April 30, 2004 -- Be sure to read " ;Mail.dat - A Bridge to the Postal Future"

April 30, 2004 -- As the Postal Service has noted, "being direct means saying what you mean and meaning what you say. For the world's largest delivery service, that means taking the action to the street. In this case, launching a Direct Mail campaign on what else? Direct Mail. We believe so strongly in the power of Direct Mail, that we are initiating a new ad campaign to remind customers about all the benefits that they receive."

April 30, 2004 -- House Governmental Reform Committee chairman Tom Davis (R-VA) has told mailers that on schedule to see a bill next week, will then move to mark-up. He reported that a few issues were now being addressed, including a proposed worksharing amendment, and some "scoring" or "budget issues." He said a markup could still occur on May 6, or it could slip a week, but that even if it slipped it could still get a week of floor time, and it could go to conference. According to our reporter, Davis looks like "Harrison Ford." Let's hope our pursuit of postal reform won't be as ephemeral as Ford's (Indiana Jones) pursuit of the Holy Grail.

April 30, 2004 -- The Washington Post has reported that "lawyers for 2,300 employees at the Brentwood mail facility urged a federal judge yesterday to let them move forward with a lawsuit accusing the U.S. Postal Service of lying to the workforce after discovering deadly anthrax contamination in the plant, saying officials must be punished for exposing so many people to harm."

April 30, 2004 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that:

• Postal workers stole 70,000 items of mail last year, resulting in some 300 prosecutions, according to internal Royal Mail figures obtained by the Guardian. The figures suggest that scores of workers could be stealing, according to one industry insider, but Royal Mail said the stolen items, down from just under 107,000 in 2001-02, were just a fraction of the more than 25bn letters delivered each year. More than 200 items were taken each working day, when 82m letters are delivered.
•  The Guardian also has published a series of editorials of the sense that Royal Mail should have been privatized years ago.
• Organised gangs stealing credit cards. Some 14m letters lost a year. Lazy, unmotivated staff. Weak, incompetent managers. These are the albatrosses that are being hung around the neck of the Royal Mail, spurred by yesterday evening's documentary screened on Channel 4. There is undoubtedly a strong vein of truth in many of the charges: a substantial number of banks no longer trust the postal service as secure enough to send credit cards or chequebooks through the mail. Delivery - within swaths of London in particular - has all but ground to a halt in recent weeks, with some extraordinary queues outside sorting offices demanding to be given their post. In the background is the huge reorganisation the Royal Mail is under-going, including phasing out the second post and cutting 30,000 jobs, in an attempt to deal with its financial losses.

April 30, 2004 -- According to The Telegraph (U.K.), "the Royal Mail will miss the target it has been set for delivering First Class letters when official figures are published next month. The findings will be a further embarrassment to the embattled company after complaints about a slump in service standards and allegations on channel 4's Dispatches programme last night that millions of letters are going missing every year due to incompetence and corruption."

April 30, 2004 -- According to the News Journal, "in response to the United States Postal Service's announcement that it is looking into moving first-class mail processing from the Mansfield main post office to another regional location such as Akron, community and business leaders are banding together in what will amount to a letter-writing campaign to try to sway the decision. The loss of first-class mail processing could mean the loss of 20 to 25 non-career jobs in the Mansfield post office, according to Greg See, president of the American Postal Workers Union Mansfield local. See said the union also is ready to fight the change."

April 30, 2004 -- Bus iness World (Ireland) has reported that "beleaguered State postal company An Post is to seek a 14.5pc hike in the price of a stamp in an attempt to stem the financial losses that are threatening its future. An Post chief executive Donal Curtin said the company would submit the application for the increase to communications regulator ComReg in early summer. He described a hike from 48c to 55c as 'realistic'. But ComReg will be reluctant to grant An Post another price hike unless it meets targets for next day delivery, which it so far has failed to to do."

April 30, 2004 -- Eircom.net (Ireland) has reported that "the prospect of a further dispute between An Post and the Communications Workers' Union was raised yesterday at the union's biennial conference in Galway."

April 30, 2004 -- Asia Pulse has reported that "Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has extended its contract with postal services company PT Pos Indonesia to transport mail inside and outside the country, an officail report said."

April 30, 2004 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users (NAMMU) has reported that "Canada Post has successfully accomplished a major step toward improving businesses' ability to continue uninterrupted relationships with clients who have moved. Effective July 2004, the COAN (Change of Address Notification) wording and format will change to better reflect a balanced approach of privacy concerns and business needs. The new COAN format will have a single checkbox to "opt out", wording is clear and explains mail sent to the old address after the service expires will be returned to sender or destroyed. There will be a quantum gain right at the outset: due to the format of the current two checkboxes, if no box is checked, it is considered an "opt out". On average 1.7 million households move to a new address each year, NAMMU estimates 70-80% of these movers file a change of address with Canada Post.

April 30, 2004 -- Several U.S. airlines are working with AT&T Wireless to track millions of pieces of mail on thousands of flights every day to ensure they maintain - if not increase - their shares of federal postal business. America West Airlines, United Airlines and numbers of other carriers use AT&T Wireless' nationwide GSM/GPRS network to deliver tracking information every step of the way of a mail container's trip from one city to another. The data ultimately is used by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to verify whether an airline is adhering to USPS' strict on-time performance standards stipulated in its air mail contracts. Depending on the results, a carrier could lose, maintain or gain additional postal business. 'The transporting of mail is a highly competitive business in which delays in the transmission of tracking data to the United States Postal Service could impact our relationship with them,' explained Joseph Beery, Senior Vice President and CIO, America West Airlines. 'The AT&T Wireless network allows us to quickly and reliably transmit critical mail departure and arrival information to the USPS from any of the nearly 50 airports America West serves throughout the United States. This allows the USPS to accurately evaluate our performance against its rigorous standards and help maintain our highly valued business association with them.'"

April 30, 2004 -- Traffic World has reported that:

• Logistics hiring on the upswing as shippers, carriers add workers for growing business Now that freight is moving, freight jobs are on the move too. Industry experts and recruiters say hiring at a range of logistics and transportation companies is rising and should continue to grow this year after a long drought.
• Shippers and LTL carriers differ sharply on the impact of hours of service regulations on freight flow efficiency and that is becoming a bargaining chip in rate negotiations, representatives of both sides say. Truck transportation, which used to be sold exclusively by the mile, is increasingly being marketed by a combination rate that includes miles, accessorial charges and an hourly rate counting down time, executives say. While truckload sector productivity is down perhaps as much as 10 percent in the opening weeks of the new rules, by some estimates, LTL carriers are benefiting from the rules because of the nature of their multistop operations. Shippers are showing a willingness to pay slightly more on freight that is migrating back as "heavy" LTL shipments that formerly moved truckload.

April 30, 2004 -- Packing up an airfreight shipment is more complicated than you might think. Logistics Management has provided its readers with guidelines to make better packaging decisions.

April 30, 2004 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that:

• When Alex von Stempel is asked how Russia's trade and transportation infrastructure can improve, he suggests the answer can be found on the country's western border. Von Stempel, editorial director of the Transport and Logistics Russia 2004 conference held in April in Moscow, believes that big changes in countries to Russia's west will help boost Russia's container exports, and drive infrastructure upgrades. Ten countries are scheduled to join the European Union in May - the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus. Bulgaria and Romania may be asked to join in 2007, if they can reform their economies enough to meet EU standards. Von Stempel believes the expansion ultimately will work in Russia's favor. Manufacturers, expecting higher costs in these countries as living standards rise, may move their factories to Russia to capitalize on its lower cost structure, von Stempel said."
• Russia's recent growth trend has convinced many that the country is finally becoming a full-fledged market economy.
• "Russia : Just the Facts."

April 30, 2004 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Cepheid (CPHD) said it is working with Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) and the U.S. Postal Service, after the postal service temporarily delayed further deployment of a biohazard detection system. The postal services attributed the deployment delay to an increase in non-determinate results on several machines. This non-determinant result doesn't indicate a threat is suspected. Rather, it means the test was inconclusive."

April 30, 2004 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "the Royal Mail tonight pledged to 'root out' any postal workers found guilty of theft or fraud as the Government was pressed to make a statement on allegations of criminal interference by staff. Chief executive Adam Crozier said he would act quickly if he was given evidence of wrongdoing anywhere in the postal service."

April 29, 2004 -- The Cleveland Plain-Dealer has noted that "the question comes with virtually every package set on a Postal Service counter for mailing: 'Do you want insurance on that?' Don't take the bait, watchdog groups warn. The offer, they say, is a sucker's bet with little chance of paying off. Only 14.6 percent of the money paid to the Postal Service for insured mail last year made its way back to customers through honored claims, according to financial documents. In 2002, the payout rate was a tad higher at 16 percent. Both numbers seem low, industry experts said."

April 29, 2004 -- Ireland Online has reported that "An Post has unveiled losses of just under €43m for last year at the launch of the company's annual report. It is the highest operating loss since the postal service was established as a state-owned company in 1984. It has also anticipated that losses for this year will be massive. The evidence for urgent change is stark and An Post management has said that key changes in work practices and price increases will have to be implemented. Staff reductions are also on the cards."

April 29, 2004 -- GovExec.com has reported that "House and Senate sources said Wednesday postal restructuring bills probably would not be introduced until next week. House Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., and Senate Governmental Affairs Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, originally had planned to introduce postal legislation by the end of April. But Collins acknowledged she would wait until next week to introduce her bill with Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del. Collins said the legislation is 'still on track' and added Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., had told her postal change is a priority for the remainder of the session."

April 29, 2004 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• Deutsche Post has, by the concealed takeover of a private German mail service, allowed itself to be accused of spying out competitors. The trade magazine 'Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung' reports that the post took over the D�sseldorf-based firm First Mail in July last year. However, Deutsche Post forgot to fulfil statutory requirements and inform the regulatory authority RegTP about the purchase. A spokesperson for the post confirmed the omission.
• Deregulation of Sweden's postal market has been a success. This is the closing sentence of a recent report compiled by the Swedish Competition Authority 'Konkurrensverket'.
• An unresolved political conflict has suddenly reduced the sales value of Post Danmark by a nine-figure sum. Last week, the political parties of the Danish parliament were unable to agree upon whether all Danish households should be obliged to have a letterbox at their entrance. Kaj Ikast, chairman of the transport committee, declared that 1.4 million flats and houses would keep a slot in their door for mail, which means that the post will have to abandon its plan of reducing the number of postmen/women.
• Schweizerische Post remains interested in obtaining a banking licence. Necessary funds are to be provided by the government. MPs are more reluctant to hand the money over to the post. Swiss banks are strongly opposed to the project.
• In an interview with the German daily 'Die Welt', UPS CEO Michael Eskew brought new allegations against Deutsche Post. Mr Eskew said he was convinced that the post was cross-subsidising its parcel service from the mail business protected by monopoly and added that this kind of distorted competition would have to be stopped. Mr Eskew said he was hoping that the European Commission would fix a definite date for the liberalisation of all postal services within the entire EU. He remained vague when asked whether UPS would handle mail in Germany: 'We haven't yet reached a decision in the matter'.

Don't be satisfied with a less than complete report on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. Get your subscription to CEP News, today..

April 29, 2004 -- Human Resources-Centre (U.K.) has reported that "the Government has rejected demands from a postal workers' union to halt changes that are currently causing disruption in the postal service. Trade and Industry Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, backed the Royal Mail's decision to end the second post and to update working practices."

April 29, 2004 -- News.com.au has reported that "a multi-million dollar international mail scam has been cracked and its mastermind indicted by United States authorities after an investigation aided by an Australian consumer watchdog."

April 29, 2004 -- The Sun (U.K.) has reported that "millions of pounds is being stolen from mail, a shock TV investigation reveals tonight. An undercover reporter for Channel Four's Dispatches infiltrated a gang that targeted credit cards, chequebooks and passports sent through the post. And one former postal worker claims he stole �350,000 of goods and money from mail."

April 29, 2004 -- As one writer for CNBC noted, "if you haven't started paying your bills online, now is the time to start. The technology makes it simple to pay any bill to anyone from anywhere. It saves time, money -- and it's safe."

April 28, 2004 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "the Government was today urged to convene a top level meeting over the future of the Royal Mail after claims of a concerted attempt to 'run down' the industry. The Communication Workers Union has written to Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt calling for urgent talks to hit back at attempts to 'smear' postal workers. Deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the industry was currently a 'mass' of competing interests, pulling in opposite directions and 'getting nowhere.'"

April 28, 2004 -- Pitney Bowes Inc. has introduced Business Manager, a user-friendly information management system that links mailing systems across an enterprise into a centrally controlled server. This powerful new system enables organizations to better manage their mailing operations and increase the value of each mailpiece by instantaneously consolidating information from local and remote site mailing systems into a centralized server that can monitor and track postal costs, analyze expenditures and identify potential cost reductions.

April 28, 2004 -- The Cameroon Tribune has reported that "just hours after his commissioning as the General Manager of the Cameroon Postal Services (CAMPOST) last April 26, Bayemi Maurice started work immediately . He issued a release suspending all financial transactions in the newly created corporation. Payment will only resume tomorrow, Thursday ,April 29. Bayemi Maurice in a press briefing after his installation told journalists that he intends to suspend work on the pay counters in order to seek rapid solutions to the problems of the clients. He further declared that the team he heads 'will take the bull by the horns so as to restore confidence in clients of the postal services, put an end to unlawful opening of mails in post offices and reinstate discipline within the corporation'."

April 28, 2004 -- Posted on this site is a report that presents a postal service and mailing industry jobs database that has been developed by Transformation Strategy and SLS Consulting. The accompanying spread sheets present pull together analyses of jobs and the mailing industry that have been developed by the Mailing Industry Task Force (a joint enterprise of the USPS and major mailing industry private enterprises), the USPS and the Direct Marketing Association.

April 28, 2004 -- UPS Mail Innovations, the business mail services unit of UPS, has deployed an advanced technology system that represents a significant innovation in the processing of business mail. The system, known as the Automated Processing System (APS), reduces the manual handling of flat business mail, a major advance from current industry practices. APS streamlines the processing of "flats," which includes items such as annual reports, brochures and calendars, by handling the weighing, sorting, application of proper postage and the verification of addresses.

April 28, 2004 -- The Associated Press has reported that "with an improving economy and strong profits, UPS chief executive Mike Eskew says his company's greatest challenge is to avoid complacency amid growing competition to deliver goods and services."

April 28, 2004 -- According to Brand Republic (U.K.), "in response to Royal Mail's announcement of a three-month consultation between it and postal regulator Postcomm over plans to price mail by size rather than weight, the Direct Marketing Association (U.K.) has stressed that it remains opposed to the changes."

April 28, 2004 -- The Bath Chronicle (U.K.) has reported that "a Museum that celebrates Bath's role in postal history has unveiled plans for a £300,000 revamp as it battles to stay in business."

April 28, 2004 -- Media Week (U.K.) has reported that "the Periodical Publishers Association said it had deep concerns over the Royal Mail's plans for 'subjectivity' when establishing a price for individual items. Although negotiations have been taking place with the Royal Mail for two years on its size-based pricing proposals, the PPA has yet to have fears allayed over pricing decided by 'flatness' of a mailed product or the extent to which it can be folded into a letterbox."

April 28, 2004 -- According to the Korea Herald, "since the crippling currency crisis in the late 1990s, Korean companies have been notably cutting down on corporate orgies, mostly due to thinner wallets, but also because of new foreign company entrants that have introduced relatively alcohol-free entertainment cultures. UPS, a world leading delivery company, is one."

April 28, 2004 -- Le Monde (France) has reported that "the 20,000 employees of the regional financial services branches of the French post office, La Poste, were urged by the trade unions to stop work yesterday in protest against La Poste's plans to set up a postal bank. The unions allege that the new venture, which is due to be launched in 2005, will result in the loss of 2,800 jobs by 2007."

April 28, 2004 -- AFX-Asia has reported that "Japan Post, the newly created public corporation operating postal services, will team up with Nippon Express Co Ltd to handle parcel delivery services via convenience store operators Daily Yamazaki Co Ltd and am/pm Japan Co Ltd beginning June 1, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, without citing sources. Nippon Express, which already handles home delivery packages through the two chains, will oversee transport operations, while Japan Post will be in charge of deliveries."

April 28, 2004 -- The Asahi Shimbun has noted that "there might be fewer of them in the future, but at least the privatized post office of tomorrow might double as a convenience store Such are a couple of the suggestions floated in an interim report on postal system reform finalized Monday by a key government economic policy panel. There are nearly 25,000 post offices nationwide. The report envisages post offices that would offer a variety of services not currently available to make them more profitable and privatization easier."

April 27, 2004 -- Forbes has asked: "What can Brown do for you? How about fix your laptop? Japanese electronics company Toshiba and delivery and logistics giant United Parcel Service today are expected to announce a curious pairing which will have UPS employees repairing and servicing Toshiba-built notebook computers. As part of the deal, UPS will handle not only shipping and handling of Toshiba-made laptops for service, but also the repair and service itself. Owners of Toshiba notebooks will be able to drop the machines off at UPS retail shipping locations, from which they will be shipped to a UPS facility in Louisville, Ky. UPS employees who have been certified by Toshiba will perform the service and repairs as needed."

April 27, 2004 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy released an interim report Monday that called for post offices to continue mail delivery and savings and kampo life insurance services as well as sharing premises with businesses such as convenience stores after the postal services are privatized. The report focused on balancing efficient management with maintenance costs for the 24,700 post offices nationwide, reviewing savings and insurance services, which have been criticized for having an unfair advantage over competitors."

April 27, 2004 -- The Japan Times has reported that "a key policy-setting panel on Monday finalized an interim report proposing that Japan Post be fully privatized in 2012 at the earliest and maintain its nationwide network of post offices." See also Kyodo News.

April 27, 2004 -- Le Monde (France) has reported that "Jean-Paul Bailly, chairman of the French post office, La Poste, said that it is impossible for his organisation to reveal the number of jobs which it plans to cut, given that the issue has yet to be discussed with staff and local political figures. La Poste's unions, on the other hand, claim that it could shed 60,000 posts by 2012 if it refills only half of those vacated between now and then."

April 27, 2004 -- ITV News (U.K.) has reported that "the Royal Mail wants to change the way we customers pay for postage with prices based on the size of items rather than weight. The company said its proposed new system would be 'fairer and simpler' but regulators warn it could be disastrous for industries that send out large, lightweight goods." See also The Times and The Telegraph.

April 27, 2004 -- The Business Wire has reported that "FedEx Corp. has unveiled the new brand identity for recently acquired Kinko's retail locations--FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Center. FedEx also announced a timetable for the rollout of services at the newly-named stores. During the third quarter of calendar year 2004, the full range of FedEx day-definite ground and time-definite global express services will be available at all U.S. locations. In addition, during the fourth quarter of calendar year 2004, FedEx will offer customers' access to FedEx Consolidated Returns(TM) service, a powerful resource that helps e-tailers cost-effectively handle returns. Finally, the company said that stores are planning to offer complete 'pack-and-ship' capabilities to customers in time for the peak holiday season." According to Fedex CEO Fred Smith, the FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Center brand will serve as a beacon to businesses large and small searching for 'a total business solutions center.' FedEx Kinko's Office and Print Centers create a 'one-stop' resource offering the industry's broadest range of business services including copying and printing services, the full range of FedEx day-definite ground shipping and time-definite global express shipping services, video conferencing, high-speed wireless and wired Internet access, and computer usage."

April 27, 2004 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "TPG has become the latest company to release its results for the first quarter of 2004. TPG's mail division recorded another fall in revenues as volumes for addressed post in both the domestic and cross-border markets decreased for the 6th quarter in succession. However TPG's European Mail Networks proved an exception and expansion of UK, German and Italian operations saw the unit rise by 18.3%. Cost cutting initiatives and increased flexibility in working practices brought about an 8.3% increase in profits in the division as a whole to €236m."

April 27, 2004 -- Brand Republic has reported that "Royal Mail could face fines of up to £50m as next month's annual performance figures are expected to show a sharp deterioration in the punctuality of its deliveries. Penalties are being imposed by regulatory body Postcomm after it introduced a tough regulatory regime designed to compensate business customers. Royal Mail has missed its delivery targets for the past three years and the situation is said to be worsening. Performance has been affected by strike action and a radical shake-up within the organisation."

April 27, 2004 -- Bloomberg has reported that "Japan will privatize the three postal services in phases starting April 2007 and end its guarantees on new postal-savings deposits and insurance policies."

April 26, 2004 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online.

April 26, 2004 -- Kurt Kuehn, senior vice president of worldwide sales and marketing UPS contributed to a panel discussion with business leaders at the National Small Shipments Traffic Conference (NASSTRAC) in Naples, FL. Kuehn described the future of parcel shipment and its century of service to multiple industries through advancements in transportation, global politics, supply chain, the Internet, and customers' demand for tailored service. Read more.

April 26, 2004 -- The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has published in the Federal Register:

• A proposed rule that would amend the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) to allow mailers to place (to merge) onto the same 5-digit pallet or 5- digit scheme pallet (using DMM labeling list L001) both carrier route packages of flat-size and irregular parcel mailpieces, and 5-digit presort destination packages of flat-size mailpieces not meeting the criteria for the automated flat sorting machine (AFSM) 100, as well as 5-digit presort destination packages of irregular parcel mailpieces. Comments on this proposal must be made in writing on or before May 26, 2004, and should be directed to Manager, Mailing Standards, ATTN: Neil Berger, U.S. Postal Service, 1735 N. Lynn Street, Room 3025, Arlington, VA 22209 6038. Faxed comments should be sent to (703) 292 4058.
• A notice that on February 20, 2004 (69 FR 7887), the Postal ServiceTM published a proposed rule amending the Domestic Mail Manual (DMMTM ) to centralize the processing of requests for parcel testing. Such testing is requested to determine if parcels can be successfully processed on bulk mail center (BMC) parcel sorters when they do not conform to the general machinability criteria in the DMM. The Postal Service proposed DMM changes specific to this issue. This notice announces the adoption of these changes, which support the Postal Service's goal of consistency in determining the machinability of parcels.

April 26, 2004 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail has delivered a damming verdict on plans to open up the postal market to competition, claiming that it will lead to an increase in the price of stamps. The comments are directed at the regulator, Postcomm, which is thinking of levying VAT on postal companies." See also Accountancy Age.

April 26, 2004 -- According to Datamonitor, "La Poste has declared a sharp jump in net profit and sales in 2003 compared to the previous year. Nevertheless, the group must continue the modernization process, which invariably will mean more redundancies, as well as expanding its non-mail services as deregulation and increasing competition in the market gather momentum. State-owned La Poste reported on Thursday that its net profit surged to E202 million from E34 million in 2002, while operating profit more than trebled to E310 million from E100 million. Sales during the period also rose although more modestly, 3.9% to E18 billion, slightly below the company's expectations. Sales at its core business, the mail service, went up 3.5% but mail volume declined for the first time by 0.9%. While this is seemingly good news for the company, a closer look at the results as well as the current and future direction of the market invites a more cautious assessment."

April 26, 2004 -- According to the Liverpool Daily Post, "nearly 200 postal workers walked out on strike today, saying their office was too hot. The unofficial action brought mail deliveries in Liverpool to a standstill and left thousands of homes and businesses without post."

April 26, 2004 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Pos Malaysia & Services Holdings Bhd. has said as part of a group revamp it may sell its noncore businesses, such as its 30% stake in a unit, in exchange for shares in Transmile Group Bhd. (7000.KU). Transmile is an air cargo operator and its biggest client is Pos Malaysia, the national postal company."

April 26, 2004 -- Business Day (Thailand) has reported that "Information and Communications Technology Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, pictured right, said over the weekend that Thailand Post was able to reduce its net operating loss by about 49 percent in 2003 as a result of the ministry's effort to revamp the company's performance. It is estimated that the state-owned firm loses up to one billion baht each year due to subsidised prices for mail services."

April 26, 2004 -- AFX Europe has reported that "Deutsche Post World Net AG's Global Mail unit said it has agreed to deliver bulk mail from several Western European countries to Austria for the Oesterreichischer Post AG, the Austrian national postal company. Financial terms of the agreement, which concerns mail from France, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Spain, Denmark and Switzerland were not disclosed."

April 26, 2004 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "as regular mail business drops, Hongkong Post thinks it has found an Internet-era way out of the dilemma: electronic identification services." See also TDC Trade Hong Kong Business News.

April 26, 2004 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch postal and logistics firm TPG NV has said the overall outlook for its 2004 performance has improved, but stopped short of issuing a fresh profit target."

April 26, 2004 -- EUPolitix has reported that "Brussels has warned Deutsche Post to make changes or face investigation over its monopoly in sorting letters under 100 grammes. As reported in FT Deutschland, EU competition chief Mario Monti has sent the German postal giant a warning letter requesting Deustche Post come into line with EU law and open up its market. Currently, the collection, sorting and franking of all letters under 100 grammes is the reserve of Deutsche Post."

April 26, 2004 -- The folks who make mailboxes will be happy with this news -- and so will a lot of other people: MailandJobs.com reports that more than 10 million delivery points have been added to the nation's mail system since 1997. "Every time the system grows it means there are more jobs related to the mailstream, more opportunities for mailers and more choices for consumers," says Peter G. Miller of the Mail & Jobs Coalition.

April 26, 2004 -- Chandigarh Newsline has reported that "the postal department has termed sending of Panjab University roll number cards through courier services as illegal."

April 25, 2004 -- The Belleville News-Democrat has reported that "for the third time in less than a year, city sewer bills apparently have been lost in the mail. Last May, the city complained to the U.S. Postal Service that 1,200 sewer bills that were mailed to residents never showed up. Replacement bills were sent, and they didn't show up, either. The Postal Service investigated the problem but never determined what happened to the bills. Postal officials at the time said the city didn't produce evidence they dropped the bills off at the post office. This time, Lundy said, workers in his office were careful to make sure they got a receipt."

April 25, 2004 -- The Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "The postal service has descended into chaos with millions of letters lying undelivered for weeks. Hospital operations have been missed, business orders cancelled and birthdays unmarked as sorting offices struggle to switch from a morning and afternoon service to a single delivery. Postmen complain that the move - designed to save the Royal Mail £350 million a year - has been implemented badly, with some staff having to carry heavy sackloads of mail on trolleys. Delivery rounds that used to take two to four hours now last up to eight hours, and some postmen have given up on the new arrangements. There are reports of mail being thrown away and postbags being dumped. Times of deliveries are also unpredictable and backlogs of unsorted mail are growing."

April 25, 2004 -- Reuters has reported that "movie rental service Netflix Inc. plans to do next year what its name has always promised: deliver a movie via the Internet. Netflix built a good business on the back of postal workers, collecting $272 million in revenue last year by delivering DVDs to 1.5 million subscribers. But next year Netflix plans to begin offering movies for download via the Internet."

April 24, 2004 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online.

April 24, 2004 -- GovExec.com has reported that "the Postal Service produced a list of provisions this week it would like to see in postal overhaul bills that lawmakers plan to introduce next week. Rep. John McHugh, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Government Reform Committee's special postal panel, said this week he wished the Postal Service had submitted them earlier. 'I don't want to rule it out of hand, but it's a late entry, to say the least,' McHugh said, adding that he had not yet seen the amendments. 'It won't get the kind of attention it would have had we received it 18 months ago, rather than 18 hours ago," he said."

April 24, 2004 -- According to the USNewsire , "Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today urged the United States Postal Service (USPS) to abstain from future sports sponsorships following the agency's announcement that it will end its relationship with the U.S. Pro Cycling Team. The USPS has sponsored the team for eight years. When asked about the possibility of future sports sponsorships, spokesman Gerry McKiernan said 'it's possible.' 'The decision to disengage from the U.S. Pro Cycling Team is a sensible one, though largely symbolic,' CAGW Director of Special Projects Leslie Paige said. 'Dropping the cycling team may only shift resources to more wasteful spending.'"

April 24, 2004 -- Dow Jones has reported that "the bidding process for state-managed postal service Correo Argentino will start on May 17 and shares of the new company will be floated on the local stock exchange."

April 24, 2004 -- Bloomberg has reported that "pilots of cargo airlines including FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. may start carrying guns as early as May 1, expanding U.S. efforts to prevent a repeat of the 2001 terrorist attacks."

April 24, 2004 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "Nigel Stapleton looks slightly too large for his modest office in a civil service building behind Waterloo station. The government-issue chairs are hardly commodious, the walls are a little thin and his salary is distinctly public sector at £76,500 a year for his three-day a week job as chairman of the Postal Services Commission. Like Allan Leighton, the chairman of Royal Mail who is now one of his adversaries, Mr Stapleton seems to enjoy the "plural" lifestyle. Although 57, he looks youthful, with few grey hairs, and he seems to relish juggling several jobs."

April 23, 2004 -- According to the Akron Beacon Journal, "neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night may stop carriers from delivering the mail. But a robin might."

April 23, 2004 -- ESPN has reported that "the Postal Service is ending its sponsorship of celebrated cyclist Lance Armstrong, winner of five consecutive Tour de France races. The agency has sponsored Armstrong's pro cycling team for eight years and will continue to do so through the end of 2004. Spokesman Gerry McKiernan said the agency has decided to go "in another direction" with its advertising."

April 23, 2004 -- According to the U.S. Marines, "for Marines in Iraq there is no more waiting weeks, or sometimes months for their letters or care packages, even amidst combat operations throughout the Al Anbar province. Mail delivery was a challenge during the last deployment to Iraq because units moved so quickly and so often. But now the wait for a letter or package is down to approximately ten days. The only hurdle with getting the mail delivered on time these days is the delay in convoys due to the threat of improvised explosive devices on the roads."

April 23, 2004 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:

• Personal information would be allowed in advertising and solicitation mail sent at Standard Mail rates only when advertising or solicitation is the exclusive purpose of the piece and personal information is included solely to boost the campaign's effectiveness, under a Postal Service proposed rule. The mailing industry is chewing on the proposed rule, as it considers the clarification on what material can be sent at Standard Mail and what material must be sent at the First Class Mail rates. A number of mailers have found themselves at odds with business mail acceptance managers in recent months. Nonprofit mailers have their own set of concerns. Nonprofit organizations almost always include something more than a solicitation in their mailings, such as an informational update, says Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers. Perhaps the USPS could change the word "exclusive" to something else, such as "primary," he suggests.
• Periodicals Mail did actually cover its costs in FY 2003 and make a very small contribution to overhead of 1-cent/piece, the Postal Service's Cost and Revenue Analysis (CRA) indicates.
• Even if the Postal Service has to add 5.4% more to its rate request in the next rate case, the total increase still would probably track cumulative inflation growth since the last rate hike in 2002. The Postal Service expects to end this fiscal year (2004) with a net income of about $2.1 billion. It expects to break even in FY 2005, according to its estimate in the FY 2005 Budget of the U.S. Government. If we were to follow this same pattern forward another year, and assume all other things stay fairly constant, the Postal Service would likely have a loss of about $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion in FY 2006. In its rate request, which could be filed later this year or in early 2005, it would include a contingency of some amount as well. If the USPS' total revenue request were $4 billion, this would amount to only an average rate increase of about 5.7%. If Congress does not lift the escrow account created in last year's Civil Service Retirement System law and the USPS has to fund the military pension costs of its employees, it will have to add 5.4% to the rate request. This would result in a 11.1% average increase in rates, using our estimate.
• Consumers would support receiving their mail in a package if the Postal Service properly communicated the reasons for the single package, qualitative research by the Postal Service indicates. Further, consumers in the focus groups preferred a clear, sealed plastic bag as the method for packaging the mail, the research found. Those who oppose a single package of mail noted "environmental issues" as their primary concern.
• Fiscal year 2003 marked the first time postal inflation has declined since the USPS started measuring its inflation in 1964.

April 23, 2004 -- DMNews has reported that:

• The U.S. Postal Service is doing so well managing its costs and keeping service at record levels that it's not in a crisis right now. This creates a problem when it comes to postal reform legislation, postmaste r general John E. Potter told attendees at the Direct Marketing Association's Government Affairs Conference. "I think it's time now for [Congress] to just deal with this escrow and eliminate it," he said. "It takes a lot of uncertainty out of the future for us when it comes to what we might have to do from a rate perspective." Without the $3 billion, Potter said, rates likely would increase 5.4 percent on top of the amount needed to cover increased costs. The other open piece of the legislation involves last year's shift from the Treasury Department to the postal service of military service retirement liability costs of USPS employees before they became postal employees. The USPS has said this will add more than $27 billion to its obligations.
• The biggest obstacle to postal reform legislation this year is "getting the momentum and the political will to take this on," Sen. John Sununu, R-NH, told attendees at the Direct Marketing Association's Government Affairs Conference yesterday. Nevertheless, Sununu said that Sen. Susan Collins, R-ME, who chairs the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, still expects to introduce a bill by the end of April. Sununu also sits on the committee.

April 23, 2004 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced that "a new threshold for machine read barcodes on flat-size mail will be crossed on July 31. That's the date the United States Postal Service begins to require a 90 percent rate of readability of barcodes in order to qualify for lower rates. This read rate increased from the current 80 percent is evaluated by the Postal Service's MERLIN (Mailing Evaluation and Readability Lookup Instrument) system. Letter-sized mailing rates remain at 90 percent, the threshold set when MERLIN was deployed in 2001."

April 22, 2004 -- PostCom to the Postal Service: "Your revised contracting rules stink!!"

April 23, 2004 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "As the candidate countries in Central and Eastern Europe prepare to join the European Union, TNT Express has announced new investment in the region to capitalize on the forecast growth in exports and imports. Plans include new linehaul connections, a new 2.7m international road hub in Warsaw, additional sortation facilities and more vehicles and drivers. These will add to TNT's existing 1,800 staff, 900 vehicles and 67 depots throughout the region. Although the investment is relatively modest - 11m the company has already built up a significant presence in the region in preparation for the enlargement. In addition to the enhancement of the road network, air express operations have also been improved with additional air stations brought on line."

April 22, 2004 -- With some regularity you can still see "junk mail" in the news, used as a substitute for direct mail, ad mail or advertising mail. Mailers have always maintained that the term "junk mail" in news reports prejudices any discussion of the mailstream because it presumes that mail lacks value and utility. We are now beginning to see something else: The term "junk mail" seems decidedly less popular in journalism circles than in past years. Read more about it.

April 23, 2004 -- According to NetGram CEO Peter Jacobson writing in Association Trends, "the 'solution' to rising costs for assn communications was supposed to be e-mail, a technology which requires no postage, paper, envelopes or labels. E-mail is not only cheap, it's quick and can be personalized. Newsletters, invoices and messages can all be sent at great speed and with little cost on the Internet. But, alas, the promised land of electronic communication has not been reached. Rather than being a replacement technology, e-mail has evolved into a choice rather than a requirement, a medium that has yet to find its place as a reliable delivery option."

April 22, 2004 -- In a recent report, "Postal Service's Funding of the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS),"the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General concluded that the Postal Service overpayments, being held in escrow, should be released to the Postal Service and that requiring the Postal Service, and no other federal agency, to pay pension costs for military service constitutes a hidden tax on Postal Service customers. Additionally, the report supported an actuarial review of OPM's calculation of CSRS retirement costs, such as reevaluating whether the costs associated with postal employees' prior government service should be included in the calculation."

April 23, 2004 -- The Independent (Zimbabwe) has reported that "the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional two sections of the Post & Telecommunications Services Act which authorised President Robert Mugabe to give orders to intercept postal articles and messages. In a delayed ruling, the Supreme Court last month said sections of the Act that allowed Mugabe to authorise the interception of postal articles and telecommunications were unlawful and thus 'null and void'."

April 23, 2004 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "Japan Post plans to draw up a management program for life as a privatized corporation after the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy approved in principle on Wednesday its draft of an interim report on privatization. The public corporation will set up a team of executives, drawn from its three operations-mail delivery, postal savings and insurance-to study the functions and organizations of privatized postal corporations. Japan Post hopes the government's preparatory office for postal services privatization to incorporate the results of the studies in its privatization framework. The draft interim report called for Japan Post to be privatized in five to 10 years after state guarantees are abolished for postal savings and insurance products in 2007."

April 23, 2004 -- Les Echos (France) has reported that "the french postal service, La Poste, yesterday called a meeting of its administrators in an attempt to quell doubts over the creation of a postal banking service, which is due to be launched in the next year. Trade unions have expressed doubts over the plan, saying that they would prefer to see the post office create a partnership with a public-interest bank which has no retail branches, such as state-owned French bank CDC or Dexia, the Franco-Belgian banking group specialised in public finance."

April 23, 2004 -- AFX Europe has reported that "Deutsche Post AG said it is in talks with the Belgian post office La Poste over cooperation, but has not as yet formulated any concrete plans."

April 22, 2004 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "a government panel Wednesday unofficially endorsed a draft interim report on privatizing Japan Post, stressing the bright side of privatization. In the draft report approved by the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy the government went to great lengths to contain criticism from those opposed to privatizing the postal services."

April 22, 2004 -- According to The Motley Fool, "FedEx and United Parcel Service are two companies worth considering for your portfolio. Each is trying to steal market share from the other, but they may well both win out."

April 22, 2004 -- The Associated Press has reported that "a German postal worker admitted to putting packages up for auction over the Internet after a search of his apartment turned up a hoard of missing deliveries."

April 22, 2004 -- The MarketWire has reported that "IBM has announced that its consulting division, Business Consulting Services, has been awarded a contract by International Post Corporation (IPC) to help them transform and manage UNEX, an Internet-based quality measurement system for the international postal organization. The new measurement system will allow postal operators to be more responsive and react quickly to deteriorating delivery times, and facilitates the speedy settling of accounts between the countries' postal operators. IBM and IPC aim to have the system fully operational by 2005. In order to achieve this, more than a half-million test letters will be sent between 36 countries every year." See also Washington Technology.

April 22, 2004 -- Le Monde (France) has reported that:

• Although no indication has yet been given of how many redundancies La Poste, the French national postal services group, intends to carry out as part of its development plan for the period until 2007, its employees are worried that swingeing cuts are on their way. According to management estimates, 4,700 jobs were cut at the group last year, and nearly 5,000 will go in 2004. Most affected are the group's financial centres and its distribution activities.
• Today La Poste, the French national postal services group, will reportedly announce a sixfold increase in profit for 2003, to 202m euros, from 34m in 2002. The group is also expected to post a 4 per cent increase in turnover to 18bn, and a threefold increase in operating profit, to 310m euros, thanks to improved cost-cutting. Despite these apparently positive figures, the parent company would reportedly have made a loss in the period in question, had it not received 200m as a result of the increase in the price of postage stamps, which came into effect on 1 June 2003. The group aims to become a top European player in the postal sector by 2010.

April 22, 2004 -- Reuters has reported that "China agreed to drop a proposed standard that would bar foreign firms from delivering mail in China weighing less than 500 grams, compared to the current threshold of 350 grams." See also Dow Jones.

April 22, 2004 -- UPS has reported an 11.3% increase in revenue and a 24% gain in net income for the first quarter, reflecting strong results in all three business segments. Scott Davis, UPS's chief financial officer, pointed to three highlights for the quarter including an increase in average U.S. ground and air volume of nearly 600,000 packages a day, or 5%; a doubling of international profit to US$269 million, and double-digit revenue growth in the UPS Supply Chain Solutions unit."

April 22, 2004 -- News10Now has reported that "Cornell Professor of Policy Analysis Rick Geddes has spent his life teaching and writing about how policy-making affects the economy. Now he'll get to put his money where his mouth is. Geddes will be at the White House for a year as one of ten senior economists working with the President's Council of Economic Advisers. 'One of the things, oddly enough, I've become an expert in over the years is the economics of postal services. Right now, as we speak, the US Postal Service is undergoing a major threat, I guess, from alternative sources of communication,' said Geddes. But he plans to do more in Washington than save the Postal Service from the growing threats of email and fax machines."

April 22, 2004 -- The Newswire has reported that "the U.S. government is causing economic harm through its ownership or support of firms and services that compete with private enterprise, such as the U.S. Post Office, Fannie Mae and Amtrak, says a new book edited by a Cornell University professor. The government-affiliated and quasi-government services benefit from competitive advantages over private firms that foster a wide range of potentially harmful effects to the economy and taxpayers, says the book, Competing with the Government: Anticompetitive Behavior and Public Enterprises (Hoover Institution Press, 2004). The editor and author of two of the four chapters is R. Richard Geddes, an associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell. The other chapter authors are David E. M. Sappington of the University of Florida and National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and J. Gregory Sidak and Peter J. Wallison, both of the American Enterprise Institute."

April 22, 2004 -- The BBC (U.K.) has reported that "the [British] Post Office is to more than double the number of branches which offer on-demand Bureau de Change services."

April 22, 2004 -- The Nation has reported that "Thailand Post Co will launch a parcel-tracking service by the third quarter as part of its plan to modernise its service. Thailand Post's senior executive vice president Ormsin Chivapruk said yesterday that the state agency had already set up the system using technology from Hewlett-Packard."

April 22, 2004 -- Stamps.com has announced financial results for the first quarter of 2004. First quarter revenue was an all time quarterly high of $7.6 million, up 66% versus the first quarter of 2003 and up 19% versus the fourth quarter of 2003.

April 22, 2004 -- The PR Newswire has reported that "Firstlogic, Inc., a global provider of advanced information quality and postal automation solutions, today announced the general availability of the latest release of the firm's Directory Retrieval System (DRS) software solution. DRS is Firstlogic's high performance addressing technology for use on Multi-Line Optical Character Recognition (MLOCR) automation equipment. The solution enables organizations to consolidate and assign 11-digit barcodes to mail pieces in compliance with USPS guidelines to gain postage discounts."

April 22, 2004 -- Direct has reported that:

• While a number of factors are yet unresolved, the next postal rate case could see increases of around 10%-12%, according to Larry Buc. Furthermore, the government's likely failure to address postal reform this year adds both to uncertainty, and if pending fiscal issues aren't resolved to the ultimate increases. And Buc is in a position to know: He is president of SLS Consulting, a Washington, DC firm specializing in economic, operational and environmental analysis within the mailing industry. He had served as a witness in both the 1977 and 2000 postal rate cases.
• Direct mail is alive and well and the United States Postal Service wants to help you send more of it. That's the message U.S. Postmaster General Jack Potter brought to attendees of the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing's DM Days on Wednesday. 'We're interested in every dollar," he said. 'Gone are the days that we are going to sit on our monopoly.'"

April 22, 2004 -- The Associated Press has reported that "with an economic recovery taking hold, newspapers have a chance to spur their transformation from traditional 'ink on paper' companies to more broad-based media that lure readers in new ways, said John Sturm, president of the Newspaper Association of America. 'People want to consume their media where, how and when they choose,' Sturm said. 'They want to look only at the ads that interest them. Until someone comes up with TiVo for newspapers ... we are the quintessential pull media.' He said the group continues to push for changes on the legislative front, including reform of the U.S. Postal Service. Any move that puts smaller mailers at a disadvantage to large volume mailers will be challenged, he said. And the group will continue in its efforts to thwart any penalties that result from special deals for large direct mailers."

April 22, 2004 -- The PR Newswire has reported that "tens of thousands of Postal Service customers from around the country will hear Postmaster General John E. Potter on May 26, National Postal Customer Council (PCC) Day, when he delivers his first-ever national satellite broadcast on the state of the United States Postal Service. It is anticipated that Potter will address a range of topics that fall under the organization's Transformation Plan, the Postal blueprint for the future he submitted to Congress two years ago."

April 22, 2004 -- DMNews has noted that "it's critical that Congress pass a postal reform bill before it's too late, Rep. John McHugh (R-NY) told attendees at the Direct Marketing Association's Government Affairs Conference yesterday. "We are closer today than ever before of making a difference and finding a bipartisan, bicameral solution," he said. "If this bill is to be passed -- and if we are going to get to the core challenge of providing flexibility and modernization of the postal service ... broad-based changes to the employee worker situation -- they are probably not going to be in the bill, because you can't pass a bill with them," he said."

April 22, 2004 -- At the same time, Direct that when "asked whether postal reform be considered by Congress this year, the chiefs of staff for both House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland and House Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Montana replied with one-word 'no's."

April 22, 2004 -- Harrogate Today (U.K.) has reported that "postal disruption is set to continue as Royal Mail implement the next "phase" of the controversial transition to one single daily delivery."

April 22, 2004 -- According to Transport Intelligence, "DHL Solutions, DPWN's contract logistics division, has been named as Europe's most 'pan-European' provider. The findings, contained in its recent publication, European Logistics Leaders 2004, are based on an objective, weighted scorecard model which rated logistics companies on their position in the German, UK, French, Italian, Spanish, Benelux, and Nordics markets."

April 22, 2004 -- According to the Journal of Commerce, in Russia, "the package delivery business has grown by between 25 percent and 40 percent annually over the past three years, and the big four western operators -- TNT, DHL Worldwide, United Parcel Service and FedEx -- account for the bulk of the market. International deliveries currently account for most of the volume but future growth will be driven by domestic shipments as Russia's economy expands, prompting western operators to build up their domestic networks. DHL has more than 100 offices and TNT has doubled its domestic business over the past year. FedEx plans to add 25 new offices around the country this year to link with sorting depots in Moscow and St. Petersburg. State-owned Russian Post, which has more than 40,000 outlets, has moved into the domestic market and recently took over the international operations of another state company, EMS Garantpost."

April 22, 2004 -- Traffic World has reported that "NATO and its 26 member countries will pilot test RFID technology along the route used to get supplies and goods from Europe to Kabul. The route stretches from the Netherlands and Germany through Uzbekistan to Afghanistan, and apparently there are weak links in the supply chain. Material is shipped in, and they can't find it." And you thought you had problems....

April 21, 2004 -- The U.S. Postal Service has provided a set of proposed amendments to the House Committee on Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, as requested by those committees. A copy of the USPS' comments have been posted on this site.

April 21, 2004 -- According to Die Welt, "Deutsche Post, the German postal service, has been accused by competitors of abusing its dominant position on the market. PIN, the company's largest competitor in the field of the licensed delivery of letters in Germany, says that it uses Deutsche Post to deliver letters that are to be sent to addresses outside the area in which it operates. According to PIN, some of these letters are delivered only after a delay of several weeks. At present, only 4 per cent of letters delivered in Germany are delivered by private mail companies."

April 21, 2004 -- Manufacturing & Logistic IT has reported that "as a worldwide supplier of tracking and diagnostic monitoring systems to the postal industry, Lyngsoe Systems biannual Postal Tracking & Diagnostic Monitoring Conference is held in Copenhagen on 25-27 May 2004. Also this year Lyngsoe Systems brings together the world's leading postal managers, executives and users from the more than 40 countries using the AMQM platform. The programme has been arranged with prominent speakers sharing their latest experiences and prospects for the future within postal quality of service. Because many postal operators are preparing for increased liberalisation, Lyngsoe has included a workshop on how to integrate operations and Quality of Service. The workshop will focus on how Quality of Service can be optimised by integrating transport management, roll cage tracking, mail volume forecasting and load control."

April 21, 2004 -- The Inverness Courier (U.K.) has reported that "senior Royal Mail officials yesterday denied that consultation process on the proposed closure of four city post offices was a sham."

April 21, 2004 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "the one essential ingredient without which true postal reform simply will not happen is the provision of flexibility to allow the Postal Service to eliminate whatever unnecessary redundancies circumstances may create."

April 21, 2004 -- When they do well, they should be congratulated. So..."Kudos" for the Postal Service on the performance of its Automated Package Processing System (APPS). This next generation small parcel and bundle sorting system includes automated in-feed and induction stations, optical character recognition, and video coding systems for increased throughput and operational efficiency. Recent performance tests have shown that the APPS machines can handle the lion's share of the parcels the USPS must process including those whose dimensions rage from a minimum of 3 inches in width, 3.5 inches in length, 0.05 inches in height, and as little as 0.1 pounds weight to a maximum of 22 inches in width, 18 inches in length, 15 inches in height, and 25 pounds weight.

April 21, 2004 -- While the news is filled with daily stories about the Internet and new technologies, mail remains one of the nation's largest sources of domestic employment, according to a new website, MailandJobs.com. "There are 9 million jobs associated with mail but you never hear about it," says Peter G. Miller, executive director of the Mail and Jobs Coalition. "Few people realize that more than 200 billion pieces of mail were distributed last year, that all major environmental and consumer groups use the mails, or that advertisers will spend more than $50 billion on mail this year -- more than will be spent on newspapers and far more than the $7.3 billion spent for online ads in 2003." "In a nation where jobs are always a core concern, mail represents income and stability for millions of households," Miller says. "Simply put, mail equals jobs, more mail equals more jobs, more jobs are good for everyone." The group's site, www.mailandjobs.com, includes news and information regarding the mails, employment and related topics. The site is expected to become a major information resource for consumers, schools, non-profit organizations, local businesses and the media. [PostCom is one of the founding members of this coalition.]

April 21, 2004 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• Belgium's La Poste has apparently commissioned a study, which will explore the company's strategic alliances options. Last autumn, the Dutch post and logistics group TPG expressed interest in buying into the Belgian post.
• Privatisation of Japan Post, promoted especially by Prime Minister Koizumi, is beginning to take shape. As far as mail and parcel services are concerned, the Council advocates that Japan Post expand, particularly into the Asian parcel and freight markets. The Council suggests that this be achieved through co-operation with other Asian firms as well as by taking over companies. Japan Post is one of the world's biggest post companies with a turnover in excess of 19bn euros in the postal segment.
• General Logistics Systems International Holding (GLS), the European parcel network of Royal Mail, is launching GLS Slovakia on 1 May. The newly founded company is a subsidiary of GLS Hungary. Customers are promised a 24-hour transmission time within Slovakia and to and from Hungary and Austria.
• China's Sinotrans Group, a joint venture partner of DHL and UPS on the Chinese express market, is obviously intending to float a further business division on the stock market.
• Schweizerische Post's recent announcement that post office queues would soon be a thing of the past has now been followed by more concrete suggestions. The Swiss post has come up with the concept of a postal clerk who on busy days goes round the bigger post offices equipped with a small yellow trolley, serving those customers who just want to buy a stamp or have a simple query. This innovation has obviously stirred Deutsche Post into action. Last week in Bonn, the German post announced that 250 post offices throughout the country would be allocated extra staff from May, who would approach and interview waiting customers as to their requests.
• Over 200 pages of a whole year's CEP News for only 99 euros! The 'CEP Yearbook 2003', compiled by the CEP News editors, represents a comprehensive work of reference describing all relevant trends on the worldwide express and postal markets. The articles published throughout the year are complemented by additional chapters giving an overview of the most important developments among CEP service providers and in different countries. For quick and specific reference on the most varied topics there is a comprehensive index. The 'CEP Yearbook 2003' is available at 99 euros from our web site www.m-r-u.de.

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April 21, 2004 -- As Computerworld has noted, "automation at the Worldport hub speeds up package sorting, cuts manual labor and helps UPS compete with rival FedEx."

April 21, 2004 -- In a letter to the editor of the Washington Times, USPS communications vice president Azeezaly Jaffer wrote: "The April 1 Insight article "Ricin Attack Was Ignored by USPS" was so riddled with errors and inconsistencies that it's hard to know where to begin with a response. But one point stands out and I think it's important to set the record straight on how we approach employee safety."

April 21, 2004 -- Les Echos has reported that "Solystic, the French producer of postal sorting machines, has won a 62m-euro contract within a consortium to supply four new sorting centres and reorganise a fifth one for the Belgian postal service. The contract also includes a five-year maintenance service for a further 36m euros. Solystic, a subsidiary of US aerospace and defence group Northrop Grumman, registered sales of 90m euros in 2003."

April 21, 2004 -- The Kyodo news service (Japan) has reported that "the government should maintain the current universal postal services throughout the nation even after the privatization of Japan Post, according to a draft proposal by a government panel made available Tuesday."

April 21, 2004 -- According to the Polish Bulletin"

• Executives at Poczta Polska (PP), the state-owned post office, are unable to say what happened to 1,000 silver and gold stamps issued to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's pontificate. Tuesday's edition of the Rzeczpospolita daily claimed that the stamps were intended for promotional purposes and given to PP's management, but their distribution was conducted in a concealed way.
• The financial results for the last year for Poczta Polska (PP), the state monopolist on the postal services market, were six times better than expected. Thanks to staff reductions, the company recorded a ZL92m profit compared to the planned ZL15m.

April 21, 2004 -- The BBC (U.K.) has reported that "more than 1,000 staff are expected to walk out for 24 hours from a depot in Aston, Birmingham, on Friday morning. The strike will affect the city centre in particular and people are being advised to send any mail early."

April 21, 2004 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "a key government panel plans to propose the allocation of an independent accounting system for each postal-related service--mail delivery, postal savings and kanpo life insurance services--to come into effect after the services are privatized, according to the panel's draft interim report on postal privatization."

April 21, 2004 -- The DMA's Nonprofit Federation will present Rep. John M. McHugh with its Public Service Award for his efforts on postal matters impacting nonprofit mailers. This is the first time an elected official will receive this award. Following the presentation, the Congressman will address conference attendees on the urgent need for comprehensive postal reform. Rep. McHugh serves as Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee's Special Panel on Postal Reform and Oversight.

April 20, 2004 -- The BBC (U.K.) has reported that "a branch of Britain's biggest postal workers union has sparked a row by breaking Labour Party rules and affiliating to another party."

April 20, 2004 -- Pitney Bowes Inc. has introduced a browser-based online postage option for its DeliverAbility(tm) enterprise package management software, which allows customers to purchase and print postage from their computer. This new and exclusive online postage option simplifies the process of calculating and paying for postage and accessing shipping services offered by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

April 20, 2004 -- What's all this CSRS stuff about? It can be confusing. To help make the issue a bit more comprehensible, we've posted a piece on this site entitled: "Everything (And More) That You Ever Wanted to Know about the Postal/csrs Funding Crisis but Were Afraid to Ask"

April 20, 2004 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch Wegener NV has said it's selling the remaining 30% share in its Interlanden joint venture to Deutsche Post AG. Interlanden is one of the players in the field of distributing unaddressed advertising materials in the Netherlands. Each week, the deliverers of Interlanden deliver approximately nine million free local papers and 70 million leaflets. Interlanden is located in Apeldoorn and employs 500 people. Approximately 24,000 deliverers are active for this company."

April 20, 2004 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service, is planning to introduce the role of floor manager, at least in its 250 largest branches. The new role is to be introduced on May 1 and is expected to be filled by branch managers, as the company does not wish to take on new staff. The company says that the aim of the plan is to improve its service; it is hoped that queues will become shorter and that customers will be happier. In future, the floor manager will be able to deal with customers' requests immediately if they are simple, such as collecting a package."

April 20, 2004 -- According to Le Figaro (France), "La Poste, the French public postal services group, is expected to announce satisfactory results for 2003 on Thursday, despite the industrial action in the spring of the year. The group will reportedly post group net profit of 202m euros, compared with 34m in 2002."

April 20, 2004 -- Hoovers has reported that "the courier company United Parcel Service is launching a global brand advertising campaign through McCann-Erickson London to promote how its service can help businesses."

April 20, 2004 -- Into stamps? Then check out Gibbons Stamp Monthly.

April 20, 2004 -- The Battle Creek Enquirer has noted that some in the town are in a battle of their own with the Postal Service over curb-side delivery.

April 20, 2004 -- According to DM News, "mailers gave their support to a rule proposal from the U.S. Postal Service published in the Federal Register yesterday that seeks to clarify when mail containing personal information may be eligible for Standard-mail rather than First-Class rates." Of course, Direct has a bit of a different take.

April 20, 2004 -- The PR Newswire has reported that "direct mail is the focal point of a new advertising campaign the U.S. Postal Service launched today, April 19. The campaign demonstrates just how influential mail can be in a multi-channel marketing campaign and will appear in major marketing and business publications. Created by Campbell-Ewald and Draft, the program features three levels of the classic consumer-purchase-behavior path -- awareness, consideration and purchase. The first level of the purchase path, 'Awareness,' opened the campaign on April 19 and will be followed by 'Consideration' on May 3 and 'Purchase' on June 7."

April 20, 2004 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "FedEx Corp. and its 4,100 pilots have started talks over new work rules, but both sides hope to avoid the strike threats that marked talks over the company's first union contract four years ago."

April 19, 2004 -- Business Europe has reported that "the deal means that Deutsche Post will collect mail from Royal Mail's business customers and transport it to one of the company's 72 mail centres around the UK for sorting. Royal Mail will then take the mail to its delivery offices, from where it will be delivered by postal workers. It also means that, from August, businesses will be offered a new two-day mail delivery services. Under the deal, Royal Mail will be paid between 13p and £3.65, depending on the heaviness of parcels and packages. The company said the new deal would safeguard its principle of 'one-price-goes-anywhere' within the UK."

April 19, 2004 -- The U.S. Postal Service has published in the Federal Register "a proposed rule [that] would amend the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) standards concerning material eligible for mailing at Standard Mail postage rates. Specifically, it would clarify the circumstances in which mail containing 'personal' information may be eligible for Standard Mail rather than First-Class Mail rates. The proposal also reorganizes and renumbers other provisions for First-Class Mail and Standard Mail to better describe the service provided under each class. Written comments must be received on or before June 18, 2004."

April 19, 2004 -- In a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, National Association of Letter Carriers President William Young wrote: "Far from being out of control, labor costs are falling. The Postal Service has reduced its workforce by 70,000 employees during the past five years. Labor costs as a share of total costs have declined from 86 percent in 1976 to 76 percent in 2003. Contrary to Mr. Ryan's claim, postal employees earn wages and benefits that are comparable to workers doing similar jobs for national delivery companies such as FedEx and UPS. In inflation-adjusted terms, postal wages or overall postage rates have not increased significantly since 1971. Congress can do many things to help secure the long-term viability of the Postal Service. Attacking the middle-class pay and benefits of postal workers is not among them."

April 19, 2004 -- Federal Computing Week has reported that "in Philadelphia, 2,500 U.S. Postal Service employees work in a mail-processing facility that stretches across five floors. Three floors in an adjacent truck terminal and a nearby rail yard hum with other mail-sorting activities day and night. The Philadelphia facility and others like it present a challenge for USPS workforce managers: how to assign the right workers to the right place at the right time. To deal with the problem, managers have begun using optimization software, dubbed 'the solver' but more formally known as the Labor Force Schedule Optimizer System."

April 19, 2004 -- As Poste Italiane's Mario Macaro noted in Direct magazine, "in the late 1990s, the Italian post office found itself in a situation that many of its European counterparts knew all too well: The Internet and private couriers had transformed many postal activities into fully contestable markets. To make matters worse, the quality of Italian postal services was poor, public confidence in mail had suffered, and operating losses were nothing unusual. If the post office was to remain an important part of Italy's and Europe's economic and communications landscape, a radical transformation clearly would be needed. Cost-cutting alone wouldn't be enough. The quality, scope and cost-efficiency of mailing services had to improve."

April 19, 2004 -- According to the Plattsburgh Press Republican, "some of the small post offices in the region have had to adjust the hours they are open, and the patrons are not happy. The post offices aren't, either, but it appears there are circumstances no one is able to control. The Postal Service nationwide is under the gun to cut expenses. It has few options when that directive becomes necessary. It could ask for a postal-rate increase, which certainly would not be embraced by the customers. In the end, the only viable alternative is to cut employee hours. That is what post offices have been forced to do. At big offices, that may not be noticed. At small ones, it certainly is."

April 19, 2004 -- The Sun-Sentinel has noted that "when Scott Silver acquired the former Burger King corporate headquarters on Old Cutler Road in South Miami-Dade County, he knew what wouldn't be central to his marketing campaign: the 80-acre campus overlooking Biscayne Bay, the 306,000 square feet of Class A office space, or the high-tech amenities. Instead, his campaign would focus on one concept: The 'anti-commute.' It would target executives, small business owners and corporate decision makers who face long daily drives to work. But instead of just another direct mail campaign, the campaign thought big, said Silver, president of the project, called Palmetto Bay Village Center. The $50,000 effort takes advantage of a new postal classification that allows odd- and over-sized direct mail pieces. Using over-sized, die-cut, cardboard-stock images of a Boston terrier, binoculars and an alarm clock, the art and copy targeted by ZIP code nearby affluent residents who commute to traditional business centers like downtown Miami, Datran and Doral."

April 19, 2004 -- Bloomberg has reported that "the committee discussing privatization of Japan's postal service will meet on April 26, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told reporters in Tokyo. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has promised to reveal a preliminary proposal for the sale of Japan's postal service, which holds about a fifth of Japanese household financial assets. The full privatization of Japan Post, the biggest buyer of Japanese government bonds, may take until 2017, the government has said. The sale of Japan Post is part of Koizumi's plan to reduce public spending through reforming state-owned corporations."

April 19, 2004 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "Scotland's rural post offices look set to receive a major boost as Patricia Hewitt extends their subsidies until 2008 - contradicting a recommendation by the postal watchdog. The Post Office regulator, PostCom, has advised the DTI secretary to terminate the £150 million per year of payments that the UK-wide rural network receives, from the start of 2006. But Hewitt is understood to have rebuffed the proposal outright. It is believed that her decision will be announced in June. PostCom's recommendation came after it completed a study that found the Post Office makes a 90 per cent loss on its rural network. The smallest branches receive only 20 customers per week, it discovered, and they make a loss of around £18 per visit. The Post Office is closing hundreds of branches around the country in an effort to stem the red ink. But the potentially devastating impact on rural communities - especially in Scotland - has aroused howls of protest. In response, the government introduced the £150m subsidy last year." See also the Financial Times (U.K.)

April 19, 2004 -- The Bangkok Post has reported that "Krung Thai Bank and four other private companies are interested in doing business in Thailand Post's post offices and are willing to help renovate and turn them into new business outlets."

April 19, 2004 -- TechNewsWorld has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service would like to add a new word to the mix of adjectives like 'slow' and 'inefficient' that have been used to describe it in the past. That new word is 'intelligent,' and it symbolizes the high-tech spark that is energizing this old-line government agency. A confluence of factors is pushing the Postal Service to expand its services so it can track not only individual packages, but also individual letters, from the starting point where they enter the system to their ultimate destination."

April 19, 2004 -- According to the Economist, "if you are a senior executive at a media company, you may feel that your industry is built on shaky ground. First, there was digital piracy, which could yet wipe out great chunks of revenue. Now there is the personal video recorder (PVR), which allows people to watch TV programmes whenever they like more easily and, crucially, to skip rapidly through all the commercials."

April 19, 2004 -- As Ad Age has noted, "Commercial messages have seeped into the plots of movies, the very fabric of TV shows and video games, and even into the plots of novels. But that may have been just the beachhead. Now a growing number of marketers want to persuade the nation's print magazines to open the text of their editorial pages to product placements."

April 19, 2004 -- And, as Adweek has reported, "a new study from MindShare shows that 'clutter' is still on the rise. Despite widespread concerns about clutter's negative effects on both commercials and programs, over-commercialization continues to be a problem."

April 19, 2004 -- The Kyodo news service (Japan) has reported that "the Japanese government on Monday unveiled a lineup of key members of a preparatory office in charge of privatizing Japan's postal services, naming Financial Services Agency (FSA) Commissioner Shokichi Takagi as one of two deputy heads. The other deputy head of the office, to be set up April 26 under the Cabinet Secretariat, is Shinichi Nabekura, a former vice chief for policy coordination of the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said at a news conference."

April 18, 2004 -- Traffic World has reported that "U. S. express companies say a new government study detailing the costs of anti-competitive postal protections and archaic customs systems provides important ammunition to open international markets to expedited air services. The U.S. International Trade Commission found that in addition to postal competition, U.S. express delivery companies are impeded abroad by unfair postal competition, inefficient customs practices, costly restrictions and tough barriers against entering new markets in the first place."

April 18, 2004 -- The Chosen Ilbo has reported that "the North Korea Stamp Corporation issued two sorts of Dokdo Islet postage stamps emphasizing that the Dokdo Islet is a territory of the Korean peninsula."

April 18, 2004 -- AGI Online has reported that "the Italian government has announced that it will allocate 860 million euro to guarantee worldwide postal service in the 2003-2005 period. These allocations are provided for by the 2003-2005 agreement signed by the Communications and Finance Ministers and Poste Italiane, the Italian mail joint-stock company. Poste Italiane have pledged to supply a quality-oriented service and to comply with the guidelines set out by its company plan. Poste Italiane pledges to gradually reduce worldwide postal expenses over the next three years, in accordance with its company plan. The company is also committed to increase revenues by adopting price caps and increasing fares for confidential services."

April 17, 2004 -- As the Washington Post has noted, "Netflix -- essentially alone in the movie-through-the-mail business since its 1999 launch -- now feels the heat of competition. Wal-Mart established a similar DVD-by-mail system last June and Blockbuster is about to start one. In an interview with Bloomberg television yesterday, Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings said his company's first-quarter loss is attributable largely to increased advertising and marketing costs designed to grab new subscribers. Netflix's through-the-mail lifespan may be shortened by the continued rollout of "video-on-demand" services offered by cable and satellite companies."

April 17, 2004 -- According to Hoovers, "FedEx ground hopes automation will deliver more growth in Tampa, FL."

April 17, 2004 -- PC World has reported that "a team of researchers at Xerox has discovered a way to print plastic transistors using a semiconductive ink. The discovery could pave the way for flexible displays and low-cost RFID radio frequency identification chips, Xerox says. Other companies are working on ways to print chips using inkjet printing technology or other methods of depositing liquid on a surface."

April 17, 2004 -- KETV asks: "Think your mail is safe at the curb? Thieves are stealing mail from curbside mailboxes in two Omaha neighborhoods, according to the U.S. Postal Inspector."

April 17, 2004 -- According to the Arizona Daily Star, "the family of Tucson Army Sgt. Aaron Garcia didn't need a congressional report to tell them how messed up the military mail system is. The proof is piled up on their dining room table. The Northwest Side family is outraged that four care packages they recently sent to Iraq were all returned to them as undeliverable this week. It's the same week that the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, released a 38-page report that revealed a raft of problems with mail delivery in Iraq including poor planning, inadequate staff training and bureaucratic inertia that has left problems unresolved for years."

April 17, 2004 -- Japan Times has reported that "privatize post offices and you may risk damaging the most trusted financial vehicle in Japan: the government bond. That's a concern being pointed out by an increasing number of economists and Finance Ministry officials in response to the reform initiatives of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi."

April 16, 2004 -- USA Today has reported that "Netflix on Thursday posted a wider quarterly net loss hurt by higher marketing costs, but the online DVD renter raised its earnings forecast, predicting better service would draw subscribers willing to pay 10% higher fees. Netflix shares dropped some 11% in after-hours trading, however, as investors reacted to a mixed outlook including an indication the planned price hike would cause a jump in a key measure of cancellations in the second quarter before a recovery later in the year. Netflix uses the Postal Service for outbound fulfillments and returns.

April 16, 2004 -- The Association for Postal Commerce has told the Postal Rate Commission:

• Absent the Postal Service's willingness to take this step, PostCom believes it is appropriate for the Commission to adopt a reporting rule for so-called "nonpostal" and arguably nonjurisdictional services. The Postal Service has no authority to provide nonpostal, nonjurisdictional services, other than those government functions which were traditionally performed by the Postal Service on behalf of the federal government. In any case, one of the key business recommendations of the President's Commission was to limit the Postal Service's nonpostal activities to providing other governmental services when in the public interest, and where the Postal Service is able to recover the appropriately allocated costs of such services. Read more.
• A review of the comments in this proceeding serves only to reinforce PostCom's belief that a comprehensive definition of the term "Postal Services", and consequentially, a determination of this Commission's jurisdiction, can only be undertaken by Congress. The comments are unanimous in their agreement on the proposition (which would be self evident anyway) that the term "Postal Services" encompasses the delivery of hard copy information and parcels, and that the Commission has jurisdiction over changes in rates or classification of the se products. The adoption of such a rule would serve little purpose precisely because that conclusion has never been controverted. Rather, the legal and policy issues disclosed by the comments address the Postal Service's involvement in and the Commission's jurisdiction over services that do not self evidently fall within the accepted meaning of the statutory term. This is for good reason: in its proposed rule the Commission carefully avoids offering any guidance with respect to whether, in its view, a proposed end-to-end or hybrid service is postal or nonpostal. Read more.

April 16, 2004 -- Mail doesn't mean much, eh? Think again. Then check out the latest web site sponsored by a consortium of companies and organizations (including PostCom) with a focus on explaining the importance of mail to the American economy.

April 16, 2004 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online.

April 16, 2004 -- As part of his presentation on USPS finances, Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser shared information on the costs and revenues per piece and contributions to overhead per piece for fiscal year 2003. They are as follows:

FY2003 CRA:            Rev/Pc.        Cost/Pc.        Con./Pc.

 Express                       $15.90            $7.53               $8.37

 Priority                        $ 5.22             $3.35               $1.87

 Package Svc               $1.96             $1.59                $0.37

 International               $1.75             $1.31                $0.44

 First-Class                  $0.37             $0.17                $0.20

 Periodicals                  $0.24             $0.23                $0.01

 Standard                     $0.19             $0.11                $0.08

April 16, 2004 -- The Washington Post has reported that "if you looked closely enough yesterday, you could almost see the tumbleweeds blowing through the post office across from Internal Revenue Service headquarters at Massachusetts Avenue and North Capitol Street. The Information Age has finally caught up with the medieval custom of levying taxes on the citizenry. For the first time since the government started offering electronic filing in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there is a chance that more than half the country's taxpayers will file their returns over the Internet. The arithmetic wasn't so great for the U.S. Postal Service, which would have gotten at least 37 cents from each of those 51.8 million federal returns that were instead sent over the Internet. That's a total of at least $14 million."

April 16, 2004 -- The Washington Times has reported that "General Accounting Office chief David M. Walker, who has raised the profile of his agency by warning about the dire consequences of spiraling government debt, said yesterday that the public and Congress remain oblivious to the serious financial crunch that is looming with the retirement of the baby boomers. Mr. Walker expects House and Senate conferences on the budget to agree to reinstate "pay-go" rules requiring any new spending programs or tax cuts be offset with spending cuts or tax increases. Nothing should be exempt from the budget axes, he said, suggesting that Congress also revisit whether the government needs to be providing electricity in rural areas anymore, or postal services that are now provided quite profitably by the private sector."

April 16, 2004 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "The Royal Mail today signed a deal giving access to its sorting and delivery network to German postal giant Deutsche Post. Under the agreement, Deutsche Post will collect mail from its business customers and transport it to one of Royal Mail's 72 mail centres for final sorting before being delivered by postal workers. Royal Mail will be paid between 13p and �3.65 per item, depending on the weight of the mail."

April 16, 2004 -- Direct magazine has reported that "Observers expect that postal reform bills will be introduced this month to address the U.S. Postal Service's financial needs and give it some of the freedoms it's long sought. Less certain, however, are suggested changes in the USPS' governance structure and in its relationship with labor unions."

April 16, 2004 -- According to the Ottawa Citizen (Canada), "when Canadians think of 'snail mail,' they probably don't think of technology. Luckily for Canada Post, Philippe Lemay does. He's the executive vice-president for business development for Canada Post Corporation, and he knows letter mail is decreasing every year because of technology. But he has a plan: integrate technology into the postal service, and the postal service won't lose customers. In fact, that's what Canada Post has been doing, under his leadership, for the last five years. Not only can you now track that gift for Grandma online. You can forgo paper mail altogether, and still use Canada Post. It created the world's first electronic post office, and the world's first electronic postmark. These services are still unused by most Canadians. But with each year, as the services improve, the customer base grows. And the fact is, if Canada Post doesn't snap up the growing online business, someone else will."

April 16, 2004 -- DMNews has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service's Carrier Pickup program expands next week for a total of 204,000 city and rural carrier routes, Postmaster General John E. Potter told the postal service's Board of Governors at its monthly meeting yesterday. Carrier Pickup lets customers go online to request next-day package pickups. There is no pickup fee because packages are picked up from customers as part of the carrier's normal delivery route. Packages must be prepared with the appropriate postage and ready to go before they are picked up. Potter also praised the recent success of Click-N-Ship Week, which took place at post offices nationwide March 22-26."

April 16, 2004 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that British "postal workers who have been on unofficial strike for almost three weeks are set to clear a huge mail backlog after they voted to return to work."

April 16, 2004 -- NALC President William H. Young was elected as a vice president of the American Federation of Labor, Council of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) at the labor federation's annual mid-winter Executive Council meeting in Bal Harbour, Florida. Young fills the unexpired term of NALC President Emeritus Vince Sombrotto, who resigned his post at the same meeting. Sombrotto, who had been an AFL-CIO vice president since 1981, had the longest seniority of any of the current vice presidents. Young's term will run until the next AFL-CIO Convention in Chicago in July, 2005."

April 16, 2004 -- NALC President William H. Young is encouraging every NALC branch in the nation to get involved in the 12th annual NALC National Food Drive on Saturday May 8 the second Saturday in May.

April 16, 2004 -- The Tri-Valley Herald has reported that "three years ago, two East Bay high-tech-type guys got just one too many of those throwaway promotional CDs that come in everything from the mail to cereal boxes. Their counterattack on what they call an annoying and wasteful problem began with an Internet quest to amass the discs and hit a benchmark Thursday when they dumped nearly 300,000 of the CDs outside the Capitol -- to the applause of lawmakers. Inspired by John Lieberman and James McKenna of El Cerrito, Assemblywoman Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, has introduced an only-in-California style bill that would require a postage-paid return envelope be included whenever America Online or other firms send unsolicited CDs."

April 16, 2004 -- AFX Asia has reported that "China plans to use "tens of billions" of yuan from postal savings to recapitalize debt-ridden rural credit co-operatives, the International Finance News reported, citing an official with the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC)."

April 16, 2004 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "the annual survey by Transport Intelligence on the state of the European logistics industry, European Logistics Leaders 2004, has shown that TNT Logistics remains the region's biggest contract logistics player. The growth of the market shows no sign of slowing although operating margins as a whole have shrunk as the sector struggles to come to terms with the harsh economic environment."

April 16, 2004 -- KOTV has reported that "the Hispanic population is the fastest growing minority group in Oklahoma. Businesses providing services to Hispanics are hard pressed to keep up. News on 6 reporter Rick Wells says the US Postal Service in Tulsa is way ahead of the curve with Oklahoma's first bi-lingual post office."

April 16, 2004 -- According to ADWEEK, "the U.S. Postal Service will promote the benefits of direct mail through a print campaign launching next week. The campaign, dubbed 'Be here,' was created by USPS agencies Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Mich., and Draft in Chicago. The Interpublic Group owns both shops. The first ad, 'Awareness,' breaks Monday. The second ad, 'Consideration,' launches May 3 and the third, 'Purchase,' appears June 7. A direct-mail component touting the benefits of direct mail will be implemented at the same time."

April 16, 2004 -- Computerworld has asked: "How is United Parcel Service, one of the world's largest logistics companies, approaching RFID? Like many companies, it's launching pilot deployments to better understand the business case for a wider rollout."

April 16, 2004 -- Handelsblatt has reported that "according to reports, t