The Arvada enterprise., December 26, 1912, Image 4

About The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970

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L] SR O
OFFICIAL PARCEL POST MAP. i
This map is for use only in unit No.u
1071, In which the city of Washington
is located.
| Numbered squares represent units
of area; circles Indicate boundaries of
zones.
FIXING RATES
UNDER PARGEL
FOST SYSTEM
Government Goes Into Business
of Transmitting Merchandise
Through the Mails.
NEW LAW FULLY EXPLAINED
Country Divided Into Zones and
Units for Purpose of Fixing Charges
for Carriage—No Package Weligh
ing More Than Eleven Pounds Is
Mailable—Anything Properly Wrap
ped Which Will Not Injure Other
Mail May Be Sent.
By EDWARD B. CLARK.
With the coming of the New Year
the United States government will en
ter into a new field of enterprise—
the transmittal of merchandise by
what is known as the parcel post.
For yvears there has been a demand
for such a system of inexpensive
transmittal of packages. The camps
of favor and disfavor of the parcel
post schemo 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 it must be said in littloe more
than an experimental way.
It is the ilntention of Uncle Sam to
move rather slowly In the parcel post
matter. He wants to find how popu
lar it 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 it reaches
the proportions which ita proponents
say they believe it {s destined to as
sume. |
Zone System Explained.
It {8 no exaggeration to say that
thousands upon thousands of inquir
fes have been made of the postmaster
general as to Just what the parcel
post will mean to the people. Tt was
the law of congress establishing the
system which made provision for a
division of the country into zones
snd into 35,000 units which are to be
b sed as centers in describing the cir
vles which mark the boundaries of
the zones. There has been no clear
understanding, apparently, of this
zone system, but really it {s a very
slmple matter,
The accompanying map shows the
country divided Into zones from the
unit in which Washington {8 sit
uated, as the centor. Accompanying
the map I 8 a table showing the rate
of postage per pound for parcels from
Washington to places within all 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 coun
try no matter where It is situated will
have zones drawn from [t just exactly
as Washington has them drawn from
it For instance, take Keokuk, la,
which I 8 in a unit in the fifth 'mnw_}
From that will be drawn circles ex
actly as they are drawn from \\‘.'mh-‘
ington 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
graphleal position as related to Keo
kuk than it has as related to Wash
ington, but as the radius of the circles
drawn from Keokuk s the same
length as the radiug of tho circles
drawn from Washington, Keokuk's
Zone Six will be just as far from fits
center ns Washington's Zone Six s
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
Keokuk to its particular zones, Fach
unit being about thirty miles square
will of course contain in most cases a
number of postoffices, but each office
ifn the same unit {s consgidered as be
fug tke center of the circles from
RATES OF POSTAGE
i Parcels weighing four ounces or less are mailable at the rate
‘of one cent for each ounce or fraction of an ounce, regardless of
distance. Parcels weighing more than four ounces are mailable
at the pound rate,as shown by the following table, and when mailed
at this rate any fraction of a pound is considered a full pound.
*1st zone 2d 3d 4th 5th 6th T7th 8th
Wt Local Zone =zone zone zone zone zone zone zone
Lbs. rate. rate. rate. rate. rate rate rate rate rate
1...30.05 $0.05 $0.06 $0.07 $0.08 $0.09 $0.10 $0.11 $0.12
2... 06 .08 .10 .12 .14 .16 .19 21 24
3o AOT d4 ST w200 23 28 31 .36
4._. 08 .14 .18 22 26 .30 .37 41 48
beeoe 209 A 1222 A0 32 377 46 51" 60
... %100 200 26 32, .38 ..44 .55 61. .j?
lis=z Wl 2280 =300 =37 44 5] 64 71 84
8... .12 26 34 42 50 58 .73 81 .9
-2 08 29 88 w47 B6. 65 82 91 ‘108
1085 M4~ #3832 =42 452' 62 °'g20 91 101 1990
1M... .15 35 46 57 68 .79 1.00 1.11 1.32
*For a full explanation of the rates of postage in the First
Zone see the Parcel Post Guide.
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, it will cost exactly the same
amount to send a parcel from Wash-
Aington to Erie, Pa., that it costs to
‘send it to Atlanta, Ga., because Erie
and Atlanta with reference to Wash
ington are situated in the fourth
zone. The rates therefore are fixed
from the unit in which the postofiice
fs located, but they are the same
from that office to any point in any
one zone.
It will be seen by reference to the
table of rates of postage that it will
cost more per pound to send a pack
age a long distance than it does to
send {t a short distance. The rate in
creases for a package weighing one
pound at the rate of one cent for
each zone. No package weighing
more than 11 pounds can be sent un
der the new parcel post law. It
should be said right here that on the
long hauls the parcel post may not
be able to compete with the express
companies, but that on shorter hauls
ft can so compete. It was the ex
pressed desire of the legislators and
of the postoflice officials that the par
cel post system should be made of
particular use to persons having farm
and factory products to transmit to
customers. It is probable that pro
ducers must study the rates of post
‘nm‘ and the convenience of trans
‘mittal and compare them with the
1(‘,0!‘( and convenience under present
‘methods before individually a man can
determine whether he is to profit or
not by the change. Then there is an
other thing to be considered and
which only can be known definitely
when fuller regulations have been
made to specify exactly what kind of
things can be sent by parcel post. It
can be sald in a general way that any
thing ean be sent which is properly
wrapped and which will not Inture
other mail matter with which it may
‘come in contact
Copy Foreign Countries.
It {8 probable that the government
will adopt a means of transportation
for certain kinds of its merchandise
much like those which have been
adopted in parcel post countries
abroad. What the English call ham
pers, basketlike arrangements, prob
ably will be adopted, and as these can
be kept separate from the ordinary
mail matter it {8 belleved that the
regulations as finally adopted will al
low the gending of eggs, butter, dress
ed poultry, live poultry, honey, fruit,
and other products of the country
The 11-pound limit for a single pack
age may work at first against any
very extended use of the parcel post
for some of the articles which have
been named. Of course, more weight
can be sent if it is sent in different
parcels, but the cost in that case
would be heavier because the in
creage per pound on a single package
fa not great up to 11 pounds, and
probably it would increase at no great.
er rate If the government were to
rafge the limit of weight which is now
fixed. To make it simpler, it will
cost more to send two packages of 11
pounds than ft would to send oune
package of 22 pounds if the govern
ment eventually ghould allow a heavi
er single package to be carried and
should charge in proportion just what
it does now for one package of 11
pounds weight.
Every postmaster in the United
States will have a parcel post map
like the one which is here reproduced
except that the zone lines will be
shown with the unit of his postoffice
as a center. All that a postmaster
will have to do when a parcel is pre
sented for transportation is to find
out in what zone the destination of
the package lies. Ilis table will show
him instantly the rate per pound from
the unit in which his postoffice lies
to the zone of the package's destina
tions, the price as has been explained
before, to every postoffice in any one
zone being the same. The parcel post
will take nothing but fourth-class mat
ter. Printed matter is still in the
third-class designation. Therefore
books cannot be sent by the parcel
post system. This the postofiice au
thorities seem to think is {n away
unjust and may work a hardship. It
may be that in the future the law will
be changed so as to include all print
ed matter. [t seems to be certain that
an attempt will be made to bring.
about this change as speedily as pos
sible.
Must Bear Stamp.
Postmaster General Hitchcock has
ordered that postmasters be advised
that parcel post packages cannot be
accepted for mailing unless they bear
a distinctive parcel post stamp and
have attached to them the return card
of the sender. A series of distinctive
stamps I 8 now in course of prepara
tion for this class of mail as required
by the law creating the parcel post
system. Consignments of these
stamps will be ready for shipment to
all postoffices in ample time for the
establishment of the new system on
New Year's day.
The postofice department has given
instruction to every postmaster in the
country to enlighten his patrons as
much as possible on the general sub
fect of the parcel post and especlally
on the use of the special stamps and
the necessary attachment of the re
turn card. The law requires that all
fourth-class matter mafled a er Jan
uary 1, 1913, without parcel post
stamps attached shall be treated as
“Held for postage” matter. Parcel
post packages will be mailable only
at postoffices, branch postoffices, let
tered and local named stations, and
such numbered stations as may be
designated by the postmasters
It has been announced by Postmas.
ter General Hitcheoek that nearly 70,-
000 seales will be required for use In
the parcel post system which is to go
into effect January Ist. He has ac
cordingly authorized the issuance of
bids for that number. Two hundred
of the largest postoffices and their
branches will be supplied with auto
matic springless scales. The next
clasgs of offices, numbering about 10.-
000, will be given high grade beam
scale, while the four class offices,
numbering about 55,000, will be fur.
nighed with the best spring balances
obtainable, each having a capaelty for
twenty pounds. These scales will be
used by postmasters to determine the
amcunt of postage required on parcel
post packages The fact that many
of the postoffices of the country are
now furnished with scales of a limited
capacity makes it necessary for the
postmaster general to make this very
large purchase of scales capable of
taking care of the parcel post busi
ness. It is understood that this will
be the largest single order ever placed
for scales.
Rate on Seeds Not Affected.
It should be said that the act of
congress which puts a parcel post plan
into operation does not in any way
affect the postage rate on seeds, cut
tings, bulbs, roots, scions and plants
as fixed by section 482 of the postal
laws and regulations.
The classification of articles mail
able as well as the weight limit, the
rates of postage, zone or zones and
other conditions of mailability under
the act of congress, if the postmaster
general shall find on experience “that
they or any of them are such as to
prevent the shipment of articles de
sirable, or shall permanently render
the cost of the service greater than
the receipts of the revenue therefrom,
he is hereby authorized, subject to the
consent of the interstate commerce
commission after investigation, to re
form from time to time such classifi
cation, weight limit, rates, zone or
zones or conditions, in order to pro
mote the service to the public or to
insure the receipt of revenue from
such service adequate to pay the cost
thereof.” g
Through many years different mem
bers of the house and senate have
been interested in promoting parcel
post legislation. Among the men most
active in securing the legislation
which soon is to go into effect as
Jaw are Senator Jonathan Bourne of
Oregon, Representatives David J.
Lewis of Maryland and Wlliiam Sul
zer of New York, who has just been
elected governor of that state.
To ascertain conditions surrounding
the establishment of the parcel post
system in places differing widely in
size, climate and industries, Postmas
ter General Hitchcock recently sum
moned to Washington, to confer with
the special parcel post committee, the
postmasters of flve typical offices.
They are Willlam H. Davis, Pittsburg,
Pa.; Daniel T. Gerow, .Jacksonville,
Fla.; M. H. Joster, Wilmington, Del.;
E. M. C. Quimby, Suffolk, Va., and
Henry N. Bradley, Charlestown, W.
Va.
Confer Wlth Postmasters.
The postmasters of the five largest
offices in the country have already
appeared before the committee, so
Pittsburg was represented as being a
large first class office, though smaller
than any of the greater five, and as
being the center of a tremendous man
ufacturing area. The postmaster of
Pittsburg reported that the board of
trade of that city has a special parcel
post committee, working toward
bringing the consumer and producer
nearer to each other by the new sys
tem. He also said that many of the
merchants are planning to have their
city deliveries made by parcel post
Wilmington, Del, represented a
large farming and manufacturing dis
trict, with its mail connections close
with Philadelphia, one of the largest
offices. Jacksonville is the largest of
fice in Florida, and the outlet for all
the mail of the state. It is peculiar
in having a special increase of force
in winter; the tourist season, and the
postmaster said that it was expected
that travelers would use the parcel
post extensively in sending home five
and ten-pound packages of fruit.
Suffolk, Va., and Charlestown, W.
Va. are both very small second class
offices, one in the tide-water district,
with large truck interests; the other
far inland in an orchard country, with
diversified farm products. The post
masters of both offices reported great
interest in the parcel post, and sald
that they had continual inquiries re
garding its scope.
From these postmasters the com
mittee was able to glean a great
amount of valuable {information,
which, added to that gained from the
recent hearings in Maryland, puts it
in a position to plan the details of the
service to the greatest advantage of
the producing farmer.
Give Him Time.
“You're a pretty old man to be beg
gin',” said the lady to the man at the
back door.
Yes, ma'am,” replied the man with
his hat in his hand.
“Have you been begging all your
lite?"
“Not yit, ma'am.”
APPROVES RULES
FOR PARCEL POST
Postmaster General Issues Reg
ulations Governing System.
WHAT MAY BE SENT BY MAIL
Gives American People Opportunity to
Send Farm and Factory Products
by Mail From and to Any
Point in United States.
Postmaster General Hitchcock has
just approved the regulations which
cover in detail the articles which may
or may not be sent by parcel post.
These regulations are now being
turned off at the government printing
office on a “rush order” and they will
be distributed as rapidly as possible.
The rules as to what can be sent
and what cannot be sent and the in
structions for the preparation of mail
able articles with other “official ad
vice" are given here as they have just
been prepared by the postoffice de
partment in Washington.
The minimum rate will be five cents
for the first pound and three cents for
each additional pound to any point not
exceeding fifty miles from the office of
mailing; the local rate, which is five
cents for the first pound and one cent
for additional pound, applies to all
parcels the delivery of which does not
involve their transportation on rail
way lines. The rates increase for
each successive one of the eight zones,
the maximum rate being twelve cents
‘a pound, which will carry a parcel
across the continent or to any of our
possessions. Parcels will be limited
to eleven pounds in weight and six
feet in length and girth combined.
Mailable Perishable Articles,
Butter, lard and perishable articles
such as fish, fresh meats, dressed
fowls, vegetables, fruits, berries and
articles of a similar nature that decay
quickly, when so packed or wrapped
as to prevent damage to other mail
matter, will be accepted for local de
livery either at the office of mailing or
on any rural route starting therefrom.
When inclosed in an inner cover and
a strong outer cover of wood, met
al, heavy corrugated pasteboard or
other suitable material and wrapped
S 0 that nothing can escape
from the package, they will be ac
cepted for maliling to any offices with
in the first zone or within a radius of
50 miles. Butter, lard, or any greasy
or oily substance intended for deliv
ery at offices beyond the first zone
must be suitably packed. Vegetables
and fruit that do not decay quickly
will be accepted for mailing to any
zone if packed so as to prevent dam
age to other mail matter. Eggs will be
accepted for local delivery when se
curely packed in a basket or other
container. Iggs will be accepted for
mailing regardless of distance when
each egg is wrapped separately and
packed in a container,
There is no restriction on salted,
dried, smoked or cured meats and
other meat products, but fresh meat
in any form will be transported only
within the first zone.
Parcels containing perishable arti
cles must be marked “PERISHABLE,”
and articles likely to spoil within the
time reasonably required for trans
portation and delivery will not be ac
cepted for mailing.
Manufactured Articles.
Manufacturers or dealers intending
to transmit articles in considerable
quantities are asked to submit to the
postmaster for approval a specimen
parcel showing the manner of pack
ing.
When sharp pointed instruments are
offered for mailing, the points must be
capped or encased. Blades must be
bound so that they will remain at
tached to each other or within their
handles or sockets.
In' Powders, pepper, snuff, or other
slmilar powders not explosive, or any
gimilar pulverized dry substance, not
poisonous, may be sent when inclosed
fn cases made of metal, wood or other
material to render impossible the es
cape of any of the contents. Flour
of all kinds must be put up in such
manner as to prevent the package
breaking or the flour being scattered
in the mails.
Queen Bees and Nursery Stock.
Queen bees, live isects, and dried
reptiles may be mailed in accordance
with the regulations that now apply to
other classes of mall,
Seeds of fruit, nursery stock, and all
other plant products for preparation
may be mailed under the same con
ditions.
Confectionery and Soap.
Candies, confectionery, yeast cakes,
soap In hard cakes, ete., must be in
closed in boxes and so wrapped as to
prevent injury to other mail mat
ter
Sealed original packages of propri
etary articles, such as soaps, tobacco,
pills, tablets, ete, put up in fixed
quantities by the manufacturer, and
not in themselves unmailable, will
be accepted for malling when properly
~wrapped.
Millinery,
| Fragile articles, such as millinery,
toys, musical instruments, etc., and ar
ticles consisting wholly or in part of
glass, or contained in glass, must be
securely packed and the parcel stamp
ed or labeled “FRAGILE."
Unmailable Matter,
‘ The following matter is declared un
mailable by law:
Matter manifestly obscene, lewd, or
;luflvlvlnun; articles intended for pre
_venting conception; articles intended
for indecent or immoral purposeg; an
matter otherwise mailable by law, the
outside cover or wrapper of which
bears and delineation or language of.
a libelous, scurrilous, defamatory, or
threatening character. All such mat
ter, when deposited in a post office or
found in the mails, shall be withdrawn
and sent to the divisions of dead let
ters.
Intoxicants, Poisons and Inflammable
Materials.
Spirituous, vinous, malted, ferment=
ed, or other intoxicating liquors of any
kind; poisons of every kind, and arti
cles and compositions containing poi
son, pousonous animals, insects and
reptiles; explosives of every kind; in
flammable materials (which are held
to include matches, kerosene oil, gaso
line, naphtha, benzine, turpentine, de
natured alcohol, ete.), infernal ma
chines, and mechanical, chemical or
other devices or compositions which
may ignite of explode; disease germs
or scabs, and other natural or artifi
clal articles, compositions or mate
rials of whatever kind which may
kill, or in any wise injure another or
damage the mail or other property.
Pistols, Animals and Birds.
Pistols or revolvers, whether in de
tached parts or otherwise; live or
dead (and not stuffed) animals, birds,
or poultry, except as elsewhere pro
vided; raw hides or pelts, guano, or
any article having a bad odor will
not be admitted to the mails.
Treatment of Undeliverable Parcels.
Perishable matter will be delivered
as promptly as possible, but if such
matter can not be delivered and be
comes offensive and injurious to
health, postmasters may destroy it, or
the injurious or offensive portions
thereof.
Undeliverable perishable matter
which in its nature does not become
offensive or jnjurious to health may
be delivered by postmasters to the
proper local municipal authority to be
distributed to hospitals, asylums or
other charitable or reformatory insti
tutions. If there is no such municipal
authority, the matter may be deliver
ed to any charitable institution or or
ganization making application there
for. If no application is made, the
matter will be destroyed at the ex
piration of two weeks.
Parcels Improperly Packed.
Postmasters will refuse to receive
for mailing parcels not properly in
dorsed or packed for safe shipment.
When parcels on which the postage
is wholly unpaid or insufliciently pre
paid is deposited for local delivery
and the sender is unknown, notice of
detention need not be sent but such
matter will be delivered and the defi
cient postage collected from the ad
dressee by the carrier. If the ad
dressee refuses to pay the postage
the matter will be sent to the Di
vision of Dead Letters.
Insurance on Parcels.
A mailable parcel on which the
postage is fully prepaid may be in
sured against loss in an amount equiv
alent to its actual value, but not to
exceed SSO, on payment of a fee of
ten cents in parcel post stamps, such
stamps to be affixed.
When a parcel is insured, the sen
der will be given a receipt showing
the office and date of malling and
number of the parcel.
When a return receipt is desired by
the sender of an insured parcel the
postmaster at the mailing office will
note the request on the margin of
the insurance tag, and the postmaster
at the office of address will obtain
from the addressee a receipt and mail
it to the sender.
The liability for indemnity shall
cease when delivery has been effect
ed.
Forwarding of Parcels.
Parcels may be remailed or for
warded on the payment of additional
postage at the rate which wounld be
chargeable if they were originally
mailed at the forwarding office, in
which case the necessary stamps will
be affixed by the forwarding postmas
ter. Payment must be made every
time the parcel is forwarded.
Preparation for Mailing.
Parcels must be prepared for mail
ing in such manner that the contents
can be easily examined. A parcel will
not be accepted for mailing unless it
bears the name and address of the
sender preceded by the word “From.”
In addition to the name and address
of the sender, which is required, it
will be permissible to write or print
on the covering of a parcel, or on a
tag or label attached to it, the occu
pation of the sender, and to indicate
ifn a small space by means of marks,
letters, numbers, names or other brief
description, the character of the par
cel, but ample space must be left on
the address side for the full address
in legible characters and for the ne
cessary postage stamps. Inscriptions
such as “Merry Christmas,” ‘“Please
do not open until Christmas,” “Happy
New Year,” “With best wishes,” aud
the like, may be placed on the cover
ing of the parcel in guch manner as
not to interfere with the address.
Distinctive Stamps.
The law requires that the postage
on all gtter must be prepaid by
|H<rinrm‘p;|rv»l post stamps aflixed
Postmasters cannot receive for mail
ing® parcels that do not bear such
stamps
Parcel post stamps are not valid for
the payment of postage on matter of
the first, second, and third classes,
and when used for that purpose, the
matter to which they are aflixed shall
be treated as “Held for postage.”
Maps and Guides.
Parcel post maps, with accompany
ing guides, are to be sold to the pub
lic at their cost, 76 cents, through the
chief clerk of the post office dl\'pur!
ment In ordering maps care
should be taken to specify the post
office from which the postage rates
are to be determined,