Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-01-10
By EDWARD n.OLARk


| With the coming OF the New Year
he United States government win en-
ser into q new field Of enterprise
the transmittal Of merchandise by
what 'is known as the parcel post.
For years there has been a demand
Tor such q system OF inexpensive
trensmittal Of packages. The camps
81 favor and disfavor Of the parcel
post scheme have been about equally
divided. Finally at the hast session
81 congress a bill was passed which
VIA put the plan into operation, but
only 1t must be said in little more
than an experimental way.
1t as 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 VIII cost
the government, and whether there is
10 be a profit or loss at the end of
each year. II 1t Is found that the
plan is successful from the point eof
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 1t Ia destined to 2s-
sumo.
Zone System Explained.
It 10 no exaggeration to say that
thousands upon thousands of inquir-
les have been made of the postmaster
general as to Just what the parcel
post will mean to the people. 1t was
the law of congress establishing the
system which made provision for q
division of the country into zones
and into IS 600 units which are to be
used as centers in describing the cir
cles which mark the boundaries of
the zones. There has been no clear
understanding, apparently. of fhis
zone system. but really It Ia a very
simple matter.
The accompanying map shows the
country divided into zones from the
unit in which Washington is sit
uated, as the center. Accompanying
the nap is a table showing the rate
Of postage per pound for parcels from
Washington to places within ali the
zones.
Each unit contains an area thirty
miles square. Now each unit Is a
center from which the zones are
drawn and so every unit in the conn
try no matter where 1t is situated will
have zones drawn from 1t Just exactly
rs Washington has them drawn from
1t. For instance, take Keokuk, Ia,
which is in a unit in the NTH zone.
From that will be drawn circles ex-
o. IU hax
lngton 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
lpgtof, but as the radius of the circles
drawn from Kedikuk is the same
length as the radius Of the circles
drawn from Washington, Keokuk's
Zone Six will be Just 90 far from its
center as Washington's Zone Six 10.
How Rates Are Fixed.
4 can be seen from this readily
enough that the postal rates from
Washington to Its particular zone viii
De the same as the postal rates from
Keokuk to its particular zones, Each
unit being about thirty niles square
Will Of course contain y most cases q
number OF postofAses, but each ONCE
In the Same bhlA is considered as be.
ing the center of the circles from
which the zones are drawn. The
rates Of postage are fixed from the
unit in which the sending postoffice is
situated, but the price to every place
In any zone Is just the same To IL
lustrate, 1t will cost exactly the same
amount to send a parcel from Wash
ington to Erie, Pa, that It costs to
send 1t to Atlanta, Ca, because Erie
and Atlanta with reference to Wash
ington are situated in the fourth
zone. The rates therefore are flxed
from the unit in which the postof1ce
10 located. but they are the same
rom that office to any point In any
bns gone.
It will be seen by reference TO the
.i,Aia ~ rates NJ nnstaxs that Il vfIl