PENNY POSTAGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19333, 25 May 1937, Page 3

PENNY POSTAGE

NOT UNIVERSAL OVERSEAS HEAVY DEFICIENCIES That, penny postage is , fur gf.rpiu. universal is a fact not recognised-by a large nnmber of New Zealanders so long accustomed to this privilege. The number of complaints received by the Post Office from overseas firms rogarding short-paid correspomlmiee received'from New Zealand caused special attention to be paid over a period of three months to the postages cm outward mails. , So many, letters carrying a penny stamp were addressed to countries requiring the international rate of 21d 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 front senders in order to avoid difficulties with their correspondents, bur in a large number of eases the senders cannot be traced, consequently double the deficiency is paid hv the recipient.

'fhe 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, Yugoslavia, Portugal and its Colonics and a few other countries enumerated In the Pos* Office Guide. In every other case the postage is the international rate of LHd for the first ounce. Penny postage lor 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 2oz.‘ The average weight of Nc-vy. Zealand newspapers, particularly periodicals, is so much greater than 2ozs. that the short-payments in postage frequently amount to 3d, involving a deficiency charge of 6dl to an annoyed addressee.