Monthly Consular and Trade Reports. No. 329. pp. 104-6. February, 1908.
German Parcels Post.
Consul W. T. Fee, of Bremen, states that the parcels post system of Germany, as well as most of the railroads, is owned by and is under the control and operation of the Imperial government. He adds:
The express companies in Germany are less developed than those in the United States, where the largest part of parcels forwarded are handled by these companies. Under the German parcel-post system, parcels are divided into five classes namely: (1) Parcels with value declared; (2) registered parcels; (3) common parcels, value neither declared nor registered; (4) collect-on-delivery parcels; and (5) urgent parcels. Each shipment of parcels must be accompanied by a waybill called “packet addressee”; and no more than three packages which must be of the same class, and which must bear the same address, are to be entered on one waybill. Each c. o. d. or urgent package, however, must have its own waybill.
Forms of waybills, with the respective postage stamp of the amount of the charge printed thereon, are furnished by the postoffices at the price of the postage charge, while waybills, without this stamps imprint, are sold by the postoffices at the price of 1.19 cents for five pieces. Forms of waybills, which are purchased from other sources, must conform in every respect with those furnished by the postoffice department. There are two different kinds of waybills in use, foreign and domestic.
At times of increased postal traffic, before Easter, Whitsuntide and Christmas, a waybill for each package is required. The prices charged by the postoffice for forwarding parcels vary according to the weight of the packages and distance. The fees charged are shown in the following statement:
| For distance up to— | over | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 miles | 92 miles | 230 miles | 461 miles | 702 miles | |
| For parcels weighing up to— | cents | ||||
| 11 pounds | 5.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 | 11.9 |
| 15.4 pounds | 7.1 | 14.2 | 16.6 | 19.0 | 23.8 |
| 17.6 pounds | 8.3 | 16.6 | 21.4 | 26.18 | 35.7 |
| 19.8 pounds | 10.7 | 21.4 | 30.9 | 40.4 | 59.5 |
| 22 pounds | 11.9 | 23.8 | 35.7 | 47.6 | 71.4 |
| additional 2.2 pounds | 1.1 | 2.38 | 4.76 | 7.1 | 11.9 |
The maximum weight for parcels to be forwarded by post is 110 pounds.
For registered packages an additional fee of 4.76 cents is charged, while the insurance fee for packages with declared value is 1.19 cents for each $71.40 or fraction thereof. For “not-prepaid” parcels up to 11 pounds a collection fee of 2.38 cents is levied. Besides this, in places where there is delivery to the house, an extra fee of 3.5 cents is charged for packages weighing up to 11 pounds.
Packages may be sent c. o. d. in the German Empire if the amount to be collected does not exceed $190.40. These c. o. d. packages, if payment is not made at presentation, will be held for seven days. Meanwhile another request will be made on the consignee to pay the amount charged, and then if payment is refused the package is returned to the consignor. The fee charged for c. o. d. packages in addition to the ordinary postage is 2.38 cents, and the fee for the postal money order, by means of which the amount collected is returned to the consignor is charged. The charges for these money orders for amounts not exceeding $1.19 are 2.38 cents; not to exceed $23.80, 4.76 cents; $47.60, 7.14 cents; $95.20, 9.52 cents; $142.80, 11.9 cents; and $190.40, 14.28.
Printed matter, samples without value, newspapers and business cards do not come under the heading of parcels or packages, different rates of postage and also different limits of weight and measure being provided for these classes.
In case of loss the postoffice refunds for common packages at the maximum rate of 71.4 cents per 1.1 pounds, and for a registered package at least $10.
Parcels are handled by the postoffice entirely separate from letters and other mail matter. A request may be sent to the postoffice on an unfranked postal card to call for a package, whereupon the parcelpost wagon will call at the place designated in the request. An extra charge of 2.38 cents is made for this service, regardless of the size or weight of the package.
Under ordinary circumstances, a package sent from Bremen to Munich, Bavaria, a distance of 470 miles, thus crossing Germany from north to south, will be delivered on the evening of the second or on the morning of the third day. If it weighs up to 11 pounds, it will cost 11.9 cents. If it is a c. o. d. package for $142.80 it will cost 11.9 cents for postage, 2.38 cents for collection fee, 11.9 cents for return money order, and 1.19 cents for delivery charge for the money order, in all 27.37 cents. The same package could be sent at the same rate from Bremen to Königsberg, a distance of 579 miles.
There is no restriction as to the size of the packages to be shipped within the German Empire, as long as they are not cumbersome, but the size of packages to foreign countries, as a rule, must not exceed 23.6 inches in each dimension. Exceptions from this rule are made for goods like umbrellas, canes, charts, furs, plants, etc., which may measure 39.37 inches in length, if they do not exceed 7.87 inches in breadth and height. Besides this there is a space limit of 25 cubic decimeters (1 cubic decimeter = .035 cubic foot) for packages destined for Algiers, Tunis, Santo Domingo, and the French colonies, and 20 cubic decimeters for packages to Bolivia, Brazil, and Canada, while packages for Great Britain and nearly all its colonies may measure one meter in each dimension, with a space limit of 54 cubic decimeters. Packages to foreign countries, exceeding the before-mentioned limit in weight and measurement, may be shipped as “postal freight.” The rates for such shipments, however, vary too much to be quoted here, and they are, in most instances, subject to contracts of the postoffice department with prominent forwarding agents.
For packages to the United States—that is New York, Jersey City, and Hoboken—the charges are from 30 cents for 2.2 pounds up to 64 cents for 11 pounds. To all other places in the United States, Alaska excepted, the rates are 55 cents for 2.2 pounds up to 88 cents for 11 pounds.
According to a postal treaty between the United States and Germany, which is in force since October 1, 1907, packages, which for any reason cannot be delivered will not be returned after a period of thirty days, as heretofore, but the consignor will be informed of this fact by the postoffice in order to give him a chance to dispose of the package in some other way. If the consignor has not disposed of the package within two months it will be returned to him as undeliverable.
For special delivery of a package 5.8 cents is charged, and for urgent packages, which will be forwarded by the fastest mail facilities, a charge of 23.8 cents is made, in addition to the regular postage and the special delivery fee collected for each package.