POST AND TELEGRAPH IMPOSTS.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2553, 30 August 1915, Page 3

POST AND TELEGRAPH IMPOSTS.

The extra sd. to be Imposed on all mail matter, with tho exception of nowspapors, is considered generally to -be • a -justifiable /'means of raising war 'revenue.: /For many, years we. in New Zealand enjoyed-the advantages of an inland penny post , for and a ponny post for, letters and papers within tho Empire (Australia excepted) from January 1, 1901. Now all letters, of whatever .weight', . all-parcels, circulars, ctc., are to pay an extra id. That i.s to say that unguhimed letters, which could be IposW-..-within the Dominion for a . halfpenny- will now have, to bear a penny stanip, and scaled letters to any part-of tho Empire will'have to 'bear/ a ljd.iistamp .after thei new law-, becomes operative. . . Our sixpenny telegrams have been an unmixed blessing "to, the^/'whole of tho;. community, and have - helped to popularise tlio telegraph service enormously. I'Vom inquiries made 'yesterday .among officials.'' it is not/anticipated; that the raising of the minimum cost of twelveword telegrams to ,'eightpence will materially affect. the ■ number of messages sent. It is. notj thought'- thai the. extra twopence will stand in anybody's way who really wishes to communicate with idispatch to any part of the Dominion. ; The, sixpenny telegram -came into opera.-,; tion -on ii'''l9o6. , / The bureau charge for telephone communication is to be sixjieiice to everyone.; /In the past subscribers, to the telophone have only -had to 1 pay-a threepenny'bureau''charge to be placed in with any place witbhi 25 miles of the sender. Why the subscriber should have any advantage over the members of the public who do not happen to bo connected with the service is not'quite clear,"even/to the officials of ' tlie Department. The sixpenny charge proposed.: in; the Budget merely places subscribers v on a level wjith -nonsubscribers..