HIGHER POSTAL RATES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 14

HIGHER POSTAL RATES.

"DEFEATING OWN OBJECT."

BUSINESS MEN'S COMMENT,

There was general agreement at a council meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce that the recent 100 per cent increase in postal rates is defeating its own object. Mr. M. M. Heinemann said that lie knew that a number of firms and the Wellington City Council were delivering some, if not all, of their local mail. He considered that the Government should refrain from doing anything that detrimentally affected the business community at a time like this. Mr. W. Simm 6aid the increase in packet postage was affecting those who put out circulars, and he .knew it was affecting the printing trade quite seriously. Mr. J. Curtis suggsted that there was something behind the Government's action in regard to parcels, to relieve it of having to provide more accommodation for the increasing business at the Post Office. Mr. Heinemann said the Post Office would not send parcels by the Limited express, but the Railway Department was doing so. There were parcel's one could send by rail for Gd, for which the Post Office charged 3/. The chairman, Mr. D. J. McGowan, said that the parcels post had been abused. It was "a bit strong" when hot-water boilers were sent away by parcels post. Probably that was why a maximum of 111b had been decided upon. A committee which had considered the subject, generally commended the desires of the Government to keep its expenditure within its revenues, but was inclined to the view that some of the increases (many of them 100 per cent on the old rates) would largely defeat the aim for revenue by way of additional receipts; this would especially be the case in local areas wherever it was possible to effect delivery by messenger in lieu of- utilising the facilities of the postal service The council adopted the committee's recommendation that for mail matter to be delivered from the offices of posting the following rates be urged upon the Government: —(a) First-class matter (letters), a rate of Id per oz; (b) second-claBS matter (e.g., invoices, notices, circulars), a rate of id for the first 2ozs. '