UNDER-PAID LETTERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 12 April 1939, Page 4

UNDER-PAID LETTERS

NEGLECT BY NEW ZEALANDERS PROTEST FROM OVERSEAS For eight months the Post Office hae j been advising the public regarding the disappearance of penny postage to all I overseas countries excepting Australia, but it has discovered through disappointing experience that a certain proportion of the public take no notice of these announcements. Nothing short of a penalty brings the point to mind, but the penalty, which is double the deficiency in postage, has to be coiected from the overseas recipient. Sufficient time has now elapsed for the annoyance to receivers of underpaid letters overseas to find session in print. The London correspondent of a New Zealand newspaper recently dealt with the subject of understamped letters from New Zealand stating “For so many years New Zealand has enjoyed the privilege of the penny post for letters to England that correspon- ' dents in the Dominion are understamp- | ing their letters, to the aggravation of recipients here who aro mulcted with double the deficiency. Moreover, understamped letters are subjected to delay in delivery.” The correspondent added “At Christmas time people are ! inspired with the spirit of goodwill, and they merely murmured. But this i warm-hearted condition cannot be expected to extend for an undue period. The objections are being made in a i louder voice.”

Out of consideration for those who I might not have noticed the first announcements of the change to the lid “all-up” rate to Empire countries (including Fiji and Tonga), the various Postal Administrations decided to waive the penalty of double the deficiency for six weeks following the inauguration of the service on 25th July last. Then the penal rate commenced

to operate. As penny postage to the United States of America had been 1 replaced by a rate of 2jd per ounce, | the usual deficiency w r as lsd, and the 'penal rate 3d. In the case of English letters, the penal rate was usually Id, I although neglect of the half-ounce | rule frequently necessitated a further j penalty of 3d which was double the ordinary rate of ljd per half ounce, i Constant reminders and possibly some ' protests by correspondents “at the ! other end” have reduced the numbers i of underpaid letters sent overseas, but i recent checks at Wellington and AuckI land where the bulk of these mails are ! finally handled show the deficiencies to be as follows: Wellington Auckland Empire countries .. 6 p.c. 8.4 p.c. U.S.A 23 p.c. 22 p.c. i Foreign countries j except U.S.A 8 p.c. 10 p.c. j It has been noticed that the bulk of I the short-paid correspondence for the J United States is from private persons, and that in connection with Empire countries the deficiency figures have been increased by failure to recognise that Tonga and Fiji are included in the lsd “all up” scheme.