PENNY POSTAGE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2896, 13 June 1925, Page 2

PENNY POSTAGE.

WHAT LOSS IT HAS MEANT. Cabled reports state that the Federal Postmaster-General (Hon. \Y. G. Gibson) announced that the loss suffered by New Zealand in reducing tin 1 ordinary letter postage within the Empire from ltd to Id amounted to £231,011(1. On submitting the report to the Secretary of tlic Department (Mr A. T. Markman), it was ascertained that the figures quoted was substantially above the correct one, though it was fairly near the mark. As a matter df fact, the estimated loss was £2SO,(MX), hut the actual loss would probably conic to an amount between £IBO,OOO and £200,000, which was considered unite satisfactory under all circumstances. Another feature was that there was a steady increase in traffic due in part to the reduction of the rate, and partly to the general buoyancy of business throughout the country, so that returns were gradually being built up against the loss which must inevitably take place when rates were reduced by as much as 33 1-3 per cent. One thing noticeable since the lowering of rates has been that tradespeople now frequently send mil circulars and accounts in sealed envelopes at letter rates, namely. Id, instead of posting unclosed envelopes for Ml. Those who arc unfortunate enough to he the more or less frequent recipients of hills do not relish getting them in unsealed envelopes, because there is then no guarantee of the possible state ot their exchequer being kept secret from the public eye. This, of course, might be advanced as an argument whv people should pay cash, so that tradesmen might have no had debts, hut it is more or less regarded as reasonable while the credit sysetm obtains that business folk should seal it]) their envelopes when enclosing accounts because sending such correspondence at letter rates possibly does not mean a great increase in the stamp and stationery account, unless, perchance, they have a large and increasing clientele of non-payers.