Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-03-04
OCEAN PENNY POSTAGE.

| Messrs. EDIToRs: To make ocean penny postage
produce much the present high rates be-
tween the United States and Great Britain it quad
ripple the number Of letters only that conveyed
between the two countries. The bulk or weight of the
mail matter need not be increased by single pound in
order to yield, under penny postage rs much
income as is derived from the existing charges This
may exaggerated statement at first but two
three facts will establish its In consequence
of the present exorbant rates of postage letters
tons and tons of old newspapers pamphlets parts CT
books &C. conveyed the Atlantic for earthly
purpose but to communicate distant friends the infor
nation that may be impaired through the manuscript
directions the Thus the post Office overreaches
itself most detrmentay in taxing dsproportonately
the transportation of letters 1t offers convey any old
newspaper report sermon, part of book under taco
in weight from the remoest town in Texas to John
OGroats in Scotland for four cents Of which the sender
is pay two cents and the receiver two But for let
ter weighing only half tTenty.four cents
demanded for precisely the service and of the
parties pay the whole of it., Therefore old
paper pamphlet that costs nothing is posted instead
of letter and it conveys good round pennyworhs
of information in the direction the cover. Let
read the meaning that allan Aacal, John O. troats
Scoland reads from these simple words, connected or
qualified by verb adjective. This is the hand
riea. He is pretty well-witness his writing bold
steady and strong lie remembers you with sons
neutrality-suspicious. this token. He in Corpus
Christi in Texas, when he penned this direction-wit-
ness the postmaster's mark to that effect"
good and comforting letter. that, for cents! The
father begs old number of the John 0Groats Jour
NAL" and sends back, same way, responsive
sage to his son for pes Isl.
Thus the American and British mail bags stuffed
with vast number of old newspapers and pamphlets,
that transmitted the Atlantic merely for the
sake and value of their covers! Now would it not be
better economy send the only and for the
price that is demanded for the postal service the whole
bulky and worthless enclosure? Why transport many
of chat the for few grains of wheat?
An English journal recently contained the following
paragraph which strikngly illustrates the working of
the present high rates of ocean postage on letters:
IAN ARGUMENT PENNY PosTAaE.-Out of the 800
boxes Of mails taken by the Rpon for the overland
route less than $50 of them contain newspapers The
average weight Of each box is about threeq of
hundred weight that the 1853 boxes for Melbourne are
about FIVE tons and in weight and fourteen
eenths of them bring in revenue for all the ship
and tonnage they require say nothing of the
complete caravan Of eames in the desert
troop of thirty viii be required convey the $50 boxes
of non-paying newspapers"
trust these facts will remove the apprehension enter
tanned by of your readers that an ocean penny post
must necessarily increase the bulk and weight Of the
mail matter in order produce much revenue as the
existing rates. ELIHU BURRITT
WAsHNGros, FEBRUARY 81, 1854