[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 20, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 10868-10872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4146]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

POSTAL SERVICE

39 CFR Part 111


Preparation Changes for Securing Packages of Mail

AGENCY: Postal Service.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Postal Service is proposing to amend the packaging 
standards in Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) M020 to help ensure that 
packages maintain their integrity during transportation and postal 
processing. DMM M020 will prescribe general standards for preparing and 
securing all packages and will incorporate standards that pertain 
individually to packages on pallets, packages in sacks, and packages in 
trays.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 22, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Mail or deliver written comments to the Manager, Operational 
Requirements, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., 
Room 7301, Washington, DC 20260-7031. Copies of all written comments 
(available for $0.15 per copy per page) will be available for 
inspection and photocopying between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, at the following address: Library, United States Postal 
Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Room 11800, Washington, DC 20260-1540. 
Copies of comments may also be requested via fax or e-mail.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Beller, 202-268-5166, 
mail.usps.gov">cbeller1@e-mail.usps.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Many packages of Periodicals and Standard 
Mail tendered to the Postal Service on pallets or in sacks do not 
maintain their integrity during transportation to postal facilities and 
during postal processing. The Postal Service must redirect the 
resulting loose packages or broken packages (individual pieces) to 
higher-cost operations. If packages lose their integrity while being 
processed on small parcel and bundle sorters (SPBSs), the result can be 
machine slowdowns and stoppages as well as postal employees manually 
processing these packages. The increased costs of labor to process 
loose or broken packages is reflected in higher rates paid by mailers. 
In addition to rate implications, package breakage also damages 
mailpieces and has a negative impact on service, results that the 
mailing industry and the Postal Service would like to avoid.
    Data collected by the Mailers' Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) 
Package Integrity Work Group, comprising Postal Service and mailing 
industry representatives, revealed that, during the first handling, 
packages of Periodicals and Standard Mail in sacks break at a much 
greater rate than packages on pallets. This data also disclosed that 
packages of pieces with glossy (coated) cover stock break at higher 
rates than packages of pieces with covers of uncoated stock. An 
analysis of the data indicates that additional standards are necessary 
to improve the integrity of Periodicals and Standard Mail packages 
prepared in sacks and that some current standards for packages in sacks 
and on pallets also require clarification to improve packaging in 
general. Currently, with the exception of Standard Mail and Package 
Services Mail placed on bulk mail center (BMC) pallets, DMM M020 does 
not differentiate between packaging standards for mail placed on 
pallets and mail placed in sacks. Unlike palletized packages, which 
have maximum weight limits prescribed in DMM M045, there are no 
existing standards for Periodicals and Standard Mail that limit the 
size or weight of packages in sacks. Consequently, mailers of 
Periodicals and Standard Mail may prepare packages that weigh more than 
20 pounds and are, as a result, incompatible with processing on SPBSs. 
Heavier packages are also subject to more breakage if not properly 
secured. This is particularly true of sacked mail due to the additional 
handling it receives compared with palletized mail. Under the proposed 
rules, DMM M020 prescribes general standards for preparing and securing 
packages of all classes of mail and revises and incorporates standards 
that pertain individually to packages on pallets and packages in sacks.
    Proposed new standards limit the weight of sacked packages of 
Periodicals and Standard Mail to a maximum of 20 pounds and the height 
of these packages to a maximum of 8 inches for pieces of uncoated stock 
and to maximums ranging from 3 inches to 6 inches, depending on the 
securing method, for pieces with coated cover stock. As information, 
new mail preparation standards for Bound Printed Matter flats 
implemented January 7, 2001, limit the weight of packages in sacks and 
on pallets to 20 pounds, except that packages placed in 5-digit sacks 
or on 5-digit/scheme pallets may weigh up to 40 pounds. It is also 
proposed that the standards for all classes be amended to clarify when 
pieces should be counter-stacked to create packages of uniform 
thickness and to provide more emphasis on the standard that requires 
packages over 1 inch high to be secured with at least two bands or 
shrinkwrap.
    It is also proposed that the current requirement to secure double-
banded packages of all classes of mail first around the length and then 
around the girth be revised to eliminate a required banding sequence. 
Automated production lines in large printing plants are not designed to 
secure packages around the length first, and exceptions to the current 
standard must continually be granted to address this issue. Magazines 
and flyers are typically bound with stitches or glue and then stacked 
for packaging in accordance with the applicable presort, generally in 
groups ranging from 6 to 100 pieces. The stack is ejected and travels 
directly into a bander that secures the girth first, and then the 
length if a second band is required. If the first band was placed 
around the length of the stack, the stack would not be held securely 
enough to allow the second band to go around the girth because the 
backbone or spine is thicker than the face or side cut (length). This 
thickness variation would cause the bundle to fall apart, also 
affecting transport into another securing operation such as 
shrinkwrapping.

Data Collection To Determine Package Breakage Rates for Live Mail

    The Postal Service and the mailing industry have been working 
together to better understand the implications of package breakage and 
to identify opportunities to quantify and improve the current 
situation. In October and November 1999, the MTAC Package Integrity 
Work Group collected and analyzed data regarding the condition of 
packages of nonletter-size Periodicals and Standard Mail flats at the 
locations

[[Page 10869]]

within processing facilities (e.g., SPBS feed belts) where they were 
initially unloaded by the Postal Service from mailer-prepared sacks and 
pallets. This data was collected at four Postal Service processing and 
distribution centers (P&DCs) and two BMCs.
    Data collected for this live mail shows that of a total of 78,511 
packages on pallets that were observed, 832 packages, or 1.1 percent, 
were broken when first unloaded from the mailer-prepared pallets by the 
Postal Service. For mail in sacks, of a total of 11,826 packages that 
were observed, 2,074 packages, or 17.5 percent, were broken when the 
sacks were emptied. Broken packages were identified as those with a 
total loss of integrity resulting in one or more pieces loose or 
missing. Various characteristics concerning the packages and the 
mailpieces were recorded to identify key factors affecting package 
integrity. For all mail in sacks, the breakage rates were statistically 
very close, ranging from 16.7 to 19.8 percent, when packages were 
secured with two rubber bands, two plastic straps, or two strings 
(twine). Shrinkwrapped packages broke at a rate of 13.3 percent while 
packages secured with shrinkwrap plus one strap broke at the lowest 
rate of 9.5 percent.
    The data shows that coated paper stock leads to significantly 
greater package breakage than uncoated stock. Coated paper is the 
slick, shiny paper usually associated with magazines and catalogs while 
uncoated stock is often associated with newspapers and enveloped mail. 
For packages in sacks, the breakage rate for mailpieces with covers of 
coated paper stock was 23.6 percent compared with a breakage rate of 
11.6 percent for mailpieces of uncoated stock. For pieces of coated 
paper stock, shrinkwrap plus one strap proved to be the most effective 
packaging method. Shrinkwrap alone was the second most effective 
packaging method, followed by double banding with rubber bands, string 
(twine), or plastic straps. All methods of double banding caused 
packages to break at about the same rate. However, as package height 
increases, the breakage rate for shrinkwrapped packages increases at a 
greater rate than the breakage rate for packages secured with two 
plastic straps. As a bundle increases in height, it often becomes more 
rigid and two plastic straps are likely to maintain package integrity 
more effectively. Packages secured with shrinkwrap of insufficient 
strength or durability are less likely to retain their integrity, as 
the packages become taller (and consequently heavier), particularly 
when those packages are placed in sacks. Mail in sacks is subject to 
additional processing steps before the contents are distributed by the 
Postal Service (e.g., sacks bedloaded on trucks or dumped on sack 
sorting equipment) when compared to mail prepared on pallets.
    The data collected during the live mail tests in October and 
November 1999 are contained in USPS-LR-1-297 filed in conjunction with 
R2000-1.

Results of Controlled Package Integrity Test To Determine Key 
Drivers of Package Breakage

    On the basis of results of the live mail tests, the MTAC Package 
Integrity Work Group concluded that the most significant reductions in 
package breakage could be achieved in the near future by improving the 
integrity of packages currently prepared in sacks, particularly for 
packages of mailpieces with covers of coated stock. These changes 
supplement other efforts, described later in this notice, that are 
underway to move mail out of sacks and onto pallets, when possible. 
Accordingly, a controlled test of mail prepared in sacks was conducted 
in August 2000. A variety of packaging methods and mailpiece types, 
both coated and uncoated, were tested with test packages ranging in 
height from under 1 inch up to approximately 8 inches. These pieces 
were representative of the Periodicals and Standard Mail mailstreams. 
The following mailpiece types and securing methods were tested:
     Unbound, uncoated half-fold newspapers secured with 
plastic straps and with string (twine).
     Quarter-fold newsprint advertisements secured with plastic 
straps and with string (twine).
     DVDs prepared in padded plastic containers measuring 
approximately 7\1/2\ inches by 5\3/8\ inches by \5/8\ inch and secured 
with plastic straps and with rubber bands.
     9-inch by 12-inch enveloped pieces secured with plastic 
strap(s), with rubber bands, and with string.
     Individually polywrapped magazines secured with plastic 
straps.
     Saddle-stitched magazines with coated cover stock secured 
with shrinkwrap, with plastic straps, with string, and with rubber 
bands.
     Perfect bound magazines with coated cover stock secured 
with plastic straps, with rubber bands, and with shrinkwrap.
    Sacks containing the test pieces were deposited at the Cincinnati 
BMC, processed through the sack sorter, and transported to the 
Philadelphia BMC, where they were processed through that facility's 
sack sorter before being unloaded to collect information about the 
condition of the packages. This was consistent with the transportation 
and processing of sacked mail that is entered at an origin facility for 
delivery to addresses outside of the mailer's local BMC service area. A 
small number of sacks were deposited at the Philadelphia BMC and were 
not processed through any sack sorter before being unloaded for 
examination of their contents.
    Results from the controlled test show that the average breakage 
rate for packages of unbound, uncoated newspapers/newsprint 
advertisements and individually polywrapped pieces combined was 
approximately 3 percent while the average breakage rate for pieces with 
coated cover stock was approximately 55 percent. For the pieces with 
coated cover stock, the breakage rate increased significantly as the 
height of the packages increased. For pieces with coated cover stock, 
packages over 3 inches high (4 inches to 6 inches) broke apart at rates 
ranging from 42 to 100 percent depending on the package height and 
securing method. The taller packages that were secured with two plastic 
straps had the lowest breakage rates. Packages secured with shrinkwrap 
plus one strap had lower breakage rates than packages secured with only 
shrinkwrap. These data are consistent with the data collected in 
October and November 1999 for the live mail test which showed that 
double plastic bands or shrinkwrap plus one band are generally more 
effective for securing taller packages. It should be noted that various 
formulations of shrinkwrap were used to secure mail in the controlled 
test and the shrinkwrap ranged in thickness from 1 to 1.5 mil.
    The breakage rate for the 9 inch  x  12 inch enveloped mailpieces 
of uncoated paper stock was approximately 58 percent. The breakage rate 
for these pieces, which were of irregular thickness due to an insert 
enclosed in the center of each piece, also increased significantly as 
the height of the packages increased. This occurred because the 
packages were thicker in the center (football-shaped) and the straps, 
if they moved off the thicker package center during transportation or 
processing, would tend to fall off the thinner edges creating loose or 
broken packages.

Analysis of Data and Proposed Standards

    Analysis of the data gathered from the controlled test described 
above indicates that increasing package height results in greater 
breakage rates, with

[[Page 10870]]

breakage increasing by approximately 14 percentage points for each 
additional inch of package height. This results in a very high breakage 
rate for packages 4 inches and taller. On average, the breakage rate 
for shrinkwrapped packages was 15 percent higher than for packages 
secured with two plastic straps. Also, by adding a single plastic strap 
to shrinkwrapped packages, the breakage rate for shrinkwrapped packages 
was reduced by 25 percent.
    As a result, the MTAC Package Integrity Work Group has identified 
preparation changes that will improve package integrity and reduce the 
percent of packages that break. This reduction in breakage will reduce 
processing costs. The proposed changes contained in this Federal 
Register notice have been drafted based on the data collected during 
the live mail and controlled tests. The specific proposed changes are 
described in detail below.
    The key focus of the proposed changes is to significantly reduce 
package breakage for mailpieces with covers of coated stock that are 
prepared in sacks, identified as a key contributor to the package 
integrity problem. The proposed standards requiring smaller packages 
for some sacked mail may result in a greater number of packages in 
sacks for mail found to currently have exceptionally high breakage 
rates. However, any costs for handling additional smaller packages will 
be greatly outweighed by modeled savings that will result from avoiding 
additional package handlings, recovery costs, and single-piece 
handlings that are incurred when these packages break prematurely. The 
proposed revisions to the DMM, in conjunction with other Postal 
Service/Industry initiatives, are intended to and expected to improve 
package integrity in general for mail both in sacks and on pallets.
    It is important to note that representatives of many Periodicals 
and Standard Mail associations, serving large and small volume mailers, 
have been involved in all aspects of test design, data collection and 
analysis, and development of recommendations to improve package 
integrity. These mailers produce a wide variety of flat-size mailpieces 
(and irregulars for Periodicals) using all currently permitted package 
securing methods.

Additional Efforts To Reduce Package Breakage and Associated Costs

    Amending and revising the DMM packaging standards to improve mailer 
preparation, as proposed in this notice, is one of several efforts 
underway to reduce costs associated with processing packages of 
Periodicals non-letters and Standard Mail flats. Based on analyses of 
the test data described above and on other studies and discussions 
between the Postal Service and Periodicals industry representatives, it 
was determined that other steps, in addition to improvements in 
packaging by mailers, could help reduce Postal Service handling costs 
that relate to package breakage. These steps include working with 
mailers to move mail from sacks to pallets, improving package-sorting 
methods related to SPBS feed systems, improving Postal Service recovery 
methods for broken or damaged packages of flats, and working with 
mailers to develop a process enabling customers to prepare flat-size 
mail in a manner that supports processing on flat-sorting machines.
    Many mailers have indicated that, until recently, they were not 
aware of the package breakage problem at Postal Service facilities. In 
response, and at the recommendation of the MTAC Package Integrity Work 
Group, the Postal Service established the MTAC Feedback Mechanism Work 
Group to develop effective methods to provide mailers with information 
about mail that is not properly prepared and that is adding costs to 
processing operations. The expectation is that when mailers receive 
feedback about specific package integrity problems, they will take 
appropriate steps to improve their packaging methods.
    The MTAC Package Integrity Work Group also developed a video, 
produced and disseminated by the Postal Service, to raise mailer 
awareness of the impact of poor package integrity. Copies are available 
to mailers and have been shown at Postal Customer Council (PCC) 
meetings, focus groups, and Postal Forums. The video has also been used 
as a training tool by mailers to raise the awareness of their employees 
to the importance of package integrity and to focus on improving 
packaging. Additional videos are being developed to focus on best 
practices in packaging for small volume and large volume mailers.
    Other efforts are underway by the mailing industry, particularly 
large printers, to analyze how changing presort parameters affects 
containerization in order to move mail out of sacks, where it is more 
vulnerable to package breakage and less likely to be drop shipped, by 
optimizing palletization.
    The Postal Service has made several modifications to SPBS feed 
systems to reduce package breakage when containers are unloaded and 
when the packages are transported on belts to keying stations. Broken 
package recovery methods have also been modified to reduce costs.
    Projected lower Postal Service mail processing costs, due to 
reduced package breakage, were incorporated into the rates resulting 
from the R2000-1 rate case. These savings were based, in part, on 
anticipated improvements in the preparation of packages of Periodicals 
non-letter-size mail and Standard Mail flats resulting from the 
activities of the MTAC Package Integrity Work Group and other related 
efforts that are currently underway. The following proposed DMM changes 
are attributable to those activities. The Postal Service is proposing 
to implement these revisions to the current mail preparation standards 
effective June 1, 2001.
    Although exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the 
Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 553(b), (c)) regarding proposed 
rulemaking by 39 U.S.C. 410(a), the Postal Service invites comments on 
the following proposed revisions of the DMM, incorporated by reference 
in the Code of Federal Regulations. See 39 CFR part 111.

List of Subjects in 39 CFR Part 111

    Administrative practice and procedure, Postal Service.

PART 111--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for 39 CFR part 111 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 39 U.S.C. 101, 401, 403, 404, 414, 
3001--3011, 3201--3219, 3403--3406, 3621, 3626, 5001.

    2. Revise the following sections of the DMM as set forth below:

M  MAIL PREPARATION AND SORTATION

* * * * *

M020  Packages

* * * * *
1.0  BASIC STANDARDS

[Amend 1.1 by replacing the reference to 1.6 with 1.2 to read as 
follows:]

1.1  Facing

    Except as noted in 1.2, all pieces in a package must be ``faced'' 
(i.e., arranged with the addresses in the same read direction), with an 
address visible on the top piece.

[[Page 10871]]

[Amend the heading of 1.2 and revise the text to require counter-
stacking of pieces of irregular thickness, when appropriate, to create 
packages of uniform thickness to read as follows:]

1.2  Counter-Stacking--Sacked and Palletized Mail

    Packages of flats and other pieces of nonuniform thickness must be 
prepared by counter-stacking if counter-stacking will create packages 
of more uniform thickness. Counter-stacking is appropriate for saddle-
stitched mailpieces and pieces where one edge is thicker than other 
edges or one corner is thicker than other corners. When counter-
stacking, pieces must all have the addresses facing up and be divided 
into no more than four approximately equal groups with each group 
rotated 180 degrees from the preceding and/or succeeding group(s). When 
pieces are nonuniform in thickness because they are thicker in the 
center instead of along an edge or corner, counter-stacking will 
generally not result in a package of uniform thickness (e.g., a 
football-shaped package would be created). Instead of counter-stacking 
such pieces, limit the height/thickness of the package to from 3 to 6 
inches to ensure the package will stay together during normal transit 
and handling.
* * * * *

[Redesignate 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 as 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7, respectively, and 
add new 1.4 to read as follows:]

1.4  Securing Packages--General

    Package preparation is subject to the following requirements:
    a. Packages must be able to withstand normal transit and handling 
without breakage or injury to Postal Service employees.
    b. Packages must be secured with banding, shrinkwrap, or shrinkwrap 
plus one or more bands. Banding includes plastic bands, rubber bands, 
twine/string, or similar material. Use of wire or metal banding is not 
permitted.
    c. Where permitted by standard, when one band is used, it must be 
placed tightly around the girth (narrow dimension).
    d. Except under 1.5 and 2.1f, packages over 1 inch thick must be 
secured with at least 2 bands or with shrinkwrap. When double banding 
is used to secure packages, it must encircle the length and girth of 
the package at least once. Additional bands may be used if none lies 
within 1 inch of any package edge.
    e. Banding tension must be sufficient to the point that the bands 
tighten and depress the edges of the package so pieces will not slip 
out of the banding during transit and processing. Loose banding is not 
allowed.
    f. When twine/string is used to band packages, the knot(s) must be 
secure so the banding does not come loose during transit and 
processing.

[Amend the heading of redesignated 1.5, add new 1.5a, and redesignate 
the current content of redesignated 1.5 as 1.5b to read as follows:]

1.5  Packages on Pallets

    In addition to 1.1 through 1.4, packages on pallets must meet the 
following standards:
    a. Except as noted in 1.5b, packages up to 1 inch in height 
(thickness) must be secured with appropriate banding, placed at least 
once around the girth, or with shrinkwrap. Packages over 1 inch in 
height must be secured with at least two bands (plastic bands, rubber 
bands, twine/string, or similar material), one around the length and 
one around the girth, with shrinkwrap, or with shrinkwrap plus one or 
two bands.
    b. Packages may be secured with heavy-gauge shrinkwrap over plastic 
banding, only shrinkwrap, or only banding material if they can stay 
together during normal processing. Except for packages of individually 
polywrapped pieces, packages on BMC pallets must be shrinkwrapped and 
machinable on BMC parcel sorters. Packages and bundles of individually 
polywrapped pieces may be secured with banding material only. 
Machinability is determined by the Postal Service. If used, banding 
material must be applied at least once around the length and once 
around the girth; wire and metal strapping are prohibited.
    [Revise the first sentence of redesignated 1.6 to indicate that 
packages of Bound Printed Matter must also meet the applicable maximum 
package size standards in M045 and M722 to read as follows. No other 
changes to text.]

1.6  Package Size--Bound Printed Matter

    Each ``logical'' package (the total group of pieces for a package 
destination) of Bound Printed Matter must meet the applicable minimum 
and maximum package size standards prescribed in M045 or M722. * * *
* * * * *

[Redesignate former 1.7 as 1.9 and add new 1.8 to read as follows:]

1.8  Packages in Sacks--Periodicals and Standard Mail

    Periodicals and Standard Mail prepared in sacks must be secured in 
packages as follows:
    a. The maximum weight for all packages is 20 pounds.
    b. Packages must be able to withstand normal transit and handling 
without breakage or injury to Postal Service employees.
    c. Packages up to 1 inch in height (thickness) must be secured with 
appropriate banding, placed at least once around the girth (narrow 
dimension), or with shrinkwrap. Packages over 1 inch in height must be 
secured with at least two bands (plastic bands, rubber bands, or twine/
string), one around the length and one around the girth, with 
shrinkwrap, or with shrinkwrap plus one or two bands.
    d. Packages of pieces with covers of coated stock that are not 
individually enclosed in a mailing wrapper (e.g., magazines or catalogs 
with glossy covers not individually enclosed in an envelope, paper 
wrapper, or plastic wrapper (polybag)) are subject to these conditions:
    (1) Except as noted in d.(2), packages must not exceed 3 inches in 
height (thickness).
    (2) Packages of such pieces secured with shrinkwrap plus one or two 
plastic straps, or with at least two plastic straps, one around the 
length and one around the girth, must not exceed 6 inches in height 
(thickness).
    (3) Packages may be measured at the lowest (thinnest) point to 
determine the package height (thickness).
    (4) A package that exceeds the maximum prescribed height by less 
than the thickness of a single piece meets the standard (e.g., if a 
glossy piece is 0.625 (\5/8\) of an inch thick, five pieces may be 
secured in a package 3.125 inches high).
    e. Packages containing pieces with outer surfaces of uncoated stock 
are subject to these conditions:
    (1) Packages must not exceed 8 inches in height (thickness).
    (2) Uncoated stock also includes pieces that are individually 
enclosed in an envelope, paper wrapper, or plastic wrapper (polybag), 
as well as pieces with outer surfaces composed of material other than 
paper (e.g., plastic, cloth, fiberboard, or metal).
    (3) It is recommended that such packages not exceed 6 inches in 
height (thickness).
    (4) Packages may be measured at the lowest (thinnest) point to 
determine the package height (thickness).
    (5) A package that exceeds the maximum prescribed height by less 
than the thickness of a single piece meets the standard (e.g., if a 
piece with uncoated cover stock is 0.75 (\3/4\) of an inch thick, 11 
pieces may be secured in a package 8.25 inches high).

[[Page 10872]]

[Amend the heading of redesignated 1.9 to read as follows. No other 
changes to text.]

1.9  Exception to Package Preparation--Mail in Trays

* * * * *
2.0  ADDITIONAL STANDARDS--FIRST-CLASS MAIL, PERIODICALS, AND STANDARD 
MAIL, AND FLAT-SIZE BOUND PRINTED MATTER

[Amend 2.1 by copying the content of 2.3b to new 2.1f and revising the 
content to read as follows:]

2.1  Cards and Letter-Size Pieces

* * * * *
    f. Packages up to 1 inch thick must be secured with appropriate 
banding placed once around the girth (narrow dimension). Packages over 
1 inch thick must be secured with at least two bands, one around the 
length and one around the girth.

[Amend 2.2 by revising the content to read as follows:]

2.2  Flat-Size Pieces

    Packages of flat-size pieces must be secure and stable subject to 
specific weight limits in M045 if placed on pallets, specific weight 
and height limits in 1.8 for Periodicals and Standard Mail placed in 
sacks, and, for Bound Printed Matter in sacks, specific weight limits 
in M720. Flat-size pieces must be prepared in packages except under 1.9 
and, for First-Class Mail, under M820.3.0.

[Amend the heading of 2.3, redesignate 2.3a as the content of 2.3, and 
delete current 2.3b to read as follows:]

2.3  Pieces With Simplified Address

    For mail prepared with a simplified address, all pieces for the 
same post office must be prepared in packages of 50 when possible. If 
packages of other quantities are prepared, the actual number of pieces 
must be shown on the facing slip that must be attached to show 
distribution desired (e.g., rural route, city route, post office 
boxholder).
* * * * *
    An appropriate amendment to 39 CFR part 111 to reflect these 
changes will be published if the proposal is adopted.

Stanley F. Mires,
Chief Counsel, Legislative.
[FR Doc. 01-4146 Filed 2-16-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-U