The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-09-17
THE PARCEL POST LAW.
An Explanation Of the Measure Which
Goes Into Effect Jan. /.


A law providing for parcel post was
passed by Congress Aug. oath, as part
of the posoffice appropriation bill. The
new law, which does not go into effect
until Jan. |, 1913, has been noticed but
briefly in the daily press, doubtless ow-
ing to the pressure of campaign news
The New England Homestead, which has
ably championed the cause of parcel
post for several years, has published two
articles explaining the provisions of this
law, and most of the data given below
are from that source.
The new law applies only to mail mat
| ter of the fourth class, or merchandise
and to this class only when it weighs
more than four ounces. Articles of
merchandise weighing less than four
ounces are mailable at one cent per
ounce to any part of the United States
as heretofore. Articles to be sent by
parcel post must not weigh more than
| ii pounds, and in size must not exceed
" inches in length and girth combined.
They must not be in form or kind be
likely to injure the person of any pos
tai employee or damage the mail equip
ment or other mail matter and not of
character perishable with a period rea
sonably required for transportation and
delivery"
The law also provides for what may
be called two systems of rates, one the
local system and the other the zone
system.
The rates in force according to the To-
cal system apply only to the territory
covered by a single postofiice including
carriers routes in cities and r. L. ID.
routes from such Offices as have rural
delivery. The local rate is IS cents for
the first pound or fraction of a pound
and one cent for each additional pound
or fraction of a pound. The old rate
is one cent per ounce and there is no
limit of distance. 1t should be remem-
bered that the local rate does not APP
ply to parcels that are mailed to an
other postoffice, even though it be as
near as Montpelier, Anything mailed
under the new law in Barre for delivery
outside of Barre is rated under the zone
system at higher rate and one that is
much more complicated, The zone sys-
tenn introduces the principle Of rates
based on defiance and is the first time
that this has been applied to mail mat
ter though it has long been in use by
express companies. An entirely new
method of computing rates based on
parallels of latitude and meridians OF
longitude has been devised, credited to
Senator Bourne of Oregon. The wording
of the law is as follows. 1.-THE United
States and its several territories and
possessions, excepting the PHILIPPINE Is
lands, shall be divided into units of area
quarter of the area formed by the inter
secting parallels Of latitude and merid
ians Of longitude represented on appro-
pirate postal maps or plans, and such
units of area shall be the basis of eight
postal zones"
The length of a degree being approx
imately 10 miles, il follows that every
quadrangle or unit will approximate a
square IS miles on side. All post
offices within one of these units will
have the same rate by parcel post to
those in another unit The first zone
includes unit and the units lying
next to it and as the average distance
that a parcel will travel in this zone is
fifty miles il is called the so mile zone.
The second zone includes all units w.
ing approximately within $50 miles OF
the center of a given unit, and so on
for the other zones.
The following table give the zones as
provided in the law and the rate for
the first pound in each and the rate for
each additional pound or fraction of