Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-12-31
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

with the corning 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 a demand
for such a 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 more
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 1t will be, how much 1t will cost
the government, and whether there is
to be a 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. Itswas
the law of congress establishing the
system which made provision for a
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
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 IN 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 it is situated will
have zones drawn from it just exactly
as Washington has them drawn from
It. For ins.ance. take Keokuk, Ia,
which is in a unit in the fifth zone.
From that viii be drawn circles ex-
aetly as they are drawn from Wash
ington and they will be numbered from
Keokuk as number one, Just as they
are numbered from Washington as
number one. OF course. however,
Zone Six will have a different geo
graphical position as related to Keo-
kuk than IL 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. Reokuk's
Zone Six will be Just as far from its
center as WashiRgton'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
OG AAlC StttAC do tAAV HNSNAA rates
Keokuk TO Its particular zones Each
unit being about thirty miles square
will of course contain in most cases a
number of postoffiees, but each Office
in TIE same unit is considered as be-
ing the center OF the circles from
which the zones are drawn. The
rates of postage are fixed from the
unit in which the sending postofice is
situated, but the price TO every place
In any zone is just the same To IL
lustrate, it viii cost exactly the same
amount to send parcel from Wash
ington to Erie. Pa. that 1t costs TO
send IL to Atlanta. Ca, because Erie
aud 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.
II Will be seen by reference to the
table of rates OF postage that it viii