POSTAL RATES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6834, 23 April 1890, Page 4

POSTAL RATES.

♦ HOW NEW ZEALAND WOULD BE AFFECTED. [Peb Pbesß Association.] WELLINGTON, Apbil 22. In view of Mr Goschen's ocean postage proposals, Mr Gray, Secretary of the General Post Office, has drawn up careful estimates of the manner in which the proposal, if adopted, would affect the Colony and its revenue. The rate of 2Jd is that which rules throughout the Postal Union, which may be described as comprising nearly all the civilised Powers ; and exceptions have only been made in the case of India, Japan, the Australasian Colonies, and a few other places that are difficult of access. It is therefore assumed that if this Colony adopts Mr Goschen's idea, our Government would naturally join the TJnion, in order to obtain the special advantages it assures. Taking last year's correspondence as the basis of calculation, Mr Gray estimates that on THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE 1 alone the direct loss on correspondence sent hence to the Old Country, through a reduction from 6d to 2M, and the corresponding reductions in the rates on books and newspapers, would be .£9173 per annum. There would also be the loss of ; London credits. The London Post Office gives the Colony credit for 4d out o£ the ■ postage upon every letter sent from England by this route, amounting to \ .£7711. The Colony would have to pay i for the carriage of mails between London i and San Francisco about £7469, this ! charge being now borne by the London ' office! The total loss on the San Francisco ' service would thus be about .£24,355. As j to I THE DIRECT SERVICE, the immediate loss in postages is set ! down at £3387, and the loss in London i i credits (the allowance is 5d per letter by I this route) at .£3016, or .£6403 in all. The Colony would also have to sacrifice I about .£398 in connection with the nonsubsidised direct lines, and about .£9O in respect of correspondence sent by the P. and O. and Orient lines. Under all heads the loss on English mails would amount to about =831,244. per annum. If, however, such liberal reductions were made upon correspondence with the other end of the world, it may be supposed that the public would naturally cry out for alterations in the INLAND AND INTERCOLONIAL BATES, on the principle that it would be unfair to charge 2d for sending a letter to Christchurch, Dunedin, or Melbourne, when the charge for its transmission to the other side of the globe would be only -id more. It is therefore assumed that a Id inland and intercolonial rate must either precede or accompany the 2-J-d ocean rate. If this were done the loss to the revenue would be about .£53,833. Taking all these matters into account, the postal revenue is estimated to lose .£85,127 per annum if Mr Goschen's scheme were put into force, and the volume of correspondence remained as at present, which, of course, nobody supposes it would do. On the other hand, if the Colony were to enter THE POSTAL TJNION, as it would be entitled to do, the public ! would reap the advantages of reduced ! postage rates to various parts of the world J for which arbitrary rates now rule. One j rate of postage would carry a letter !to any part of the world, all over ! the world if need be, no matter how many timea it were re-directed. The almost universal rate would be 2Jd per half-ounce, the only exceptions being places of difficult access already alluded to, to which the Union rate is 4d. India j has heretofore come under the 4d system, but Mr Goschen includes it amongst those jto which the 2£d rate is to apply. As yet the Government have had little time to consider whether any action will bo taken by them in the matter, and probably nothing will be heard of it till Parliament i meets. Great Britain being in the Postal Union may institute reduced rates as regards correspondence sent to the Colonies whenever it pleases; but it is supposed that matters will remain as ai present until the views of the Colonial Governments are ascertained.