POST & TELEGRAPH CHARGES

Hokitika Guardian, 27 February 1931, Page 6

POST & TELEGRAPH CHARGES

INCREASES EXPLAINED TO START NEXT SUNDAY. o - £900,000 EXTRA POSTAGE. u WELLINGTON, February 26. The Postmaster General, (Hon Mr Donald), in explaining the reasons for the increases in postage and telegraph charges, states: — “The postage increases have been * made in order to provide for the Consolidated Fund an amount of £9OO- - per annum, which amount flic 1 Prime Minister lias already intimated 1 was to In' obtained by such means in order to assist in balancing next year’s budget. That telegram increases have been made in order to reduce to a considerable extent the loss on the working of that branch. 1 lie states it is not anticipated that 1 the increases made in the postage ! charges, after an allowance-is made for J the falling off in the business that is to be exported as the result of the increases, will realise more than the ’ amount required for the Consolidated Fund. Therefore, the Minister anticipates that his Department will not. rc- ' reive anything for itself from t.lie increases, and that it will still have to bear any loss on the working of the postal brancli. I I LB PARCEL LIMIT. If is to be observed, lie says, that the increases have been distributed amongst, all classes of mail matter and that, in particular, the newspapers will now be charged for according to their weight, and that, parcels in excess ol 11 lbs will not, be accepted. It, has been found that the cost to the Department- of the conveyance alone of heavy newspapers and parcels was much in excess of the postage derived therefrom, and that in regard to parcels weighing above 1 111), their acceptance could not, he continued at charges that would enable lliis business to In* retained. .Moreover, it is considered that the Railway Department makes adequate provision for the conveyance of parcels over lllbs in weight, which were accepted by the Post Odicc only for places that are served by rail or sea. In this connection it is mentioned that the parcel post was established in order to provide the ready means for the transit; of small parcels, and that it might reasonably be held that this purpose is fully served by fixing the minimum weight at 1 I pounds. LOSS ON NEWSPAPERS. Regarding the altered rate of postage on newspapers, nowadays most of tlm newspaper companies make their own arrangements for delivery other than through the Post Office except to distant subscribers. The newspaper companies at tile four centres are now serving subscribers over a larger area than when the low newspaper postage charges were fixed, and are issuing a much larger paper. It can hardly he said Unit a halfpepmty is adjacent payment for the delivery to any town in New Zealand of. a. paper weighing from 6 to lioz., but. tor a long time the Post Office has been paying much more for the transport of those papers than it has received in postage. It is pointed out that the rates, as ' now orden’d, are still very cnenp. The -I* inistcr stales:— “1 have no doubt that the public will still fin'd it convenient and economical to send its smaller parcels through the Post Office. The other postal increases are minor. TKLF.G .t A PH LOSSES. As regards the increased telegraph charges, the Minister says:—“Foi some years past, then; lias been a large ami increasing loss on the working of 1 the telegraph branch, due to the fact that the rates were not nearly commensurate with the cost of operation. As a matter of fact, the ordinary telegram has been I lie cheapest in the British Empire. For the year ended 31 March, 193(1, the loss was approx.matcly U 131,033. For the current year it will be certainly larger. The average cost of handling a telegram from the point of lodgment until it readies an address exceeds the average revenue per telegram In approximately -Yl. Despite the most rigid economy and the ill rodiict-iii’ti of labour-saving apparatus, it has been found impossible to •ediu-e the loss to any appreciable exeat . W hile file greater portion of the dole,t is incurred in the handling of flic -ommercial and social business, the ransmission of Press traffic is also r<‘ponsible for a lieay loss. It is only 1 ' quit,able therefore, that the newspapr proprietors, as well as the general niblic should he called upon-to pay a ortion of tin* increased charges. With his in mind, a limit, is being imposed n the amount of Press news that mav , . , , in 1 e transmitted under the cheap Press sa, ate. It is estimated that additional re- | oniie that will accrue under the am- j nded telegraph charges will reach j ( St).DUO per annum, and while this will .ill leave a substantial loss, it will , U| lace the telegraph branch in a much ( | () ss unfavourable position, and will -sure as far as possible, that the De- j ()| utment as a whole continues to be S()| If supporting. j )V The Minister explained that the p] e mv rates Mere being introduced, at p o j tort notice, on tne Ist March in order it |r i give the Government the much v,*i vded additional revenue for one ontli of this financial year as a set f. to some extent, to the extraordiny expenditure and serious loss of }v- un ‘iiuo in 11a\vkes Bay as the result pu the parti.quaky. qm

NEWSPAPER COSTS. INCREASED BY CHANGE. WELLINGTON, February 26. Interviewed oil the subject of the new Post and Telegraph regulations as affecting the Press of the Dominion, the President of the Newspaper Proprietors' Association, Mr C. W. Earle staled the effect would he very prejudice! to the general public as well as imposing a heavy burden on newspapers. At the recent annual conference of newspaper proprietors it was found necessary to take immediate steps to endeavour to reduce the cpst] of newspaper production, and at the same time ii was felt to he eminently necessary to maintain air adequate standard of service to the community in local and overseas news. Blaus to enable these ideas to he given effect were in train when this bombshell from the Government was exploded. . doubling of the postage on newspapers meant an additional cost ol -.is a year to those of the public, at present least able to hear it; that was in the main, to those living in outlying districts. It will also check to some extent at least the sending over sens of weekly journals which served •t valuable purpose in advorising New Zealand and its attractions abroad. Ho continued :—I ncrcased Press telegraph charges, for that is what thej proposals amount to, must, necessarily mean a heavy curtailment in existing news services, and community interest between different parts of the Dominion, which depends very largely on knowledge of one anothers affairs, and a wide and general circulation of news of happenings as between the differ-, cut centres of population, is an important. factor in promoting an understanding of one anothers problems and in hreakiiK' down parochial harriers which impede national progress. With the charges now proposed there must he a cut in telegraphic news at least of 50 per cent., and probably a good deal more. Mr Earle said: —“I have not had time to examine fully the effects of the increased charges as affecting news papers, hut judging from protests which have already reached me, they are regarded as being very lar reaching and likely to he very periodical to the general public.