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Show The advent of speedier nationwide-worldwide air parcel post service September 1 brings back to minds of old-timers the introduction of similar surface operations 35 years ago. It was in 1913, according to Postmaster Ray K. Bohne of Mt. Pleasant that parcel post first made its appearance in the United States, i The service at that time was ' established primarily to aid farmers and hamlets, located off the beaten paths, in expediting expe-diting their products to market and, in turn, receiving sorely needed goods from larger cities. However, mail order houses and other establishments were quick to realize its value. Transportation facilities in those days were still slow and tedious. Motor-driven vehicles were few and the roads which they traversed were frequently impassable. Too, trains were giving off more sparks and smoke than speed. There were no commercial planes in those days, either, and only the foolhardy fool-hardy visioned the rapid approach ap-proach of this Air Age. Then it took days to transport parcel post packages across the country. Some parcels were forced to go by virtually every movable conveyance before they reached their destination particularly par-ticularly to the more remote sectors. Still determined to employ the fastest means of transporta-ton transporta-ton to move thv mails, the Post Office Department will add the link necessary to give the United Uni-ted States the worlds' most highly specialized doorstep delivery de-livery service with the launching' launch-ing' of the new nationwide-worldwide nationwide-worldwide air parcel post, said Postmaster Bohne. |