New-York tribune., 1901-06-06
MAKING FOREIGNERS PAY THE POST4GE |

MAKING FOREIGNERS PAY THE POSTAGE.
A London business man sends us n complaint
about the American correspondents who com
Pel him to pay penalties for insufficient postage
He says there is widespread practice of
underpaying mail matter from the United States
70 England and the Continent that one of the
large hotels pays from So 10 81 back postage on
every American mail and he inclOses three
envelopes received by one man in one post from
New York Boston and Chicago, respectively
the total prepaid postage which was 21
cents while the receiver had to pay "A cents
before having them delivered to him. Inas-
much as all three were written soliciting busi
ness and not comforting it, our correspondent
rightly thinks that 1t the duty of the
American writers to put their letters in the
hands of the customers they sought without
involving the latter in expense. 1t would also
seem to be n matter of Se1f-intereSt and buSi-
ness sagacity that they should.
Il is easy TO see how this annoying failure
to pay full postage here comes about. The
unit OF weight for domestic letters is ounce
while that for European letters is the half
ounce. We at home rarely weigh our letters,
unless they seem uncommOnly bulky. The Ordi-
nary letter weighs less than an ounce, while if
it contains more than single sheet or is on
heavy paper it is likely to tip the balance for
more than q half ounce. This makes no differ
ence at home. The two-cent stamp carries it as
n matter of course, and by force of habit people
assume that n fve-cent stamp will carry it
abroad. This is the more natural as the dOmcs-
tic unit was likewise formerly half ounce,
and all one had 10 do was to put the five-cent
stamp on the letter he knew would go here ut
the single domestic rate. The larger domestic
unit has encouraged heavier paper and care
lessneSs. The careleSsneSs is also somewhat
due to the easy conditions with respect to insult
ficient postage AT home. The officials, par
ticularly in the large cities, too much rushed
to weigh every piece of mail matter with the
minute attention dear to the tape bound func-
tionaries of some European countries for whom
no mans necessity is Il cause for hurry. Unless
package is obviously overweight il is likely to
be passed over. Then, too. If il is found short
of postage all that Is required is the actual
deficiency. Foreign letters. on the other hand.
are weighed with nj their destination, and
the recipient has to pay not merely the def
cheney. but double that amount Thus the let
ter which is sent off with five cents when it
should have had ten costs the person to whom
ii goes ten cents in addition.
Now. this is making the foreigner pay the
tax in fashion that is neither pleasant for
him nor profitable for ourselves The Amerl-
can Is not ny nabit mean or gwen 10 saving III
small ways. This abuse which Europeans com
plain Of is doubtless inadvcrtent. 1t is obviously
so in the case of one of the letters referred TO,
the sender having put on three two-cent stamps,
probably having no fives and thinking he was
paying cent more than was called for. He
forced the receiver. however. TO pay eight cents
in London. The European custom Is the reverse.
Pennies counted. EXactncsS prevails
habit Of mind. even when the small amount Of
money involved is a matter of Indifference; and
1t must act on the foreigners nerves to have the
American letter always coming in accompanied
by bill for a few pennies. 1t certainly is not
courteous TO send letters off with such ndiffcr-
ence 10 the convenience of foreign correspond
cnts and If American merchants desire husl-
ness they must adapt themselves 10 the postal
regulations well as To other factors on which
n pleasant relation with the desired European
customer is conditioned. This deficiency in
postage is n small matter. but II is noticed
abroad and should be avoided