Zip!

The man whose social security number is 082-01-1653 and whose phone number is 201-726-3876 will soon have a new number to remember--say, 96347. The Post Office Department announced last week that every address will have a five-digit number added to it after next July 1.

The system, known as "Zip" (for Zone Improvement Plan), is designed to speed delivery of first-class mail as much as 24 hours by enabling postal clerks to tell at a glance how to route a letter. The first digit will stand for a large area such as the Far West, the second for a state or portion thereof, the third for a mail-concentration point, and the last two for a small town or postal zone, or even a large office building.

Postmaster General J. Edward Day explained that Zip was primarily designed not for person-to-person correspondence, but for the large commercial houses that account for 75% of the first-class mail.

"We're working with the big mailers," he said, "and we're not concerned if Aunt Minnie doesn't learn the new numbers." In other words, the new system will speed the delivery of the letters that nobody is in a hurry to get.

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