POSTAL CONCESSIONS.

Thames Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 10305, 27 July 1907, Page 4

POSTAL CONCESSIONS.

Sir JosejJi Ward fully appreciates s .the popularity aaid'genenerai value of ' cheap postal rates; !buit, having reL.gard to the ,substanitial reductions r ; last 'year, we hardly expected thnit further concessions would' be ■.notified inj^the|_4e\y Budget. Still, ' ■with the large surplus to hand,. and >y^vthe. "stamps" revenue showing an increase of £164,464 for 1906-7, ' it cannot ibe said that a> lowering of rates is ..uncalled; for, espeaially as every previous movement in this , direction has <been "justified by financial (to say nothiiiig^of general) results. The reduction on inland post- ; [c^rdiifrdm, Id to W is really a logical ; developmeniti.of.jbhe penny letter post | age, and a halfpenny postcard rate

1 has been in force in the United Kingdom for very many yearn*. Sir Joseph Ward remarks that the change -will bringftiier post ""withtrv the i»Bacir-of the humblest meniiber of the community," and though it might be suggested that his endihad ajready ■6een*attainedy still the modest 9 tod useful half-penny jis worth saving. Probalbiy there : ; !Will be some difference of opinion as to -whether there was any necessity; to make ai further reduction JE»j the ordinary inland letter rate. Last year, when the rate was brought down at one swoop from, Id per |oz to Id; per 4oz, many people thought that the oonoessioni was most absurdly generous, and it is now proposed to charge* £d for, each 2oz after the first 4oz, instead of ld;for"each-2oz as 1 at present.; JBti is pointed out that no other #umtry in the world has a ,rat<? that <sin aomipa.fe -■*-'*** this mi point of cheapness. The ■ on registered letters is|to be reduced from) 3d)to 2d, in thef hope of checking the undesiraMe maoticie y of.., posting valuables without! registratianr; while the rediuiatioiii on; magazines (to Id* per Ib) will <ttmbtlless, as fine Treasurer opines,^ be qf:; appreciable value to counifcryi jesidenta,!* Other concessions of a isnor kindi are indicated, the who r^justm.ent v-repjJesentang a gift of alboUfrSSO,pOpMo the corresponding putjU^r-ibut Sir Joseph Ward, who i^?ely,vif ever^maikies a. mistake ra thia; soif^'of speculation, est.imates that tihp iritaieajsedi, business will keep the lo^ te';?|be de^fcment for the rt^ et.ni^*^<?!s^ 1 to less *an A3BW^ while exp^ienc© warrants the belief tix&t Ip(?>fKor^ig© will gradually #jcasaßfe .ifnp^eyentiually disaplpe&r\ jA^os^feons reganMn«:tfce exadl lflicfijfe^.^p/cJianges of this tandl a|?. ctorrenev in convereatogi ti/WPRj people who do not; Dead it may be wel two facts in conneo,^P» "^th proposed reductions. First, 'ftie HSpaitttfon of the new'lrates wall h(j'- Umitedl^to inland postage— withiinva^'boraerfe of Ne^rZealaMJ tharfi is|*o«a^i^Tl^;postoard w»te to other «>uin,tfie«J|wil|r still ibet Id. Sectoliidly, l^e^^ations will not take effec* te.il Deoember or Janiiiary-Ka j few da^s before Oir-is^mas m the case I of postioaydfl^^ apdi.pn^Nevr jCeajr's,:Day i in respec* to the other concessions.