Semi-weekly herald., 1913-01-02
THE NEW PARCELS POST
AND WHAT 1T MEANS


!, the DEVELOPMENT of the American pos
Ia service. The last previous step
of Importance was taken when the
rural free delivery system was put
| INTO effect fifteen years ago. The
introduction of the parcels post sys-
TEN has been agitated for ten years
! without material progress when rural
| free delivery became fact. Since
tfen the demand for the introduction
OF parcels post system in the United
finally, notwithstanding most strenu-
Gus opposition from certain interest
e1 quarters, yielded to the wishes of
the people and enacted a parcels post
law.
The framing of the law was not an
| easy matter, as the whole scheme was
in the nature Of an experiment upon
a tremendous scale. 1t is true, the
| trainers of the law had for their guild
ance the laws and regulations of a
| number of foreign countries where the
parcels post has been in successful
| rperation for many years, but the con-
ditions of the postal service in the
United States are so radically diff
ferent from those of the postal serv-
ice in other countries that it was not
an easy matter to adapt their laws
| to American conditions and require
ments.
At last the law was drafted, sub
| mitted to congress and passed and
Jan. |, 1913, was fixed as the date
for its going into effect. The many
radical changes in the postal service
iecessitated by the requirements CT
5he parcels post system imposed a
tremendous burden of work upon the
postal authorities and during the last
three months several of the depart
inents worked practically day and
night to compete the preparations for
the Inauguration of the new service.
An entirely new series of stamps
for the exclusive use of the parcels
| post service had to be designed, en-
lraved, printed and distributed new
scales, with capacity of eleven
pounds, to meet the requirements of
the new weight limit, had to be con
lracted for, manufactured and sent to
the various post offices in the coun-
try: maps Glowing the zones into
which the country has been divided for
the purpose of fixing graduated
distance ritt and books containing
the various regulations and rules gov
erring the new branch of the postal
service had to be printed and distrib-
uted among the thousands of post
OFFICES throughout the country. In adj
dition to all this special provisions as
to space, means of handling the par
csls post, etc, had to be made at all
larger cities, so as to have everything
in readiness when the law goes into
effect next Wednesday.
The postal authorities have given
the assurance that the preparations
are now practically completed, but
.hcy realize that owing to the new
ness of the system and the lack of
previous experience as to it's opera
tions, t may develop at first many
defects and shortcomings which will
have tc be gradually corrected The
public is expected to be patient and
tn give the postal department reason
able time to perfect the working of
the plan in all its details.
The Importance of the new service
can scarcely be adequately estimated
at the present time. 1t contemplates
the transportation and delivery by
the postal service of the United States
of parcels containing matter of the
fourth class, not exceeding eleven
pounds in weight and six feet in cir
cumference from any point reached
by the present postal service to any
other point reached by that service
The parcels post service of the govern
ment extends far beyond the limited
| sphere of the various express compa-
MES, over more than one million miles
of rural routes and 100000 miles of
| '"''' p"oe anu otdi ioultS,
about 10000 postoffices and 285,O0O
employees connected with the postal
service. The rates of transportation
are great deal cheaper than the
corresponding rates of the express
companies, which means an enormous
saving to shippers, aside from the
greater facilities affored to them.
Under the new law everything will
be mailable that is mailable now as
fourth-class matter, with the addition
of thousands of articles of a perish
able nature etc, which heretofore
were not mailable at all. Only liquor
or an alcoholic natrue, poisons, ex-
plosives, inflammable articles, infer
nal machines, obscene matter, pistols
or revolvers, live or dead animals or
| any substance which emits bad odor
and disease germs cannot be mailed
by parcels post. Perishable matter,
like foodstuffs, fruit, ETC., will only
be accepted for delivery within a fifty
mile radius from the mailing point.
NEW NEXIrn G III L,fsvrc DvrvI