Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-11-06

up the great bulk OF the parcels pos
business from the very beginning
During the holiday rush OF last year
II will be remembered, the postmas,eI
general gave orders that postmaster
in all the large cities employ baggag,
wagons for the delivery of the holi
day mail, the carriers being unable
to handle 1t on time. After Jan. !
next, the department heads believe
this holiday rush will be extended
over 365 days in the year, instead o.
being confined to the few weeks JUS
before Christmas. Consequently, one
Of the big problems of the specia
commission Is this question OF wagons
for the delivery OF the parcels pos,
packages. Then there are to be mel
to handle them. Arrangements mus
be made for the prompt collection Of
the packages, and all of the minute
details which precede a satisfactory
administration of the new law mus,
be carefully worked out.
1t is a big Job, as members of the
special commission frankly admit
Asked what they are doing. its mem
bers point to the many different mat
tiers they have in hand. Asked what
they have already accomplished, they
are unable to say that a great deal OF
completed work at present stands to
their credit. But all of the details
are under way, and in all probability
within a month matters will begin to
reach a head rapidly as the result OF
the present planning.
To the postmaster of Boston belongs
the credit of suggesting to the de
partment that in all probability the de-
partment would find the bulk of its
parcels post business in the small
packages now delivered by private
companies between city merchants
and their customers. He pointed out
that there are about 500 of such com
panies doing business in the Greater
Boston district, and of course, there is
a relatively large number doing bust.
ness in every large city in the coun'
try. The price for such a delivery
varies from 5 cents to 10 cents. A
employ these delivery companies in
preference to having delivery depart
ments of their own. Now, it has been
figured that the parcels post cost OF
delivering these bundles will be much
less than the sum charged by the pri
vate companies, and thus it happens
that in Boston and the other large
cities of the country, as well, these
companies will diminish in number
and the work they are now doing will
be turned over to the federal govern
ment.
Until the postmaster at Boston
called he attention of the department
to this phase of the situation, here has
been a general inclination to believe
that the parcels post would do its
greatest business in the rural and not
in the urban districts of the country.
The Boston suggestion, as soon as re-
ceived, however, was acted upon, and
the special commission has been
spending a great deal of its time in
working out the detail of this pros.
pectively large urban delivery bust.
ness from the smaller stores and
shops, which will fall into the hands
of the postoftice department.
Urban Zones Being Mapped.
This zone of parcels post delivery
within the free delivery limits must
be accurately marked, and delivery
routes laid out. On the official map
OF the parcels post above referred to,
these numerous small zones will all
| onrrnor nnH frp thn p0vf mouth tho
topographers of the department vii
be busy drawing the boundary lines
Of them on the big map. OF course,
few of these difficulties will be en-.
countered in the rural sections of the
country, and in the towns which do
nat have free delivery. In the rural
neighborhoods the parcels post pack
ages will be delivered by the ruraI
carriers, who, if they find their work
too heavy for present equipments will
have to expand their facilities. In the
smaller tows these packages will GO
directly to the Zeal postotfices and be
called for in the usual way by patrons,
The most difficult problems to be
worked out it is therefore seen. have
to do with the delivery of parcels post
packages in the free delivery pre-
cincts of the larger cities. The out.
come of the matter will probably be,
if the department is correct in the
estimates it has had of the amount oil
urban business it will have, that the
%postottice department will quickly
come into the ownership of a very
large number of wagons and horses
or be compelled to have the city de-
livery business done by contract.
"Of course, the present carrier
force; in no city, will be able to han
die any large part of this parcels post
business" it al suggested to a prom
inent postofice department official.
OF purse not, was his reply
except that in the outlying city dis
tricts the carriers may be able to take
care of part of it. In the down town
districts each carrier handles about
eighty pounds of mail a day. He viii
take out say forty pounds on his first
trip in the morning, twenty-five on his
second trip and fifteen on his third
trip. These down town carriers thus
have about all they can do. In the
suburbs, the carriers. having much
lighter bundles, can probably take
care of a part of the parcels post bust
ness, but their work must be supple
mented, in all probability, by specia,
delivery in wagons"
Million Miles Of Rural Delivery.