Evening journal., 1912-10-29
REHEARSAL
FOR PARCELS
POST WORK
Extra Force Engaged to Han
die the Christmas Mails
viii be Retained
TO USE WILMINGTON
AS EXPERIMENTAL POINT

WASHINGTON, d. c., Oct 29-By
handling the heavy Christmas mail
with unprecedented swiftness, the
Post Office Department will have a
dress rehearsal for the inauguration
of the parcels post on New Years
Day Ordinarily the Christmas mail
is beyond the facilities OF the postal
force, and a part OF it accumulates
for two or three days. This year a
sufficient number Of extra clerks, car
riers, wagons and automobiles will be
provided to keep il moving. and the
larger force will be carried over into
the following week for the accom-
mediation of the parcel post
The Postmaster General. Frank
Hitchcock is connected with a pro-
bem calling not only for the estab
lshment OF a postal express business
covering all the ramifcations Of long
established private express compan-
les. but is required to extend the SER
wee to more than one million miles
OF rural free delivery and star routes.
Why Congress appropriated only
SI50O00 for the new service, when
the cost Of 10000 scales required will
be from 100000 TO 100000 and the
purchase of necessary wagons, rental
of storage space and employment of
extra labor will many times exceed
that sum. will long remain puzzle.
On the day Congress adjurned the
Postmaster General appointed a COM
mittee consisting OF Chief Inspector
r. S. Sharp. John c. Koons, superin-
tcndent OF the Division of Salaries
and Allowances; A. A. Fisher, chief
clerk of the Office of tn, Second As
b. Murray, chief clerk of tie Office Cf
the Third Assistant Postmaster GEN
eral, and George l.. Wood superin-
tendent of the Division Of Rural Mails.
These men gave up their summer va
cations worked after Office hours and
on Sundays to lay the ground work
for the new system.
A classification of he articles that
may be admitted to the parcel post
was first made The public does not
generally understand that books are
not admissible They must still pay
third class postage rates. But aside
from this the parcel post is open to
practically every kind of merchandise
that can be transported, including pro-
duce of the farm and garden, as well
as factory products, provided, of
course, that such articles come with
in the size and weight limit.
In preparing for the new system,
the Postmaster General, with the idea
of ascertaining conditions in places
widely varying in size, climate and in
dustries, summoned TO his Office the
ipostmasters of five typical offices, Will
lam II. Davis, of Pittsburgh; Daniel
r.. Gerow. Of Jacksonville. Fla; NJ. H.
Jester. Of Wilmington. Del; f. NJ. G.
Ouimby. of Suffolk, Va, and Henry Z
Bradley. of Chestertown, w. Va.
Pittsburgh is the centre OF a tre.
mendous manufacturing area. The
Pittsburgh Chamber OF Commerce has
an active Parcel Post Committed
seeking to make the system sue
cess
Wilmington represents large
farming and manufacturing district
with extensive mail connections with
nearby Philadelphia. Jacksonville the
largest Office in Florida, and the out.
LET of an the mail Of that State is
peculiar i'm requiring an increased
force i'm winter by reason of the tour
ist traffic. H. is expected that tho
travelling public will use the parcel
post exclusively 10 send home five and
ten pound packages of fruit. Suf-
folk and CharlestOwn are the cen
tres Of large trucking regions. II the
parcel post is to help reduce the cost
of Lying its effect should be evident
in these districts
II will be absolutely necessary that
additional appropriations be made al
the session of Congress beginning
next December in order that the par
Gel post may be carried on efficiently