LOWER POSTAGE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17420, 3 April 1922, Page 8

LOWER PO STAGE.

CLAM FOR BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS. SUGGESTED GRADUAL SEDUCTION. (VBOH Otm OWN COBREsroNDENT.) LONDON, February 14. A conference of representatives of commercial, industrial, and financial organisations convened by the Association of British Chambers of Commerce has been held to consider the reductions necessary in existing charges. Sir Shirley Benn, M.P. (president of the Association of British Chambers of Commerce) was in the chair, supported by Lord Southwark, Sir James Martin, and Mr J. A. Lloyd, members of tho Executive Council of the Association, and repiesentatives of numerous business organisations, including the British Empire League, and the British Empire Producers' Association. Great stress was laid in the speeches* on pressing on the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer that anyanticipated surplus on the Post Office must be devoted to a reduction of the existing charges. It was urged that the present high rates constituted a serious hindrance to trade and commerce, and that any surplus in the Post Office estimates should be applied to a reduction in the charges, and not appropriated by the Treasury—this having reference to the reported £10,000,000 surplus. The chairman said they all recognised that cheap postal facilities were absolutely necessary for prosperous trade. A man, to succeed in business, must advertise, whether by _ commercial travellers, advertisements in the newspapers, or through circulars; but, however he advertised, he was bound to use the Post Office, and unless the Post Office served trade well, trade could not be prosperous, and it would be difficult for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to receive his taxes, or for employers to provide employment. The Post Office, in the past, had been a good feeder to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and had provided millions of surplus. "When the present Post-master-General came into office, he gave tho assurance in the House of Commons that in the event of any surplus from the extra charges, it should go to a reduction of those charges, and not to a reduction of taxation.' - " Mr H. L. Symonds (London Chamber of Commerce) held that a reduction in charges would brinn; about an increase in postal business. There could be a vastly increased postal service, without an increase of expenditure. "No loss will accrue to the revenue by the lower charges suggested, and there is no reason why the reduction should not be granted. We should have a sliding scale of improvement, which eventually should lead to pre-war charges." Business Going Abroad.

Mr J. A. Lloyd said: We are not asking for anything that is fantastic or impossible. We realise the position, and we ask the Government ~ts .assist to restore to us that prosperity of trad© and commerce for which we long. The high charges on postage, telegrams and parcels are unreasonable, and they cannot be borne by commerce. They are unreasonable and hinder trade, but to ease the task of the Postmaster-General they proposed that the return to pre-war rates should be gradual. It was a saddening reflection that so many letters and circulars were sent abroad to be printed and posted, to be delivered in this country by the British postal service, which received no revenue in connexion with them; and the practice was increasing. Mr Theo Feilden. (Weekly Newspaper and Periodical Proprietors' Association) said his association was sending out only about one-tenth of their former post, because of present high charges. ; Formerly they, sent out a million, and sometimes as many as two millions, a year. That must have made an enormous difference to the revenue of the Post Office. Foreign trade journals came to this country for a halfpenny, irrespective of weight; wjhereas the postal authorities strictly enforced the regulations regarding weight for British publications sent abroad—namely, a charge of a half-penny for every 20z., except publications going to Canada under the Canadian special magazine rate. The result was that an American journal weighing 6 oz. was sent to this country for a half-penny, while a 6 oz. journal sent out of .this country to America cost three halfpence. Tons of American printed matter came here at this cheap postal rate advertising American goods to the detriment of British trade. He thought our postal authorities should surcharge these foreign publications that came in at theJow rate. Not only did they refuse lo do so, but they did all the handling and delivery free of charge—except to the British taxpayer. Monthly journals produced in this country were penalised because they could not he registered as newspapers and therefore could not be sent at the low rate, which was reserved for daily and weekly newspapers. The schedule was adopted, and it was agreed to send the resolutions and the proposed reductions in postal charges to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Excl-equer, and the PwtmasterGeneral, with a request that the Prime Minister should receive a deputation on the subject. The Reductions Proposed.

The conference then discussed a table of proposed reductions, of which the following were the chief features:— Telegrams—Present charge of Is lor 12 words and id for each additional word, to be reduced to 9d and Jd on June 30th this year, and 6d and i'\ on December 31st. Letters—Present charge of 2d for 3oz- to be reduced to ljd on June 30th and Id on December 31st. Postcards —Present charge of lj'l to be reduccl immediately to Id, and to Jd on December Slat.Printed matter—Present charge of Id up to 2oz and id. for eacn a-Mitional 2oz to bo reduced immediately to 4d for • loz and to Jd for 2oz and Jd for each additional 2oz on June 30th. Newspapers (registered)— Present charge of Id for 6oz and Jd for each additionnl Coz to be reduced to Jd and Jd from June 30th. Parcels—Present charges of 9d for 21b, la for 51b, Is 3d for 81b, and Is Gd for 111b, to be reduced to 6d, 9d, Is, and Is 3d on June 80th, and to 3d, 6d, 9d, and Is on December 31st. Registration fees—To be reduced on December 31st from 3d to 2d. Foreign and Colonial. Letters (British Empire, U.S.A., and H.M. Forces serving. abroad)— Present charees of 2d for loz to be reduced on June 30th to ljd, and on December 31et to Id, and the additional charge of ljd for each additional ounce to be reduced on December 31st to Id. Letters (to other countries abroad) —To be reduced from 3d for loz to 2Sd on JuneSOth. Postcards—To be reduced from ljd os at present to Id on June 30th. The table proposed that Sunday collections should bo restored immediately. * TALISMAN. SECOND LIQUIDATION DIVIDEND. The- second liquidation dividend of tba Talisman Consolidated/ Ltd;, amounting to 2s per share, is now being paid to shareholders as from Saturday last. The number of shares in the company is 345,000, so that the payment will absorb £34;B0&. Of this amount the 1100 shareholders on tha New Zealand register, owning 202,505 shares, will receive £20,230 12s. The. • Dalance of £14,209 8s will go to the 660 holders of tho remaining 142,091 shales on tho English, register. The first liquidation dividend, of 6s per share, was pail on October 20th, absorbing a total of £86,230, of which New Zear land shareholders receive £50,726 10a. The total disbursed in the two dividends will be £120,750, of which New Zealand shareholders will have been paid £71,017 2a. A further and final dividend will probably be paid at » htter date.