POSTAGE BETWEEN ENGLAND AND THE COLONIES.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 191, 29 March 1848, Page 3

POSTAGE BETWEEN ENGLAND AND THE COLONIES.

We have been patiently waiting fbr some indication of the utility of the vit.it paid to these Colonies, about two years ago, by the Commissioners of Po^t-office enquiry, and we njoiee to find by the subjoined extract from a l.itc* London papi r, that the Lords of the Treiicury have at length taken what we trust will be only the fir»t step in n fiorics of impiovemenls. The present measure piovules tor a uniform rate of postage from England to the Coloniro, which, lfpie-paid, is «ne shilling per letter. This will doubtless he followed by a corresponding an nu^'inent for the transmission ot letters from the Colouie-. to England :—: — The arrangements for enabling the public to prejiny the postage on foreign letters by means of stamps, are nearly completed. One shilling stamps \viU only be issued for the present, and the post-offices entitled to 3ell them will be only those in some of the principal towns in the United Kingdom, until further arrangements are made. The foreign stamps will be .ibout the 6i'se of the penny-postage stamps ; they will be ot an octagonal shape, and the colour of them will be green. They will be piincipally sen'icnble for pujiaying Icttci s ro India, China, Buli'-h We t Indies, Gibraltar, Malta, lonian Islands, Honduid*, United blates, Bermuda, Halifax, Newfoundland, PanamaCi'hili, Peru, Venezuela, western coast of Africa, Pius sin, Heljiium, Holland, J.iva, New South Wales, and New Zealand. The following instruction has been issued to the deputy pos' masters:— The Lords of her Majesty's Trea.suiy having aulhow/cd the issue of post-age-stomps ol the value of one shilling, a specimen is forwarded separately to t/iobe deputies, &c., who obliterate postage-stamps, for the purpose of beini; compnvti, in case of doubt, with the stamped letters of this desctiption that may pass through the post-oflice. With respect to the issue of these new postage-stamps to postmasters, for halo to the public, the distribution by the po'st-offiee will be confined, for the present, to the undermentioned places in the United Kingdom, who will be supplied with the new t,lamps as early as possible. The postmabtus entiustcd with the sales ot the<=e postajje-Htamps will sell them to the public at the late of one shilling each, whatever may be the number sold. The u c ual poundage, at the late of one per cent, upon the sale, will be allowed to postniasteis •who arc cntiusted with the distribution of these stamps to the public. The instructions on the subject of cancelling stamps, &c., contained in the book of general instmciions issued to postmasters in I84(>, must be carefully acted upon with regard to the new stamps. Amended foims of accounts for postage stamps will be transmitted to ull rKHtmastds, and upon then reccm« n p a supply, they will rotinii to this department the promt lorins for stamps in their possession.— Sydney lleiald.