MAIL SCRAMBLED

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21229, 27 September 1940, Page 3

MAIL SCRAMBLED

j CONFUSION IN CHINA j. EFFECT OF POSTAL ORDER I One of the world’s most curious j situations on the matter of postal | charges is to be found in Tsingtao. i This Shantung port has experienced • a number of odd dilemmas as re- ! suit of its position as testing-ground for Japanese ideas in the occupied parts of China, but none queerer than the situation regarding mail sent abroad.. Last autumn the Chinese National Government at Chungking doubled foreign postage rates, due to sharp J declines in the value of Chinese i currency against other money. ! Postal rates have been established ; on a basis, not of each country’s own \ currency, but of the gold franc, j Tsingtao’s post office officials were ! prepared to follow instructions. How--1 ever, the Japanese-sponsored “pup- , pet” regime at Peiping at once put ; its finger into the pie and ordered ! that post offices at Tsingtao and elsewhere within its theoretical jurisdiction were to pay no attention to Chungking on this or any other point. Tsingtao is affected most heavily, along with Tientsin, because of business with foreign countries.

Double Postage Rates So Tsingtao postal authorities had to fall in line with Peiping’s order and, when mail was presented for transmission abroad, the old rate i of postage was quoted. But this left out of consideration the fact that, the International Postal Union has 1 the Enal word—and the I.P.U. says “double the old rate on postage out j of China.” ; Therefore anyone mailing in acj cordance with instructions given by postal officials in the Japaneseoccupied territory is likely to have his mail delayed. The only rule in such a case would appear to be for those mailing from Tsingtao and similar points to inquire the proper rate, then affix stamps to twice that amount. It’s j no mere exceptional than many other j things caused by the present exi traordinary state of affairs in China j today!