriation bill passed by the first
regular session Of the 62nd Congress was
| loaded down with riders TO such an cX-
tent that it was impossible fully TO con
slider the provisions thus tackled on to
the bill proper, as they ought to have
| been considered. 4 great deal of very
F! important legislation was tucked away
in that bill, which ought TO have been
merely bill to appropriate money for
the support Of the Postofiice Depart
ment for the year. The parcels post leg
islation, as also the legislation to pun
ish newspapers, ought TO have been sep
arate measures, so they could have been
fairly considered. As it is, they were
rushed through under boot and spur,
with practically no consideration.
With respect to the parcels post bill,
the proposition submitted by Senator
Bourne Of Oregon was the measure
passed, and it is entirely different from
the bill proposed by the Postal Progress
League. The Bourne bill provides Il
multitude Of divisions of the country
INTO different "parccls post zones, - with
different rates Of postage, and requiring
the preparation Of a multitude of maps,
the preparation Of reguIa tons intricate
and tedious, and the employment of au
extraordinary number of employees and
experts in order TO apply the law,
AS passed. the bill divides the country
into various "zones,'' but these zones
are not zones at all. They are squares,
aud the different rates of postage from
one square to another makes The whole
cbeckerboard even more complicated
than the old fashioned limitation ON
distances for postal charges; according
to the distanco, so was tho charge for
tho letter that was carried.
| The Postal Progress League is so dis
satisfied with the present law that u
conference Of it has made formal de-
unand for an amendment TO The law by
striking out the present ''Zonc' pro-
visions, and submitting q measure pre-
pared by the league to take effect Jan
uary ], 1913, the same date rs that
fixed for the beginning of the opera.
| ton of the complicated Bourne scheme.
The proposed substitute, noted in the
New York Commercial Bulletin. pro
rides for fiat rates for all distances, in
stead Of the zone plan for different rates
according TO distance. The limit Of
weight is the saIue, eleven pounds, but
the rates would be | cent for four
ounces or less, cents from four ounces
un TO eight, 3 cents from eight ounces
TO twelve, cents from twelve ounces
10 a pound, and ] cent for each addi-
! tj0naI pound up to the limit of eleven
pounds. This would make il cost only
! j. cents TO send an clcyen-pound parcel,
whether TO the next town or across tho
continent. According TO the zone plan,
cents to deliver such package in the
first zone, that Is, within fifty miles,
and $1.32 in the eighth or most distant
one.
The statement put out by ihe league
LAYS stress upon the cost OF The Bourne
plan for equipment IN maps, charts, di-
rectories, distinctive stamps, and other
paraphernala. in addition to that for
extra clerks, for the transporta ton and
delivery Of packages, and all the com
lplicated machinery carried in that
bill. The scheme, it. is argued,
would certainly be immensely
costly to the government; and
"a it requires the receipts from the
service TO meet the cost, rates might
easily prove 50 .burdcusomc as practi-
cally TO defeat the useful operation OF
the law. But the simple plan of the
Postal Progress League would bc easy
to manage, and economical for the gov
ornment as well as for the patrons OF
the service; but at first the revenue
would not meet tho expense, this being
however, the usual case In all forward
steps taken. How much of deficit
would be caused by it is uncertain, bat