RATES ANNOUNCED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 303, 23 December 1939, Page 11

RATES ANNOUNCED.

MAILS FOR SOLDIERS. LETTERS AND PARCELS. MAXIMUM WEIGHT 7LB. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELINGTON, Friday. The Postmaster-General, the Hon. P. Jones, announced to-day that parcels up to a maximum of 71b would lie accepted at the following standard rates for New Zealand and other British soldiers, sailors and airmen on active service in any country overseas:—Parcels, not more than 31b, 1/6; parcels, not more than 71b, 3/. The Minister said he appreciated the importance to men on active service overseas of parcels posted from home, and he was hopeful that, following approaches that had recently been made to a number of countries concerned overseas, it would be possible later to announce a further reduction in charges. The new Bpa [km- rate for New Zealand and other British solders, sailors and airmen on active service is the Empire newspaper rate of a halfpenny for eafh three ounces. The Minister explained that, in deciding on this rate and in fixing the parcel post maximum weight at 71b, it was necessary to have regard to the possible growth in volume of parcel and newspaper mails for men on active service acjd to the reed for conserving shipping space. Difficulty in Last War. During the last war, Mr. Jones said,

difficulty arose in finding *paee oil ships for all New Zealand Expeditionary Force mails, and it was necessary then to fix the parcel post maximum at 7lb, and to place serious restrictions on the posting of newspapers. As a way of helping the Poet Office to overcome this difficulty he suggested the use of newspapers for packing parcels, which in all cases should be very carefully made up to withstand a long journey overseas in bags, genders were recommended to enclose in every parcel a slip indicating the name and address of the addressee and the name and address of the sender, as an insurance against the possibility of the outside label or address of the parcel becoming lost in transit. The letter rate for people writing to soldiers from New Zealand was to be the New Zealand inland letter rate of postage, Mr. Jones continued, but members of the Expeditionary Force, and members of the Air Force to undergo training in Canada, would be granted free letter postage on leaving New Zealand. No Air Mail Charge Reduction. The Minister regretted that it was not possible to effect' any reduction in the Empire mail surcharge of 1/6 for each half ounce. This had received careful attention, but no reduction wa« practicable in view of the need tor restricting the weight of air mails to the capacity of the curtailed service now operating. Finally, the Minister asked for the co-operation of all member* of the public in correctly addressing correspondence for soldiers overseas. As an example of correct addressing he quoted: "No 3912, Corporal B. Smith, A Company, Wellington Rifle Battalion, Advance Party, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, c/o General Post Office, Wellington."