Valdez daily prospector., 1912-08-31
SATURDAY,, AU(ISTa ai, I9t2
THE PARCELS POST PLAN.

rtlS post Dlll marks an entirely new departure in our postal prac- IicHs by establishing Ihe zone sys- tenn. The country. will bc divided into eight of these zones. The charge for carrying parcels will b". five crnls for the first pound, lhrcc, crnIS. for each additional pound within d 50-milc radius with a gradual increase for the longer distances, sn that l2 cents will Dc the, rate for points 1900 miles apart. The house measure proved a uniform charge, regard less of distances, just as in our regular mail service.
 Only the continental United states is included in the division into eight postal zones, as pro- Nidrd in inc measure. The cnun- fry will be mapped out into rcgu- lar quadranGlcS of fixed dimen- sirns, according to the latitude and longitude. and the plan will operate as follows:
 The first zone will include all territory within one quadrangle, and every adjoining quadrangle covering an area within a radius of about 5Ot iniles from a given center. Within ihis district a package may be sent for five cents for the first pound and 3 cents for each additinal pound.
 The second zone would include an area within a radius of about i5" miles from given center of about i59 miles from given dcntcr, the third zone an area within a radius eff about 300 mil IS from a given center. and so on up, following fixed scale, tO the seventh znnG. including an area within a radius of about 300 miles
 The parcels post rates would range from inc first pound and [ cents for each. additional pound, or. 7i6 cents for eleven pounds. for the $pcnud zone. I0 II cents for the first pound, and 10 cents Tor. each additional pound, ar $i.- IT for 1 pounds, for the seventh zone. The righth zone would GOV rr alltgrrat, distances, and the rair wculd br I2 cents a pound.
 The Boston. Herald points out some strong objections lo the plan. It calls attention Io the fact that ''il is obvious. if this principle were applied to our sec ond-class matter, the publishing still. of Augusta. Maine, would br pl1l at a great disadvantage. Gen. icrS of population like Cincinnati. Indianapolis and PiliSburg. could reach many more people for inc smaller distance charges. U would seem ntl'l Ln have the Allan lie mnplbIy, taken to T"rrr lIauI" in orddrs hJ reach the N"rae" AmrriqspI ffadcr?as small cost
 And inc same prinCnl" ap- bln&, ,e'.mcrchapriise. The zon" sysl5T &talld send ibn big mail drnrf ihnlrsrs lo" ccthral points. other things being equal. Boston houses for cxamplr, could q" good hHsiilGss within Inc zone of which Ihis wa$h part, but could mt with advantage compete with the citics"of tho west for the great volume of fsland ifado. It would G,orrcspdndingIY" bc difficu1t' for western hdutcP ld comr inIoiM1is 1crriIory with their mail "ofdcr WarcS.'
 While lhis factor has long been ,;ptraiivn with private. agencies like ihc express companies, their 1aqcs. 'il 'shotnd bc remembered have been constantly held in,chrcF hy Inc pracIdc,1 rf' tho ,tAmcrica' puSloTicr. with which they havf Ircn n cumrapilion. Uncle Sam'S islpcncc oh ' rival aaHncics oj lranspoFIalioh has hGcn 2 Iarg' element in tftr ease. r And hi chanph or 'pdEct. now'wnuld be O Iar=rGachinS ,fTcft sop thS{a
 , .unIeasolhc .E9YTnWGinls aad2pli .cbargcs,Fralgatcd, .Rcf"rIInng, 't distance, thc parcels post ,Will,no have reached Inc degree or hcfT"c-