The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, September 28, 1915. WAR TAXATION ON MAIL MATTER AND TELEGRAMS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1452, 28 September 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, September 28, 1915. WAR TAXATION ON MAIL MATTER AND TELEGRAMS.

Thk, taxation on mail matter and telegrams was brought into force last Friday, an additional charge of Rid each is now levied on all letters, books, parcels, and other postal packets ot every kind, except newspapers posted in New Zealand for all places, either within the Dominion or overseas. The war tax will not be levied on any postal packet addressed to a country for which the postage is at Postal Union rates—that is, any country to which the postage on letters is 2Rid each. It should be cleaily understood that the additional charge is to be Rld only on each postal packet, irrespective of the amount payable for postage in accordance with the ordinary rates. When an article has been posted without the additional Rid stamp, the war tax plus a further Rid will be claimed. An additional charge of 2d will be made on every telegram, whether “ ordinary ” or “ urgent.” The minimum rates will therelore be 8d for ordinary messages and is 2d lor urgent messages. Double rates will he charged at all offices, without exception, on Sundays, and with the addition of the war charge, the minimum rates for Sunday messages will be is 2d for "ordinary” and 2s 2d for "urgent” messages. The rales for cable messages will not be altered, but the charge of 2d will be collected on each message. The Budget also forecasted an increase in the initial charge for bureau communication within a radius of 25 miles to fid lor all persons, Instead of as at. present 3d lor subscribers and 6d for nonsnbscribers. The charge has not yet come into force. The amount of revenue estimated from these charges is ,£380,000, comprising ,£30,000 from telegrams and cablegrams, ,£20,000 from bureau messages, and ,£310,000 from postage charges.