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Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 July 1939, Page 5

An interesting comparison of postal facilities nearly 90 years ago with those available at lhe present time is provided by several old lellei's bearing date stamps of about 1850 owned by Mi- Alexander Saunders, of Otautau. In 1850 overseas postal charges ranged from 8d to 2s 7d a letter. As an example, letters from Great Britain to Spain cost 2s 2d, while those to America. four times the distance, were sent for Is. Letters were not placed in envelopes, but merely folded and sealed. Ono letter in the group was posted from Bath on November 16, 1850. and was stamped as received in Adelaide on April 7. 1851. An idea which appeared more suitable for modern air mails was adopted on another letter on which the correspondent had written first in the ordinary way and then turned the paper at light angles and written over the same surface again. Mr Saunders also has a copy of a newspaper article advocating penny postage, saying that of the charge of 8d a letter for mail between British Dominions 2d was a gratuity to the captain of the ship carrying the mail and (id was taken by the Government. This was claimed by the newspaper to be unreasonable on correspondence to and from British settlers in the colonies.