PENNY POSTAGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 111, 27 May 1937, Page 6

PENNY POSTAGE

Not Universal Overseas That penny postage is far from universal is a fact not recognised by a large number of New Zealanders so long accustomed to this privilege. The number of complaints received by the Post Olfice from overseas firms regarding short shortpaid correspondence received from New Zealand caused special attention to be paid over a period of three months to the postages on outward mails. So many letters carrying a penny stamp were addressed to countries requiring the international rate of 2§d for the first ounce that it has been found desirable to call public attention to what is evidently a widespread misconception. A considerable amount of tiine is spent in the mail rooms endeavouring to obtain deficient postage from sen-/ ders in order to avoid difficulties with their cdrrespondents, but in a large number of cases the sen ders caunot ha traced, consequently double the deficiency is pa'id by the recipient. '■> " The pelmy postage for the first ounce applies overseas to New Zealand correspondence for all countries in the British Empire, as well as the United States of America, the Argentine, Egypt, Italy, Yugo-Siavia, Portugal and its colonies and a few other countries enumerated in the Post Office Guide. In every other ease the postage is the international rate of 2|d for the first ounce. Penny postage for letters to the United States of America has caused confusion over the transmission of newspapers to that destination. Most of them are prepaid ld., although the correct postage is the rate for all foreign countries, namely, Jd. for each 2oz. The average weight of New Zealand newspapers, particularly periodicals, is so much greater than 2oz. that the short payments in postage freq.uenly amount to 3d., invblving a deficiency charge of 6d to an annoyed addressee.