POSTAL CHARGES IGNORED

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 February 1939, Page 4

POSTAL CHARGES IGNORED

MANY UNDERPAID LETTERS. | Six months ago the New Zealand overseas postal rates underwent important revision owing to the inauguration of the fast air service to Empire countries. This involved the disappearance of penny postage to overseas destinations, excepting to Australia. while several foreign countries formerly included in the ordinary universal penny postage came under the foreign rale of 2Jd for the first ounce and lid for each succeeding ounce. It. was to be expected that there would be an increase in short-paid letters until the changes had been completely understood by all sections of the public, but the Post Office did not expect, that this phase would last for six months, which has actually been the case, recent' checks of the overseas postage showing that the problem due to ignorance on the part of some sections of the public still persists.

The results of recent checks of overseas mails despatched from Auckland and Wellington, the principal centres for handling this traffic, show the following percentages of short-paid letters in several succeeding checks: — Empire countries (lid rate) 5 to 7A per cent.; U.S.A. (2id rate) 1G to 27 per cent..; other foreign countries (2Jd rate) 9 to 11 per cent. These investigations indicate that, the new rate of lid per half ounce to Empire countries lias become moie generally known, and it is evident that business letters are practically all bearing adequate postage. The high proport ioin of deficiencies in respect to the United States of America appears to be due mainly to the large mail sent to film stars by young people who apparently do not follow in detail the announcements made so frequently regarding mail developments. These letters are destined to be refused' by the recipients, who object to paying a charge of double the difference between Id and 2Ad, and this sum will in due course be collected from the sender when the letter is returned.

Another interesting phase of the official check is the disclosure that where the foreign rate of 2id has remained unchanged for many years there are very few short-paid letters, the proportion in a recent despatch to Germany being, for instance, under 5 per cent. Where the greatest difificulty is experienced is in connection with ■ foreign countries formerly accepting letters at the Id rate, these including Italy, Yugoslavia (with which New Zealand has a fairly large exchange of correspondence) and Syria. These countries are now on the 2id basis. Publication of the results of these checks of postage on overseas correspondence will probablj further reduce the proportion of deficiencies, but the constant maintenance of a high rate in respect to the United States of America is apparently going to be corrected only by the payment of the deficiency penalty by those who send the letters and ultimately get them back after having teen refused by the addressee.