Statetments and letters submitted by-Continued Page Mulé, Michael J., vice president, Eastern Printing Corp.. Perry, R. D., traffic manager, Diamond Packaging Products Division, Diamond National Corp... 763 Pitzo, C. A., traffic manager, Blackhawk Manufacturing Co.. 750 Purifoy, Otis, owner, Purifoy's Sport Fishing Fleet- 729 Rappaport, Saul, Tri State Petland...... 737 Rast, Charles E., secretary treasurer, Sprague-Dawley, Inc. 747 Reed, John T., director, Transportation and Distribution Department of California Manufacturers Association, to Hon. James H. Morrison, Robbels, Kenneth, director of transportation, Verd a Ray Corp- Rosenthal, Al, president, United Pet Dealers Association, Inc.. 766 752 738 751 Ruefer, A. Roger, manager, Joseph Moreng Iron Works, Inc. Ruddell, Lawrence A., director of recording and film services, American Shaper, Roger, executive vice president, Metal Window Products Co.-- 765 732 720 715 Shays, Lester, manager, shipping and receiving department, C. E. Ward Co. 726 719 Sodergren, Kenneth L., general traffic manager, Gustin Bacon Manufacturing Co. Smith, Herbert R., director, medical illustration section, department of surgery, Baylor University College of Medicine... Soens, Norbert J., traffic manager, Johnson Service Co.. 738 760 718 Songstad, Sheldon R., president, South Dakota Fireworks, Inc.. 759 759 Sunseri, Salvador R., president, Popich & Jurisich, Inc. 745 Susman, Irvin L., president, Susman Wiping Materials Co., Inc 762 Sutherland, John I., executive vice president, American Seed Trade Association, Inc.. 740 Swift, Stanley H., president, Swift Body Co., Inc- 726 Tate, Howard C., president, Hendersonville Gladiolus Growers Associ Vitale, Rocco J., Sr., president and treasurer, Vitale Fireworks Manufacturing Co., Inc.. 747 Warner, D. T., Jr., manager, transportation services, American Steel 758 White, Arthur T., traffic manager, Theodor Manufacturing Corp. 740 Whorton, W. F., manager, Sound Packing Co... 729 Williams, E. W., Williams Meat Co., Inc....... 732 PARCEL POST TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1966 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON POSTAL RATES OF THE COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE, Washington, D.C. The subcommittee met at 10:05 a.m. in room 346, Cannon Building, Hon. James H. Morrison (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. MORRISON. The committee will come to order. I want to read a statement here from Dominick Daniels, who would like very much to have been here, and he said: "I deeply regret that I am unable to be present today on the Subcommittee on Postal Rates, and its hearing on bill H.R. 12367. Because today is election day in New Jersey, delegates are being elected who will ultimately redistrict the State of New Jersey, and it is of vital importance that I perform my basic civic duty by voting in this election." I think all of us agree that Mr. Daniels has a valid excuse for not being here. The Subcommittee on Postal Rates is meeting this morning to begin consideration of legislation to revise congressional policy with respect to parcel post and certain other mail matters of the fourth class. The official recommendation of the Postmaster General of the United States is embodied in H.R. 12367, H.R. 12395, H.R. 12477, and H.R. 12501, identical bills which are on each member's desk. Without objection, H.R. 12367 will be printed in the record at this point, along with the Postmaster General's letter of transmittal and accompanying analysis and statement of changes proposed in existing law. We also will include and a chronological history of the parcel post laws and orders since 1950. (The items referred to are as follows:) [H.R. 12367, 89th Cong., 2d sess] A BILL To revise postal rates on certain fourth-class mail, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a) chapter 67 of title 39, United States Code, is amended as follows: The following new sections are added immediately after section 4555. 1 "§ 4556. Postage rates on parcel post the zones pre "The rates of postage on fourth-class parcel post are based on scribed in section 4553 of this title in accordance with the following table: "§ 4557. Postage rates on catalogs "(a) The rates of postage on fourth-class catalogs, having twenty-four or more pages at least twenty-two of which are printed and weighing sixteen ounces or more but not exceeding ten pounds, are based on the zones prescribed in section 4553 of this title in accordance with the following table: "(b) The rates of postage on catalogs conforming to subsection (a) of this section, when mailed in quantities of not less than three hundred individually addressed pieces at one time and when prepared and mailed in accordance with conditions established by the Postmaster General, consist of a piece rate in addition to a bulk rate per pound, based on the zones prescribed in section 4553 of this title, in accordance with the following table: "§ 4558. Reformations of conditions and certification "(a) Whenever the Postmaster General finds, on experience, that the classification of articles mailable at the fourth-class rates, the rates of postage, method of determining zones, or other conditions of mailability of fourth-class mail are such as to prevent the acceptance as fourth-class mail of articles desirable, or to permanently render the cost of the service greater than the revenue therefrom, he shall, subject to the consent of the Interstate Commerce Commission, reform such conditions in order to promote the service to the public or to obtain revenue from such service adequate to pay the cost thereof. This subsection does not apply to rates of postage on articles covered by section 4552 and sections 4651 through 4654 of this title. "(b) Within one year after the effective date of this section and at intervals not greater than one year thereafter, the Postmaster General shall certify in writing to the President of the United States and to the Congress that revenues from the zone-rated catalogs and parcel service during the ensuing year are expected to be within 4 per centum of the cost of providing such service, or that he has requested the consent of the Interstate Commerce Commission to such rate increases or other reformations pursuant to subsection (a) of this section as may be necessary to obtain revenues within the 4 per centum of the cost of providing the zone-rated catalogs and parcel service." (b) The table of contents of chapter 67 is amended by adding thereto the following new items: "4556. Postage rates on parcel post. "4557. Postage rates on catalogs. "4558. Reformation of conditions and certification." SEC. 2. Section 4553 of title 39, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subsections (c) and (d): "(c) The Postmaster General shall use units of area containing postal sectional center facilities in determining a postal zone as described in subsection (b) of this section. The zone shall be measured from the center of the unit of area containing the dispatching sectional center facility. A post office of mailing and a post office of delivery shall have the same zone relationship as their respective sectional center facilities, but this sentence shall not cause two post offices to be regarded as within the same local zone. "(d) In addition to the eight zones described in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, there is a local zone as defined by the Postmaster General from time to time." (b) Section 4303(d)(1) of title 39, United States Code, is amended by striking out the words "established for fourth class mail" and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "now or hereafter prescribed pursuant to sections 4553 and 4558 of this title". (c) Section 4359(e)(3) of title 39, United States Code, is amended by striking out the words "established for fourth class mail" and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "now or hereafter prescribed pursuant to sections 4553 and 4558 of this title". SEC. 3. Section 4552 of title 39, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: "(a) The maximum size of fourth class mail is one hundred inches in girth and length combined, and the minimum weight is sixteen ounces. (b) The maximum weight of fourth class mail is forty pounds, except that the maximum weight is seventy pounds for parcels "(1) mailed at, or addressed for delivery at, a second-, third-, or fourth-class post office or on a rural or star route; "(2) containing baby fowl, live plants, trees, shrubs, or agricultural commodities but not the manufactured products of those commodities; "(3) consisting of books, films, and other materials mailed under section 4554 of this title; "(4) addressed to or mailed at any Army, Air Force, or Fleet post office; "(5) addressed to or mailed in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the States of Alaska and Hawaii, or a possession of the United States including the Canal Zone and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; and "(6) consisting of reproducers of sound reproduction records for the blind or parts thereof, and of Braille writers and other appliances for the blind or parts thereof, mailed under section 4654 of this title." SEC. 4. (a) The paragraph under the heading "GENERAL PROVISIONS" under the appropriations for the Post Office Department contained in chapter IV of the Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1951 (64 Stat. 1050), as amended by section 213 of the Postal Rate Increase Act, 1958 (72 Stat. 143; 31 U.S.C. 695), is repealed effective on July 1, 1966. (b) Section 207(b) of the Act of February 28, 1925 (43 Stat. 1067), as amended by section 7 of the Act of May 29, 1928 (45 Stat. 942), is repealed as of the effective date of section 1 of this Act. SEC. 5. The provisions of sections 1 to 3, inclusive, of this Act shall become effective on the first day of the first month which begins at least ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL Hon. JOHN W. MCCORMACK, THE POSTMASTER GENERAL, Washington, D.C., January 27, 1966. DEAR MR. SPEAKER: In 1963 this Department was faced with a financial crisis because of a statutory requirement that no funds appropriated for the Post Office could be withdrawn from the Treasury for any purpose unless steps had been taken to balance cost and revenue of the parcel post service within 4 percent. |