The subject of daily news reports we next feature several historic films on the postal service. Zip zip how you to do we hope you have a moment or two to listen to what we have to say to each and every one of you it concerns our postal system. Our lifetime friend as all of you know they never failed us through the years through driving rains sleet or snow now they have a problem and what are they to do the answer my friend is very simple its up to you to see them through do do do do do do do do do do well back in the days of the 13 colonies freedom and how to defend it mailing a letter was in much trouble there werent many places to send it now its a different story they have more mail than ever before its stuffed in bags and stacked on shelves hardly room for anything more theres been a mail explosion theyve got a terrible load and you have to help them right away before the u. S. Post office explodes oh. It wasnt so long ago that communication was a simple act, but the range of the human is limited so mans ingenuity found ways to bridge distance. He invented wright. Writing and typographical errors. To carry messages across vast distances man developed roads, highways, turnpikes, bunions, callo callouses and a rare assortment of aching limbs. Until recently, communication remained a simple act. What matter if it took two weeks to go from new york to atlanta, over a month to st. Louis . If the letter from uncle ben arrived a day or so later nobody fussed. The times were tuned to wagon wheels, footpads and the puff of wind against sail. Distance was measured by weeks and months. Everything was a far time off. Then slowly the country got up steam, commerce shook off its sea anchor and headed westward all the width of the continent. There was a new idea, speed. Everything was coming up to date in the kansas city and portland. Communications became the most vital aspect of our economy. The post office became the prime artery. For a time the department was able to keep up. If the mail piled high, put on another piece of equipment. If that didnt do the trick, add a few more clerks or a flock of carriers. But by world war i, the post office carried more advertising in a week than all the newspapers and magazines could carry in a year. It was the countrys bill collector, check deliverer, errand runner. The volume of mail delivered leepd to 20 billion. By 1948 it had doubled, 40 billion. This year, doubled again. Nearly 80 billion pieces of mail. Literally, the post office stands to be swamped, overwhelmed, drowned in a sea mail. Where do we go . Patchwork, piecemeal Solutions Based on transportation routes will not work. The answer has to be as new as the challenge is new and the post office has the only logical answer. Zip code. Mail distribution vias the Straight Line, always the shortest distance between two distant points. Zip code, five trailblazing numbers like this one launched every piece of mail with spaceaged speed and precision. Now thats easy to say and sounds just fine but lets put this question on the line what is the zip code, a postal clerk well be glad to explain how the zip code eases your postal pain the first tells which part of the nation your letter will find its destination since the country is divided into ten sections each with a number to establish direction before your letter has even departed weve already got it started the next two digits go hand in hand to a Major Post Office over land since each big section has town after town we need these numbers to narrow things down weve got the section and the city two more numbers and were sitting pretty these last two digits are really specific theyre your local post Office Number terrific what a system as you can plainly see just five little numbers quick as can be if you have a question or you have a doubt if youre still not sure what the whole thing is about just always remember zip code defined means city to city in one Straight Line but dont take it from us dont take it from me try it yourself youll see its a better deal than youll get from any other post Office Department yes, zip code is a better deal. Moving the mail in one Straight Line, straight as an arrow, and on valentines day, it could be cue pids arrow. A time before zip code, a boy, a girl, a valentine. There was a moment in new york city who loved a girl by frisco bay he sent a card to say he loved her to say he cared that special way his letter zigged and zagged along the way his lonely letter lagged day after day she waited long and lonely hours just to hear what he would say but when his words were finally spoken all her love had gone astray on a sad, sad valentines day and now another valentine carefully zip coded here and here. A different girl, still far away by frisco bay, but the same boy, a little older and a little wiser. His letter flew across the country in just one day it reached her hand in just one day she knew the answer in all the land and those zip code numbers will help clear up two of the major problems that give the post Office Department fits, seeing the dead letter office. Have you ever asked yourself this question why do postal clerks get indigestion there are many reasons i wont bother to list them its all the stamp glue we take into the systems thats not the reason for the stomach upset its from trying to read the american hand ill legibly written throughout the land this letter will prove exactly what we said the name of the city cant be read oakdale, oakfield, oak hurst, oak park, Oakwood Tuscaloosa now you see what we mean if the writing is no good this letter might as well be kavd out of wood if you think that hand writing is only hard on your eyes just try this problem on for size. I have a letter for somebody from springfield. Springfield . Im from Springfield Massachusetts theres no place i would rather be im from springfield pennsylvania and theres been a mistake this letter is apparently for me im from springfield arizona and i want you to know ive been waiting for this letter since a weekend ago what is a person to do to send a letter my way to springfield usa i have looked into this problem and im telling you boys youre angry and you have a right to be there are many cities with identical names springfield is not the least of these there are 24 postal delays and all abbreviated with a two letter phrase whats a person to do to send a letter my way in springfield usa a springfield r and springfield o springfield u and n theres a springfield theres 11 more if you feel like keeping score whats a person to do to send a letter my way when im from springfield, springfield usa zip code is bringing the mail explosion under control. It is as up to date as the computer. As timely as the fantastic zip code scanner electronically reading zip codes and sorting the mail, it is a success. But to make zip code work, you must use it. Remember, only you can put zip in your postal system. Ladies and gentlemen the post mast e general of the united states, the honorable lawrence f. Obrian. One way we can measures the success of our zip code program is by the number of Foreign Countries who send us their postal specialists to study our system and determine how much is adaptable for their own purposes. They come because of a simple fact, zip code works. It works for the post office, it works for all who use the mail, small business, bulk mailers, or private citizens. To get any zip code numbers you may need including your own, just call your local post office. Keep it all in your head theres no better way use zip code every day you have to have a zip code on the envelope a zip code tells you a zip code morning, noon and night and everything will be all right well you get Faster Service and a lower cost fewer mistakes no time ever lost a lot less handling along the way no damage for you to pay you got to have a zip code on the envelope a zip code a zip code and everything will be all right well called what he can do for you will make you flip so if you have any further postal demands were going to leave you in his hands you got to have a zip code on the envelope a zip code a zip code morning noon and night and everything will be all right now my friend well say so long we hope youre singing our zip code song we told you everything we know its up to you to make zip code go you have to have a zip code on the envelope a zip code a zip code morning, noon and night and everything will be all right you have to have a zip code on the envelope a zip code a zip code morning, noon and night and everything will be all right everything will be all right