The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1912-10-18
PARCELS POST WILL
BENEFIT FARMERS
To Be Put in Effect January "Details
Being Worked Out By De-
partment

we'll as merchants and other citizens,
who expect to secure cheaper trans
portation by it for packages of eleven
pounds weight and under.
The language OF the law indicates
that the business expected for the par
GELS post is largely farm and factory
products, but the department store is
looking to serve customers in the coun-
try, while the farmer is expected to sell
his produce directly, as has been said,
mailing it fresh from the farm dairy,
or as often as necessary"
How much the farmer may benefit
by the opportunity remains to be seen,
but it is expected that the operation OF
the law will awaken new rivalries Of
trade. It has been pointed out that
the country store will have to adopt up
to-date methods in competition with
the mail order business of the larger
centers, which will undoubtedly in
crease. There will also be competi-
ton between centers.
In the zone system of rate fixing I'M
der the parcels post law each post-of-
flee is made the center of its own con-
centric system Of zones. The depart
ment is now engaged in preparing
maps indicating the zones and charges
for each community.
The methods by which the boun-
daries of these zones-there are eight
are determined, has frequently been
referred to as extremely complicated,
The unit is a recantgle, referred to in
law as a "thirty-minute square," and
further described as identical with a
quarter of the area formed by the in
tersecting parallels Of latitude and mer-
idians of longitude.
The apparent completely of the
system lies in the fact that similar
system of eight zones is constructed
in reference to each unit OF area,
but it is claimed that the plan will
work without confusion.
The first zone, which is called the
"ffty-mile zone" is determined in
the case OF Seattle by combining the
thirty minute square, in which Seat
tie is located with the eight contiguous
units.
The second zone is found by des-
cribing a circle of 150-mile radius,
with the center at the center of the
unit in which Seattle is located. All
the units that fall either in whole
or in part within this circle, and are
outside the limits of the first zone,
comprise the second zone.
The third zone is similarly found by
describing circle Of 800 miles radius.
The fourth zone includes all points
between the 800 mile radius, among
which are Southeastern Alaska points.
The fifth zone extends 1000 miles
from Seattle.
The sixth zone is limited by a radius
Of 1,400 miles.
The seventh zone includes all post
Offices over 1,400 miles and up to
300 miles from Seattle.
The eighth zone includes all terri
tory in the United States and the in
sular possession, with the exception Of
the Philippines, that are more than l.
800 miles from Seattle.
Supt. Lynch of Seattle said yesterday
that it was impossible to make an ex-
act comparison of the express and par
GELS post rates as yet, for the reason
that while the post rates are the same
for any two points equally distant, the
express rates are made with reference
to the nature of the territory and the
classification of the commodity trans
ported.
Supt. Lynch also said that in the
average the rates are expected to be
Is per cent less than the present ex-
press charges.
A wide difference, he said, in the
ratio between the parcels post and ex-
press rates in many instances is ex-
pected, since in some cases the ex-
press rates are less than the postal
rates.
On the other hand, Mr.. Lynch said
the postal rates for packages of smaller
weight ought. to be as low as one-fifth
the express rate. AS it has beer