POSTAGE OF NEWSPAPERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1791, 18 September 1884, Page 2

POSTAGE OF NEWSPAPERS.

It is unfortunately not often that the uctiou of Sir George Grey in the House of Representatives commends itself to our judgment, but he has this session introduced a measure with the object of which we most cordially sympathise —namely, a Bill to abolish tho postage 'on.newspapers.- The objection will no doubt be raised on financial grounds, and it. will be asserted that the Colony cannot at present afford the luxury enjoyed in New South Wales of free circulation through the post of all U3\vspapers. The report of the Post Office Department for the year ended 31st December, 1883, has not yet been circulated, not having been presented to Parliament, il at all, until quite recently ; but from the report for 1882 we'fiud that tho number of newspapers posted during the year in New was 5,955,626, of which 506,547 \wif£ , despatched- to the United Kingdom, j otc, via San • Francisco, and 2,115 by the Coloui bo - Brindisi service. The number posted lo the .Australian Colonies and elsewhere is not given, but may be roughly estimated, at 1,000,000, thus leaving 4,549,964- as the number posted • and and delivered within the colony, tho postage on which- at one- halfpenny amounts to £9,27216s lOd. Allowing for an increase in proportion' to the population, we may estimate the receipt for newspaper postage within thoColony during the ciuvent year at £IO,OOO. and the questiou is whether.'Vis .worth while for this anount of revenue to tax so direct a means of public education. Sir Julius Vugel is just ■ now Post-master-Genera), and would, we believe, personally bo disposed to regard the Bill favorably, although, no doubt the Department will be dead against &t as likely to entail a good deal of extra work, Sir Julius is also Colonial i Treasurer, and being most probably, i troubled to make both ends meet, will hardly be disposed to give up a certain £IO,OOO a year, so wo are not by anv means sanguine as to the effort of Sir George Grey being successful. The subject will, however, be again ventilated, as it has been on more'than one occasion during tho last few yean, and we may hope that an expression of public opinion may be evoked which will influenco the minds of the Government and the. Legislature,-Dunedin dear.