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Southland Times, Issue 1234, 8 April 1870, Page 2

The General Government seem all at once to have i-en the necessity of deferring 'to the popular will in the matter of intercommunication. In both the telegraphic and postal departments sweeping reductions in the/scale of charges have; just been made, and there is not much danger of either service suffering pecuniarily by the alterations.- The inducements to^a more liberal -use of the wire have already been noted. Now we have the pleasure of calling attention to the concessions made to correspondents by mail. The- interprovincial tariff -will remain as formerly, but the-_postage_ to all the Australian Colonies, .except one-^, Western Australia — has been reduced by one-half, so that a threepenny stamp J will now suffice for what formerly cost sixpence^ Another : improvement has been effected in regulating the ratio of ; increase by the half-ounce, ! instead of by; the ounce, as hitherto. Thus, a letter half an ounce in weignt goes to ' Victoria for 3d ;_pYe>i; half anjounce, but un^er_an_ ounce, 6d : over an, ounce, but not exceeding an ounce and a half, 9d ; and so on adding 3d for each extra half ounce 'or fraction of a half. ounce.. The importance;, of thig change, in the computation of; extra postage will be seen, when it is remembered that, under' the old system, a letter the slightest thing over' one .ounce cost two shillings, whereas now the rate will only be ninepence. On letters for Great Britain the' postage will still be the same in proportion, but the progressive rate will also be' by 1 the. half instead of by the whole ounce, thus: — half ounce, one rate ; over half ah ounce, and not exceeding one ounce, two rates, ; and -so-on' increasing one rate for every extra half ounce, or part of a half buhcei ' This is undoubtedly a step in . the • right direction, and.it is to be hoped the next change I may r be something in the way pf establish^, ing a more satisfactory system, for our internal postal services^ A uniform rate, say of Id on . letters , deliverable at the office at which they are posted, and 2d on all others for places within the colony, would be a great improvement on the present arrangement, which, by recognising the provincial boundaries, produces some absurdities: in, its details. For instance, a letter posted at Invercargill will be delivered amongst, the mountains on boundaries of the province, nearly a hundred miles away, if necessary, for 2d ; but one dropped into the office at the Mataura must bear a 3d stamp, although its distination be just over the bridge. In this case, as in many others, regard paid to provincial destinctions is simply foolishness. In dealing with colonial questions ' of such a nature as the mail service, all imaginary- boundary lines ought to be rubbed' out.' • '