The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4th, 1923. PENNY POSTAGE.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1923, Page 2

The Guardian (And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times.) THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4th, 1923. PENNY POSTAGE.

From Monday last, Now Zealand, tlio greatest letter-writing country in the world again had the advantage of jenny postage. The change is significant, remarks tile “Lyttelton Times,” ill more ways than one. I’niversal penny postage was first adopted in the Dominion in January, 1901, at a tinTo when Sir Joseph Ward held the portfolio of i’osnnaster-Ge.uernl, and it continued in vogue right up till 191;). Then. Sir Joseph Ward being Minister of Finance, the National Cabinet, faced with the necessity of proving extra money at short notice for the conduct of the war. decided to increase the letter fee to 1 id. It was generally understood tit that time, if it was not officially announced, that the end ot the war would see letter postage placed once more on the penny basis. However, some months alter the- declaration of peace, the Massey Government, instead of reducing the fee. raised the charge to 2d. contending that it was imperative to get extra revenue from any source whatever to tide the country over the period of financial stringency through which it was passing. The ■higher rate was put into operation in spite- of strong protests made from one end of the country to the other, business houses and trade' organisations pointing out that the result was | far more likely to reduce traffic than j to increase revenue. What was antioi- : •pated happened. With 2d as the lowest ! postnge fee for letters, the amount of correspondence passing from town to

town, from town io country, and from country to town fell away. The Government had refused to listen to the advice that the surest way to increase revenue is to attract trade, not to frighten it away, and departmental ioturns wore gloomier in consequence. It was only natural that the movement for a return to the penny rate should sooner or later force the Government to reverse its policy. Sir Joseph Ward gave the agitation a lead during the Tauranga live-election campaign early in tho present year. when.he suggested that it was time the people of New Zealand again had the benefit of the lower charge. He was the first public matt to do so. The return to penny postage is, therefore, once again linked with the name and policy of a great Liberal statesman. It marks, it may be hoped, the beginning of a new eta in the reign of Conservative government—recognition of the 'fact, never torgotUui by even tlie smallest trading concern, that it does no! pay to scare off custom. For instantc, in 1900, the number of letters posted : n New Zealand was 38.(i(i2.(>9fi. I’eu’iv postage wits introduced on Januavv I. 1901. and the number of letters posted that year rose to 51.511,205. an increase of 12.881.909, or 33 per cent The Government lias evidently assimilated the lesson to he learned '. rnm those figures. We suggest th'i! Ike authorities should now go Inrward and apply it to certain other branches of the public service.