THE PENNY POST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 25, 14 September 1911, Page 4

THE PENNY POST.

In the “Nineteenth Century” of August last, Mr Henniker Heaton lias some observations to make on the lack of attention devoted by the Imperial Conference to the question of penny postage, upon which ho is considered an eminent authority. “It is very difficult,” lie writes, “to have and enjoy Imperial penny postage without making it universal from the fact that most of our letters to our colonies and dependencies pass through foreign countries. Accordingly, when Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister of New Zealand, inaugurated penny postage between New Zealand and Great Britain *he announced that he was also looking to see it established in every civilised part of the world. To-day wo have the extraordinary spectacle of letters being sent from New Zealand to Italy at Id per letter, and from England to Italy at 2kl. Sir Joseph Ward informs mo that he has made arrangements witli France.” Later, Mr Henniker Heaton publishes a telegram which “that fearless Imperial leader, Sir Joseph Ward,” had sent to him eleven years ago, on the bii th of

the century, announcing that .the penny postage had been installed. “It is,” ho says, “by no means the first

i:ne New Zealand has led the way, mcl we shall never forget her promptitude in telegraphing her offer of a Dreadnought at a crisis in our history.”