es. Later the rate was fixed at 2 pf. per pound for each 5 miles, to
be charged by each administration concerned in the transmission. In 1857
one definite parcel rate was established for the whole territory of the
Union, graduated according to direct distance, viz. 2 pf. per pound for
each 4 miles, with minima of from 1-1/2 to 7 sgr. The whole revenue from
parcels was credited to a common fund and divided according to certain
percentages.

A new parcel rate, based on weight and distance only, was established at
the founding of the North German Union in 1867. The method of
calculating the distance of transmission for the purpose of determining
the postage charge was also modified. The then existing arrangement in
Prussia, based on the regulations of 1824, provided that the rate should
in all cases be reckoned according to the actual distance between the
post offices concerned. Under this method, when a new post office was
established, a parcel rate for every other post office must be
calculated, causing much labour and wasting much time. This method was
now abandoned. The whole territory of the North German Union was divided
into imaginary squares, with sides 2 miles in length, the points of
intersection of the diagonals being taken as the centres from which all
distances were calculated.[446] The rates between any offices in two
different squares were made identical. Such a method rendered
unnecessary the calculation of a special rate of postage for every post
office, and also rendered unnecessary any fresh calculations of rates in
respect of any new post offices. The progression of distances was by
stages of 5 miles up to 30 miles, of 10 miles from 30 to 100 miles, and
of 20 miles thereafter, the increase in the length of the steps being
justified on the ground that the cost of transportation does not
increase in direct proportion to the distance.[447] The rate was 2 pf.
per pound for each step in the scale of distances.

The rate of 1867 was applied to the Imperial Post Office by the law of
28th October 1871. This tariff, with its comparatively small
progressions of distances, was found inconvenient, especially with the
large growth of the traffic. The rates had, moreover, been found too
high for small parcels sent over long distances. In point of fact, by
far the greater part of parcels under the weight of 5 kilogrammes were
less than 2-1/2 kilogrammes in weight. New parcel rates were accordingly
introduced on the 1