Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-01-08
HOW PARCEL POST
RATES ARE FIXED
Charges Are Regulated Under
the Zone System.
BIG ENTERPRISE LAUNCHED
Eleven Pounds ls the Limit In
Weight for a Single Package
Anything That Will Not In
Iure Other Mail Can
Be Sent.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

With the coming Of the New Year
the United States government will en-
ter into new field of enterprise
the transmittal of merchandise by
what is known as the parcel post.
Rot years there has been a demand
for such a system of inexpensive
transmittal of packages The camps
OF favor and disfavor of the parcel
post scheme have been about equally
divided. Finally at the last session
of congress a bill was passed which
will put the plan into operation, but
only 1t must be said in little more
than an experimental way.
1t Is the intention OF Uncle Sam to
move rather slowly in the parcel post
matter. He wants to find how popu-
lar 1t will be, how much it will cost
the government, and whether there is
to be a profit or loss at the end of
each year If it is found that the
plan is successful from the point of
view Of the people, which means the
government also, the parcel post will
be extended until finally 1t reaches
the proportions which its proponents
say they believe It is destined to as
sumo.
Zone System Explained.
1t is no exaggeration to say that
thousands upon thousands of inquir-
les. have been made Of the postmaster
Fral as to just what the parcel
will mean to the people. Itswas
law Of congress establishing the
pm which made provision for a
ion of the country into zones
nto 80 900 units which are to be
as centers in describing the cir
which mark the boundaries of
Gf4S bnes There has been no clear
understanding, apparently, of this
zone system, but really it is a very
simple matter.
y The accompanying map shows the
untry divided into zones from the
Il in which Washington is sit.
ed, as the center. Accompanying
map is table showing the rate
patage per pound for parcels from
ington to places within all the
b unit contains an area thirty
square. Now each unit is a
from which the zones are
and so every unit in the coun,
matter where 1t is situated will
zones drawn from 1t just exactly
shington has them drawn from
instance, take Keokuk, Ia
in a unit In the fifth zone
S~tliat will be drawn circles ex
actly as they are drawn from Wash,
kHngton and they will be numbered from
Keokuk as number one, just as they
are numbered from Washington as
number one. OF course, however
Zone Six will have a different geo
graphical position as related to Keo
kuk than 1t has as related to Wash
hgton. but as the radius of the circles
irawn from Keokuk is the same
ength as the radius Of the circles
lrawn from Washington, Keokuk's
Zone Six will be just as far from its
benter as Washington's Zone Six is.
How Rates Are Fixed.
It can be seen from this readily
enough that the postal rates from
Washington to its particular zone will
be the same as the postal rates from
Keokpk to its particular zones. Each
unit being about thirty miles square
will Of course contain in most cases 6
of postofIices but each Office
the same unit is considered as be
he the. center of the circles from
hich the zones are drawn. The
ates Of postage are fixed from the
nit in which the sending postofflce is
tuated, but the price to every place
any zone is Just the same. To Il
lstrate, it will cost exactly the same
mount to send parcel from Wash
gton to Erie Pa, that it costs t.
It to Atlanta, Ga, because Erie
Atlanta with reference to Wash
are situated in the fourtl