PENNY POSTAGE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2350, 17 November 1908, Page 7

PENNY POSTAGE.

A UNIVERSAL SUCCESS.

Penny postage between England and the United States was inaugurated on October Ist, amid a good deal of enthusiasm. The new rate came in at midnight, and both in London and New York there was a rush to the Post Office for the distinction of mailing the first letter. In New York the Post Office was inundated with letters. In six hours 50,000 letters addressed to Great Britain were posted at tho Central Post Office, and altogther 100,000 were sent •away bearing a penny stamp. The gain to business people is immense. Of these 100,000 letters 60,000 were business circulars which had been kept- back for a week, the firms thereby saving £375. A batch of 4000 circulars posted.in [London cost £l6 13s 4d in postage; had they been posted before they would have cost £4l 13s 4d. The London officials were too cautious to predict the results of the change, but the New York Post Office is convinced that an enormous increase in correspondence wild take place. It is thought that business letters will mot increase so much as priv ate. letters, since most business communications must be written whether the postal rate is high or low. The adoption of the penny rate instead of the twopeucelialfpenny rate is estimated to involve a loss of nearly £IBO,OOO a year to each Government-,' but this estimate does not take into account the increase in the number of letters. Judging from the figures for Canada and Australia, the increase should be •large. These figures are very interesting. The following show the expansion in letters from the United Kingdom to Canada: — i. Letters and Postage. Postcards. 1898.. 2Ad per 4oz 3,023,250 1899.. id ' 3,593,100 1906.. Id 10,788,000 * The figures for the business from Canada to the United Kingdom are: 1898 ... ... 1,953,000 1906 ... ... 7,854,000 Those for the letters from the United Kingdom to Australia, etc., are: 1904.. 2£dpei*aOZ 10,270,000 1905.. Id 11,570,000 1906.. Id 12,740,000 In ten years the number of letters sent from the United Kingdom to the United States has arisen from 11,000,000 to 20,000.000. Mr Henniker Heaton’s name is being mentioned in London in connection with the office of Postmaster-General in the the next Unionist Cabinet. It would be very fitting that the man who has done more than any other living man to cheapen postage rates should fill the highest postal appointment in the Empire. •