PENNY POSTAGE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 December 1924, Page 5

PENNY POSTAGE

ADOPTION IN BRITAIN PROBABLE IN NEAR FUTURE. AUSTRALIA MAY FOLLOW SUIT. (By Telegraph—Special to' the Star.) WELLINGTON, Dee. 23. The opinion, was expressed .by Mr Markham, Secretary of ; the Post/Office, who returned from the Stockholm Postal Congress by the Muraina to day, that England would not be long in following New Zealand.’s example’in returning to penny postage: Although the institution of penny postage in Britain would mean a concession to the public of about five and a half millions a year, Was approximately the amount of profit derived by the British Post Office last, year, lie said lie felt sure the authorities in London would follow New Zealand’s, example at a very early date. ; ■■■%■■ The Commonwealth Postmaster-Gen-eral had publicly announced that penny postage was impossible in Australia if tlie post office was to,,be self supporting, but with the prospect of: a record production this year, and in view of the splendid pricey being obtained' for wool; aifd the improvement of trade generally, it should not be surprising to find Australia following Great Britain with reduced rates. Continental countries were unable to revert to lower rates of postage on account of unsettled' rates of exchange, and it could hardly be hxpected that they would reduce their rates until the value of their currency improved. ■■ ' / Mr. Markham ; said the London telephone service,; embracing between 200,000 to 300,000 subscribers, is at present replacing the manual exchanges, which had served their full term of usefulness, with the automatic, but it was, not expected that the change could be completed witldn the next fifteen or twenty years. 1