PENNY POSTAGE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23200, 26 May 1937, Page 6

PENNY POSTAGE

NOT UNIVERSAL OVERSEAS HEAVY POSTAGE DEFICIENCIES That penny postage is far from universal is a fact not recognised by a large,number of New Zealahders so long accustomed to this privilege. The number of complaints received by the Post Office from overseas firms regarding shortpaid correspondence received from New Zealand caused special attention to be paid over a period of three months to the postages on outward mails. So many letters carrying a penny stamp were addressed to countries requiring the international rate of 2H for the first ounce that it has been found desirable to call public attention to what is evidently a widespread 'misconception. A considerable amount of time is spent in the mail rooms endeavouring to obtain deficient postage from senders in order to avoid difficulties with their correspondents, but in a large number of cases the senders cannot be traced, consequently double the deficiency is paid by the recipient. The penny postage for the first ounce applies overseas to New Zealand correspondence for all countries in the British Empire, as well as the United States of America, the Argentine, Egypt, Italy, Jugoslavia, Portugal and its colonies, and a few other countries enumerated in the Post Office Guide. In every other case the postage is the international rate of 2£d for the first ounce.

Penny postage for letters to the United States of America has caused confusion over the transmission of newspapers to that destination. Most of them are prepaid Id, although the correct postage is the rate for all foreign countries —namely, id for each two ounces. The average weight of New Zealand newspapers, particularly periodicals, is soi much greater than two ounces that the short-payments in postage frequently amount to 3d, involving a deficiency charge of 6d to an annoyed addressee.