Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-09-22
A WORLl-pnST.
The Postal Service and Regulation
of Great Britain.

The Postal Servics and Regulations
of Great Britain.
Part of the Essential Machinery by which
That Country Continues TO be the "worI
Shop OF the Nation"
London Times August 9Th.
In last Fridays Gazette appeared
Treasury Warrant regulating the postal
relations Of this country with the rest of
the world, and taking effect as from the
LIST of July last. Until recently such a
reform would have been an impossi-
bility. The Postal Union, indeed,
which has been established many years,
brought with it uniformity Of rate and
conditions over wide area. But large
and important countries, notably some
of our own colonies, long remained out.
side the Union, or entered it only on
terms which allowed them to maintain
differential rates. A few years since
not even the best.informed expert could
could have given list OF foreign and
colonial rates Of postage without some
consideration; and the list would GER
tainly have been d long one. So com.
plicatcd, indeed, were our international
postal relations that they were set forth
in more than $50 sets of regulations and
warrants, the long list Of which is ap-
pended, for the purpose of repeal, to the
new document. Within recent years
uniformity and simplicity have gradu.
ally taken the place of lnultifariouness
and completely, and the warrant now
issued is the result OF The change. The
rates of postage from these coasts to
all other parts are now so few that they
can be told upon the fingers; the condi-
tons OF transit are governed b. intel
ligible principles, applicable with but
night mndilicatipns throughout the
world. A letter may now be sent from
the United Kingdom to any colony or
foreign country at the rate of 2td. for
eyrly half.ounce in weight. A post
card, which is, in fact, an open letter,
may be forwarded in like manner for
penny. And a packet Of papers,
whether printed or written, not contain
Ing anything in the nature OF personal
correspondence, may be transmitted to
the most distant place at the rate of q
halt-penny for every two ounces-our
own inland book-post rate. The same
rate applies to packets of samples or
patterns. Thus we may say that there
is q uniform rate for the open packet
post one halfpenny per two ounces.
One difference ouly is observed between
the several kinds Of packets; for printed
papers the minimum postage is the mi
tial rate of halfpenny, for written
papers one penny, and for sample
packet 2td.
Turning now to the conditions of
transit, it is universal rule that post
age must be prepaid In the case of a
letter, however, disregard Of the rule
involves only fine of double the post
age on delivery; while open packets. if
posted without any stamp, will be de.
tanned and returned to The senders. OF
course, every packet, other that u closed
letter, is liable to examination in the
post, and nothing dangerous or offensive
may be forwarded; it is also unlawful
| 10 send any article liable to customs
duty, for the obvious reason that no
machinery exists for collecting such
| duties, except in connection with the
| parcel post. A foreign letter may be Of
any weight, but must not exceed Oft. in
length, or lft in breadth or depth. The
Lame dimensions apply to Il packet OF
| written or printed papers, unless sent
| in the form of a roll, when it may be
| 3Oin. long and Ain. in diameter; but
such packet must not weigh more
| than 1907. The limits of sample
| packet are somewhat more restricted
but, on the other hand, it may weigh as
much as 12oz.
1t is more interesting, however, to note
the several postal facilities beyond mere
transmission which the public enjoy
throughout the world. Any kind Of
postal packet may be registered for tho
sum of 3D.; and underwriters will testif :
that the registered post is the safest
means of conveyance they know. The
| sender of any registered postal packet
may, upon paying an additional fee OF
| 23d., obtain an Acknowledgement of the
delivery of the packet to the addressee.
Any packet, again, which has once paid
international postage may be redirected
from the first TO any other address free
of charge; and any packet may bl
expedited in its course by the payment
of an express fee for special delivery,
such fee being under the postal conven-
ton 3D., when the place Of address is
near the post-otficc.
OF course it need hardly be said that
the simple rules thus laid down arc
liable to some modification, to meet the
| inland postal regulations of the country
OF address. Some countries may have
no machinery for obtaining an acknowl.
edgment of the delivery Of letter, OF
| " hdAulu5 ~ W bue auureSsee DY q
special messenger; it is but very recently
that either service has been performed
in this country. Registration may not
be everywhere very clearly understood;
in some parts of South Africa there may
even be some haziness as to the distinC.
ton between letter and postcard
Again, a letter addressed to the interior
OF China must take its chance after il
has left the treaty ports, and there may
be something to pay for its ultimate de.
livery. This country can only in such
cases take any misslve intrusted to il
subject to all risks. But, speaking
broadly, the rules which now govern
the post tother than parcel post
throughout tho civilized world are now
reduced TO uniformity and will be found
laid down in comparatively few words
in the warrant just issued at the in.
stance of Sir James Ferguson. OF the
newer parcel post SO much cannot be
said. This country is not party to the
general postal convention on the sub
ject, and the rates and conditions of
transit are regulated by treaties framed
with each country. The more bulky
the package conveyed, the more ditli.
cult, no doubt, to establish uniform
rates. But we may hope that before
long something may be done to sim
pity this post also, and to establish for
the tables of rates and dimensions,
which at present occupy t2 pages of the
"Iostal Guide" a few generally APP
plicable rates and principles.
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