Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-12-20
The Parcels Post.

The tremendous significance of the par
cels-post system, which the mail-carryinl
service Of the government inaugurates OF
the lst of January, is just beginning t.
dawn on the American people. The prac
teal operation of the system, involving a;
it does the expansion of the postal ser
vice into a commodity handling service
that will reach not only every village post
Office, but every farm in the United States
must result in bringing city consumers and
producers of food commodities into closer
business relations. There have been many
doubts expressed as to whether the parcels
post can and will be made a medium of de-
livery direct to city families of foods fresh
from the farms. The answer to these doubts
is that in England the parcels post is used
extensively for the direct delivery of foods.
In the leading London papers there are col
umnso of advertisements from farms which
make a speciality of direct delivery of sau-
sage, specially cured meats, jams, preserves,
dressed poultry, eggs and other foods.
The most frequently asked question
about the new service is: What is it going
to cost to send food package of pound or
II pounds-l1 pounds is the limit through
the mails The charges are based both on
weight of the package and distance over
which it will be carried. The determine
ton of the rate problem has been an ex-
ceedingly difficult one. The distance phase
of the problem has been worked out upon
zone system covering the entire map of
the United States and in accord with lon
gitudinal and latitudinal ranges. 1t is a
scheme Of cost apportionment based up
on distance apportionment somewhat COM
plicated in theory. but it will operate
simply. 1t is enough for the shipper to
know just what the cost of any package
ranging from one to eleven pounds will be
when it is within the 50-mile, the $50 mile
or the 300-mile zone of his customer, and
this he will be told upon application at the
nearest postoffice.
1t will be illustrative to figure out the
situation in the Baltimore zone. Within
the 50-mile zone of Baltimore will be the
counties Of Anne Arundel, Howard, Balti-
more. Hartford, Montgomery. Carroll, Fred
erick to beyond Frederick City and the
Eastern Shore counties of Cecil, Kent,
Queen Annes and Caroline Zone 2 will
include all the area within 150-mile rad
ius of Baltimore, zone 3 all within a 300
mile radius. and so on. The cost of deliv-
cry of one-pound package within the
50-mile radius will be cents, with 3 cents
for each additional pound up to the limit.
Within the l50-mile radius the charge will
be 9 cents for one pound and cents for
each additional pound Within the 800
mile radius. cents for one pound and S
cents for each additional pound. For the
5000 mile zone-clear across the CONT
nent-the charge is II cents for the first
pound and 10 cents for each additional
pound
1t will be observed that the near zones
to city will have considerable advantage
over the far zones in using the parcels
post for market purposes. Thus 10-pOund
turkey shipped to Baltimore consumer
from any of the Maryland counties within
the 5O-mile reach would cost so cents for
the delivery service. If sent from outside
the State, from beyond the l50-mile radius,
the cost would be So cents. In saying that
certain counties are within the 50-mile
radius of Baltimore distance is reckoned
on longitudinal and latitudinal lines and
not upon the deviatons of railroad and
steamboat routes, and it is the latitudinal
and longitudinal measurements upon
which the rate system of the parcels post
delivery is based. 1t will save some trou-
BILE in reckoning If this is borne in mind.
The development of this parcels post
delivery will mean the expansion of the
United States mail service into gigantic
express-company service. 1t will work q
transformation in many branches of bust
ness. Not only will the farmers use it t
reach city customers with food deliveries
but city merchants will use it to reacl
rural customers with mercantile deliveries
1t is system which will bring town AM
country into closer relationship. 1t hal
potentialities which cannot be forecasted
which can only be determined by prac
teal experience. BALTIC. American.