4 "
Third zone 7 " 5 "
Fourth zone 8 " 6 "
Fifth zone 9 " 7 "
Sixth zone 10 " 9 "
Seventh zone 11 " 10 "
Eighth zone 12 " 12 "

Although, of course, with the body of the people the main arguments had
been the ordinary contentions of the advantage of such a system as
providing a most convenient facility for persons in all parts of the
States, and especially in the rural districts, whereby they would be
able by the utilization of existing machinery to have articles of all
descriptions brought to their doors, yet in Congress the argument was
largely based on the possibility of finding in the parcel post a means
of reducing the "high cost of living," a problem which is giving much
anxiety to politicians in America. By means of the parcel post, producer
and consumer are to be brought into direct relations the one with the
other. All middlemen and their profits will be eliminated, and either
the producer will get more for his products or the consumer will pay
less--which of these will happen does not appear: probably in some
degree both are hoped for.

The experience of England may not be any indication of what will happen
in America. But it is certain that in England the produce sent direct
from farm to consumer, whether eggs, butter, or poultry, is not obtained
by the consumer at less cost than he could buy it in his own town. There
is an advantage, but it rests solely in quality. The products obtained
from the farm are more fresh, are probably better altogether, but the
price is not less. In England these considerations have been sufficient
to prevent the wholesale use of the parcel post for food-stuffs. It is,
in fact, in general used for such traffic only by those people to whom a
little extra expense is not an object of consideration. The conditions
in America seem, however, to be substantially different from those in
this country, and a large development of parcel post business of this
character is anticipated.[423]

On the 15th August 1913 the limit of weight was increased to 20 pounds
in the local, first, and second zones; and on 1st January 1914 the limit
in local, first, and second zones was further increased to 50 pounds,
and in the remainder of the zones to 20 pounds. On the 16th March 1914
books and printed ma