SOME POSTAL NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 11 April 1901, Page 4

SOME POSTAL NOTES.

Under an Act passed in December last, penny postage for all inland correspondence comes into force in Victoria with the first of next month. This will no doubt help on the attainment of universal penny postage throughout Australia. No further work has been heard from Australia by our Postal authorities concerning the admission of our penny-paid letters without surcharge by the Commonwealth. Prom the 17th January last until the 20th the New South Wales Postal Department admitted our letters under the penny system without surcharge, but from the latter date to the present time a surcharge has been made upon all letters bearing only a penny stamp. It is thought in Postal circles that one of the first business matters to come before the first session of the Federal Parliament will bo a proposal to establish penny post. There seems to bo an idea prevalent among business and other people in New Zealand that the adoption of the penny postage has resulted in lowering to a half-penny the postaga upon invoices and like which are left with the flap of 'the envelope unsealed. This is not so. Certain*printed commercial papers have since 1895 passed within city limits with a prepayment of a halfpenny, but to out-of-town places the postage has always

been and still is one penny. As com-plaints-have been received from people who have had to pay a fine upon such letters bearing a half-penny stamp, it is well that business, people particularly should cease from so troubling. It is reported that the Penny Post Commemoration Postcards issued by the Postmaster-General at the opening of the year have had a value of £5 a piece placed upon them by collectors. The noiv penny stamps bearing the postmark of Ist January, 1901, are also valued at a high figure by philatelists.