PAYING FOR MAILS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 345, 28 January 1937, Page 3

PAYING FOR MAILS.

INTERNATIONAL CHECK • New Zealand’s Payments Overseas. The world’s postal administrations have been recently engaged for 28 days in closely checking the quantities of mail matter handled on account of different countries. Only for 28 days in every three years is the rapid handling of overseas correspondence slowed up slightly for statistical purposes, and on the basis of four weeks’’ experience, payments are made by New Zealand during three years for the forwarding of mails through various countries in transit overland or through the medium of sea services of other countries.

The principle' followed is simple. During the period first-class mail matter (letters, etc. K-is separated from second-class (papers, books, etc.) and forwarded in separate bags. Each bag comes within a category of weight known as light (under 111 b), medium (331 b or heavy bags (661 b and must bear a suitable label indicating this fact. Each mail despatched during the period is accompanied by a transit note or Waybill. Notes are made at every point of

transhipment, and on receipt in the country of destination the statements are forwarded to the office of origin. It is from tliese that the amounts due for transit charges are finally ascertained. This interesting process gives a good insight into the routes followed by mails and of the time taken to reach various destinations. Mails from Moscow, for instance, take approximately seven weeks to reach New Zealand and are received via Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, Egypt and Australia. Each of these countries receives payment from Russia for the conveyance of the mails.

For the reverse journey to Russia, New Zealand is responsible for payment of all transit, charges, and a quicker route, taking five to six weeks, is usually followed via North America, England, Belgium, Germany and Poland, involving payments by the Dominion to the postal administrations of these countries. Russia makes delivery at its own cost. New Zealand also makes no charge for delivery of correspondence from Russia, the assumption being that postages paid in the respective countries will cover that service. Parcel mlalls and air mails involve considerably greater expense than ordinary m'ails in ' transport, and are subfeati to definite charges in respect to each despatch, all the postal administrations concerned receiving their proper proportion of the postage paid by the sender. The more complicated system of charging for specific parcels mails in accordance with weight is likely to be maintained because the balance of business is always in favour of manufacturing countries which freely use the parcels post for distribution of their products. However, with the rapid development of air transit for first-class correspondence, the more simplified procedure of assessing charges will in due course be applied in this sphere.