NOTE.--As a war measure the rates were increased on 1st November 1915 by 1d. at each step in the scale, and are now as follow:-- Parcels not exceeding 1 lb 4d. Exceeding 1 lb., not exceeding 2 lb. 5d. " 2 " " 3 " 6d. " 3 " " 5 " 7d. " 5 " " 7 " 8d. " 7 " " 8 " 9d. " 8 " " 9 " 10d. " 9 " " 10 " 11d. " 10 " " 11 " 1s. * * * * * PARCEL POST IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Several causes operated to prevent the early establishment in the United States of a parcel post system. The two factors of extent of territory and sparsity of population, which had from the first so greatly influenced the policy of the Government towards the Post Office, were of much greater importance in regard to a parcel post system. The weight of the individual letter is very small, and as the cost of transportation depends in most cases entirely on weight, the system of uniform rates which had been introduced in England had not been found impossible of adoption in the United States. But with parcels, cost of transportation is an appreciable item for every parcel, and in a country of vast distances there must be an appreciable variation in the actual cost for each parcel. Consequently, any uniform rate which would render the service self-supporting must be measurably above the rate which would suffice for local and short-distance traffic, and measurably below the rate which would be necessary for long-distance traffic. Private agencies would therefore cut such a rate and absorb all the short-distance traffic, while the long-distance traffic would be left to the Post Office, and would be carried at a loss. This had been found to be the case with second-class matter, where weight is an important factor, and also with the fourth-class matter. The establishment of a parcel post system, therefore, would involve a reconsideration of the fundamental principles on which the rates of postage were in general based.