Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-03-07
THE POLICY OF CHEAP POSTAGE.

THE POLICY OF CHEAP POSTAGE.
To the Editor Of the National Era.
SIR: The experience Of several countries has
proved, that expedients for avoiding postage
will be resorted to until the rates are reduced
to that minimum charge which perfectly salts
fies the public mind, and with which private
enterprise cannot compete. IL is selfeyident,
that no party, in any country, can transmit
mailable matter from town to town so cheaply
as the Post Office Department. 1t has all the
machinery for that purpose in active operation;
the routes, of6ces and oficers, oil appointed.
Its contracts with railway, stage, and steam
packet companies, are all made, frequently for
long time in advance. In these contracts,
there is no stipulation with those companies in
reference to the contents Of the mails they are
TO convey. If the General Post Office should
charge nothing at all for the transmission Of
letters, papers, &c, it would be no violation Of
those contracts. Then why not reduce the
postage on this matter to q rate which would
BIO sure to bring into the mail bags every letter,
paper, and pamphlet now transmitted outside
Of them! II costs the Post Office no more for
the transmission Of ton of mail matter by
railway train or steam-packet than it does for
the same service On one hundred weight The
Post Offices in the United States and Great
Britain act upon this principle, 90 far as their
inland operations are concerned. Why not
apply it to the ocean transit between the two
countriesl Every additional pound Of this
matter they bring into the ocean mails, is clear
gain to them; for its transportation from Lon
don to New York, or vice uerso, does not cost
them an extra farthing. They pay between
them for the transit service on the correspond
ence of the two countries, all that they would
be required to allow, If they should tomorrow
abolish all charge on mailsble matter and in
vite the People, on both sides of the Atlantic
to send as much of it as they pleased to each
other for nothing
To illustrate this. one fact will suffice A
year or two ago, the British Post Office adopt
cd q regulation by which bound books, Of
every size and volume, might be sent by post
to any town in the Kingdom, and be delivered
at the residence Of the person to whom it was
addressed, at the rate of twelve cents per pound.
This facility opened up new department in
the book trade, and thousands of one and two
pound volumes were transmitted in this way.
IL was great accommodation to the public,
and tended to increase the commerce of the
country. But did the transmission Of this extra
mail matter cost the Post Office an extra far
thing! Did it pay another penny 10 the rail-
way or steam-packet companies for the trans
portation of these books! Not ct all. Every
pound was clear gain to the Post Office. This
system worked well; for itworked for nothing,
90 far as the transportation Of the books was
concerned. Then the British Post Office ex-
tended this regulation with some modification,
10 the Colonies beyond the sea- II conveys q
book, weighing pound from London to'Mon-
treal, or to Canton or Melbourne, for twenty
a.. ell kxx Ian1
and sea. This Is q more valuable facility still
What could be more accommodating for o
colonist, residing in some remote town in Can
ada West, or in Australia, than to have . book,
weighing pound brought all the way to his
own door, from London, for twenty-four cents?
Undoubtedly, vast number Of volumes will be
transmitted across the ocean in the British
mail bags, as the result OF this regulation. But
where, between the booksellers counter and
the door Of the purchaser in Canada or Aus
tralia will the transmission Of one Of these vol
umes cost the Post Ofise an additional far
thingl Will II pay anything extra, for its
transportation, TO the railway company be.
tween London and Liverpool! No. Will it
pay anything additional 10 the Cunard steam
packet company, for its transportation from
Liverpool to Halifax? No. Will its trans
portation from Halifax TO Montreal cost the
Colonial Pest once farthing extra! NO
Here is printed mail matter transmitted by land
and sea, from London 20 Montreal, or TO Mel
bourne, in Australia ut the rate Of one and
half cent per ounce. Why should tbere be
such cruel difference between manuscript and
printed matter, when the latter receives "a
many services in its transmission as the for
merl In asking for an ocean penny postage
between the two countries, nothing more is
.fsu Uht than n xod..cfiou of the nrcacrt twonky-
four cents charge on letters to @psn cents or
hves Cor the American inland, fsoo for the
ocean transit and two for the British inland
service. This 10 at the rate Of fourteen cents
PER ounce for precisely the same postal service
on manuscript that is performed on printed
mail matter for one and half cent per ounce.
Who can cay that this is not ~ great differ
enoe between the two as ought to be made by
the Post Offices Of the two countriesi
ELrHu BURRITT
Washington, DC, Mareh 8, 1854.