The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-04-04 00:00:00

the ordinary mode of transmitting publications
through the country, we are liable to forget what .
so many others less favourably situated have to
suffer in that respect. , Now, take the cheap
newspapers, which it is acknowledged on every
haiid are, as a general rule, quite as valuable
vehicles of intelligence as are the higher priced
papers ; yet the present rate of postage on them,
instead of, as in the other case, being twenty or
five and twenty per cent. upon their cost, is
actually cent. per cent.,—that is to say, the
penny paper is charged a penny postage, while
the fivepenny paper is charged no more. Thii,
then, can never be just and right ; and its rectifi-
cation, we repeat, is a matter in which large
bodies of the people are quite as deeply interested
as are the publishers of such papers themselves.
As a sequel, therefore, to the repeal of the
paper duty, there must of necessity be a modifica-
tion of the newspaper stamp. The present
method is objectionable,.perhaps, both as respects
the interests of the revenue and the public eon-
venience ; and there would seem to be but one
way of remedying the objection—that, namely,
of doing away with the practice of impressing
the stamp on the sheet 'that is to be printed for
transmission by post, and substituting for it a
loose stamp, as is the case with letter postage.
It is sUggested, we observe, that there-should be
" a newspaper stamped cover, the stamp of which
should be impressed in the centre of the cover, in
order. that the direction might be written through
the stamp, and thus deface it like a receipt
stamp,"—by which means, ,it is contended, " all
the inconvenience of having to attach many
thousand penny postage stamps on the papers, or
covers, would be prevented; the obliteration,
and consequent delay, at the Post-office, rendered
unnecessary ; and the 'necessity for additional
Post-office clerks avoided." And there would seem
to be something very reasonable, and very business-
like in such a plan as this. Of course the oblitera-
tion of the stamp must be effectually provided
for, or else the revenue would be expoSed to the
risk of serious imposition. But this could easily
be accomplished : for should the written direc-
tion on- the cover not obliterate the stamp
thoroughly, it would only be necessary for the
Post-office clerk, in sorting the papers, to have an
instrument in his hand which he could by a single
stroke apply to effect its obliteration, wherever it
was required. It is stated that this plan of a
stamped cover has been favourably entertained at
the Post-office ; and a specimen of one which has
been approved of has already been prepared,
consisting of the ordinary penny stamp, such as
is embossed on postage. envelopes, surrounded by
a rim, in which is to be placed the name of the
newspaper, or that of the news agent—thus
identifying the stamp as the' property of the
sender alone. And under this system of postage
it is further proposed that all newspaperS, prOperly
stamped, shall be forwarded by the Post-office
authorities with the same promptitude as letters,
and shall in no case be detained till a second
despatch ; and that the operation of defacing the
stamp at the Post-office shall be accomplished at
the - office of delivery, and not at the office of
reception, which would greatly facilitate their
despatch.

The method, then, of securing the postage
of newspapers being thus arranged, "the next,
and the still more important consideration
is the amount of the charge that is to be made
for it. Certainly the charge should not exceed a
half-penny for each stamped newspaper cover.
If a permy stamp, as hitherto, was considered
sufficient for the .conveyance of a newspaper
through the post for an unlimited number of
times, surely a half-penny is quite enough for a
single transmission. This is the rate in the
United States, where the postal system is much
inferior; and more costly to the Post-office, than
ours is. Each newspaper, periodical, unsealed
circular, or other article of printed matter, not
exceeding
.three ounces in, weight, is there
charged one pent—that is a half-penny—for any
distance under three thousand miles,-,--for every
additional fraction of au ounce, one cent. But
then the publishers of such periodicals have very
valuable privileges granted them, in carrying out
this arrangement. For instance, if the postage
on any newspaper or periodical is paid quarterly
or yearly in advance, at the office where they are
either posted or delivered, then only half this
regular rate of postage is charged. More than
this, small newspapers and periodicals published
Monthly or oftener, and pamphlets not containing
more than sixteen Octavo pages each, when sent
in single packages, weighing at least eight
ounces, to one address, and prepaid by fixing
the postage stamps thereto, are charged only
half a cent for each ounce, or fraction of an
ounce, notwithstanding the postage calculated on
each separate article of such packages would
exceed that anionnt. All this accommodation
may be secured in onr case, by the proposed
sta,mped cover; and we contend, that upon the
same principle of the rate of payment which is
so satisfactorily adopted by the American -Post:
office, similar advantages may be conferred by
allowing a liberal discount upon the price of the
stamped covers when taken in considerable
gigiVitios by publishers and others—a discount,
we 5404 id sa,y,'orat feast twenty-five per cent.

. .
The subject, we repeat, is one of treat ttna

, - •
.general public interest ; and whatever advantages
are conceded directly to the publishers them-
aelves, zvil, be suye to be more or less realised,
indirectly, by the public at large. Even the
allowance of twenty-five per cent. to publishers
upon large amounts of stamps, although going'
immediately into their own pockets, would be
found to result in benefits to thoie whom they
supplied with their publications, by enabling'
them to pay for an improved system of means
and appliances in their postal transmissions,,
auxiliary to that of the Pest-office itself. This is,
the case in the United States ; and there can be,
no reason wily it shonld not be sci keiT iu Eng 7
land likewiSe. As a subject, then, not of indivi-'

. ,
dual and exclusive, but-Of general and popular
interest, let us hope that the new arrangements
far tho fransnlissiou 9f nplyspaicp 4114 other
periodicals by post will be considered and
adjusted by the Government and the Legislature
with a due regard to the convenience of all
concerned.

THE DEFENCES OF THE CHANNEL

ISLANDS.

We are glad to learn from late and sure authority her
Majesty's 'Government is not unmindful, nor forgetful, of
.
, .„
the words of the No 6fVelliigton, !‘ Once get a good
naval station at the Channel Islands, and you will be as free
rom French invasion as if you were in my own room."
It is now fifteen years since the Government of the day:
appointed 4 secret cominission, composed of Military and
. , military
slava' officers, to survey the islands 13f Guernsey, Jersey,'
and Alderney, and to report upon the best means of fortify-
ing them, and of establishing at each a naval station, or
harbour of refuge, as it was called for obvious reasons.
The- commissioners suggested 'the construction of such,
harbours at the three islands, but at two only were their
suggestions carried out. : The harbour of St. liathe-
rine's, Jersey, which is immediately Opposite St. Malo,
has one breakwater complete, and could afford accom-
modation to a considerable squadron; but the principal,
works are being carried on at Alderney, whose small.,
ordinary population of I,no inhabitants is now irtpreascd,
by a' settleinent of '9O artisans and' 0 hoiseS, *orking.
under the direction of Messrs. Jackson and Byng, the
contractors. ' An iminense breakwater had been ,
all not more
con-
structed at Braye Bay, which was capable' of afford-
ing shelter and anchorage to fifteen sail of the line,
oafrintheed withivori •Lsg .1,4
at a distance of about eight miles fronj ;cape
ttognuTeorteyridfroCmilperobroterarngd
°Olin thel seother,
where there 'is
accommodation for a'powerful fleet. . The new harbour
oi if stthned
hde6clavizeisttheraeliebernea-nedretchteedwfhorotlse;
guns
being carried on with the greatest. activity. 1 •
.
confident opinion of petent jndie th t
fortiffcationS of the Chalinei Man' a liiii,' been let'
pleted all Chance of rtimbyanci tiom eileiebodg .I';' '-
out of the question. The wlible Of the works Cherbourg be.
planned by; and are 'under the direction of Messrs.efeseen
WOker, -Ourgess . and Cooper, the Trinity4,l US.
ouse
engineers,— Wiled Servioe 60,7814, .