THE BIRTH OF IMPERIAL PENNY POST.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 32, 8 February 1899, Page 2

THE BIRTH OF IMPERIAL PENNY POST.

Mr Henniker Heaton must hare, felt a modest thrill Of triumph on opening his Times', last Monday morning. He had eeht to all the papers which had helped him in his long campaign' for Imperial1 Penny Post, a little silver penny by way of a Christmas card, and by way of returning the compliment the 'Times' on Boxing Bay hailed him as 'the Marconi of this new telegraphy of hearts.' Other newspapers too gate the member for : Canterbury. the fullest credit for bringing about 'this historical rvolution,' km the 'Telegraph' calls it, the 'ftaily Mail' alOne atributing the innovatien to Mr Muloek, the Canadian P.M.G. But perhaps the 'News' did not get a silver penny. The inauguration of incomplete Penny Postage came upon us as quietly as the Christmas turkey, not so much as a new stamp marking the event. At St. Martins-le-Gxand on Saturday at midnight it was expected that huge batches of letters would be posted the moment the bells of < St. Paul's had chimed the hour. But this was not the case, only seven letters all told were put in the Foreign and Colonial box asthfe Clock ceased strik-

ing, and of these the first taken out by the sorter was addressed to Sir Wilfred Laurier, the Canadian IM-e----mier. Another was adrdessed to Mr Mclntyre, Q.C., a well-known Canadian Parliamentarian, a third to a resident in far Taranaki, two to British Columbia, and two to settlers in the Far North West. In each case the senders, who were private gentlemen, had written their own names on the envelope with the date and hour of posting, one having the further attestation Of a friend's signature on his envelopes, as having witnessed their being posted at the general post-office. About half-past twelve one more letter also to a Canadian address, had beeu added to the little heap, which was, however, vastly augmented during the morning when some 5000 letters were sent out to hardware merchants and others by 'The Ironmonger.' The proprietors *Of the 'Gentlewoman' also posted during the day about 26,000 leaflets, with a few remarks on the ' subject of Imperial penny postage, addressed to ladies by Mr Heaton. Neither the Postmaster-General nor Mr Heaton were present, and in such simple fashion the momentous innovation was launched. It is still incomplete, but the indefatigable Henniker anticipates that, at Eastertide, the whole, of the Australasian colonies, the Cape, and the few still outside wilt have come into line, and the full, scheme realised, that we. 'may talk together .... thus for the good of your peoples, thus for the pride of the race.' Notwithstanding1 the wide publicity given to the Treasury Warrant an nouncing the introduction of the Imperial penny postage on Christmas Day, a large section of the Britisii public seems unaware, of the change. Over 12 per cent, of the letters posted to the countries to which the reduction applies bore a 2M stamp. Out of 6540 letters posted to India 01*5 were prepaid to the amount of 2Jd, and out of 070 to Natal 28S were overpaid.