Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 208, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1912 — PARCELS POST WILL BE ESTABLISHED JANUARY 1. [ARTICLE]

PARCELS POST WILL BE ESTABLISHED JANUARY 1.

New Service Will Carry Merchandise > and Farm and Factory Products. > Announcement has been made that the postoffice department would be in readiness on January 1, 1913, to put into general operation the recently authorized parcels post system. The postal express business, which must he organized within the next four months, will extend over more than a million miles of rural delivery and star routes and will cover in its various ramifications all systems oftransportation of parcels now utilized by private express companies. The details bf the parcels post system will be worked out by a series of committees composed of officers and experts of the department. "First of all,” said Mr. Hitchcock, “must be prepared a classification of the articles that can be accepted for transportation by parcels post. The law admits to the mails practically all kinds of merchandise that can be transported safely, including products of the farm and garden, as well as factory products, provided such articles do not weigh more than eleven pounds nor exceed seventy-two inches in combined length and girth. The mode of packing will be prescribed carefully. “The present equipment of the mail service is not adapted to the carriage of such merchandise, and therefore new equipment must be provided. It is likely we shall employ extensively hampers similar to those used in foreign countries in handling parcels post mail. The style, size, and materials of such hampers must be determined and advertisements issued for their purchase.” It is realized by Mr. Hitchcock that it is important to provide for sufficient additional equipment and transportation facilities to avoid and possible clogging of the usual mail channels. This involves one of the most serious problems now confronting the postal authorities, as a result of the taking over of so large a volume of additional mail.