Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-01

The Postmaster General today received
the following cablegrams concerning the
--cent postage rate with England:
'LONDON. October 1, 1905
Meyer, Postmaster General, Washing
ton, D. c., U. S. A.
Mutual congratulations on introduction
OF penny postage between the United
states, Great Britain and Ireland.
SYDNEY BUXTON"
POSTMASTER General"
"GLACE BAY, n. S., Sept. 80 1905.
&c. Won L. Meyer. Postmaster General.
Washington. d. G.
London via Marconi wireless-On be-
half of. the British house of commons beg
to fel1cltate the fearless postal minister of
the United States, who won Anglo Ameri-
can penny postage for the two people on
magnificent demonstrations of popular
sympathy with this the greatest achieve
ment so far of the twentieth century.
HENNIKER HEATON,
Carlton Club
the postmaster General replied as fol-
Buxton. Postmaster General London.
congratulations on the inauguration
today to cents postage between the
United States of America and the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
way IL iead 10 even closer relations be-
tween the two nations. MEYER,
POSTMASTER General"
P. ~Henniker Heaton, Carlton Club Lon
dOn.
Thanks for cablegram. Allow me in
turn to felicitate you on final adoption Of
penny rate postage between the United
Kingdom and the United States
MEYER, Postmaster General"
To-Day marks an era in the postal rela-
tions between the United States of Amer
lea and the British Isles. which, il is
believed, will more closely knit the two
countries in a bond of friendly and COM
mercfal union. 1t is the adoption, by
treaty now effective. of a 2-cent postage
rate per ounce on letters passing to and
from any post office in this country and
any post office in Great Britain. Elab-
crate arrangements have been made by
the postal administrations of the two
countries to handle and properly dispose
or the greatly increased volume of the
mails which is expected from the adop-
ton of what has always been known and
long clamored for in England as penny
postage. To those in this country who
nave friends or commercial correspondents
In the British Isles it means for their
letters the same rate of postage as for
those which are sent to Baltimore Phla-
delphia. New York or any other post
Office In the United States.
First Tried With Canada.
When the Hon. Robert Bruce and a
member of his staff from the English
postal administration were in Washington
recently Mr.. Bruce stated that the adop-
ton of a similar rate between England.
and Canada resulted in a wonderful in
crease in volume of the letters exchanged
between the two countries. His visit to
America was largely for the purpose of
perfecung ARRANGEMENTS for handling a
still greater volume between his native
land and the United States, and to this
end he was especially DESTROYS of effecting
two things. One was to have through
bags of mail made up at the largest post
offices in this country for London Liver
pool. Glasgow, Edinburgh and other big
cities In the British Isles, and the other
to extend the sea-pOst service to the Gu
nard line.
This innovation. which has been brought
about largely by the efforts of Postmas-
ter General Meyer, while apparently in
the nature of an experiment, promises by
comparison with its effects in Canada to
be a lasting Improvement in the postal
relations with the world, soon to be fol-
lowed by similar arrangements with the
other leading countries of Europe.
Terms of the Postal Union.
The postal union rate on letters was )
cents half ounce or fraction thereof,
until October l, 1907, when by amendment
of the convention it was reduced to =
cents an ounce or fraction thereof. The
convention, however, provides that ma
tional parties subscribing to it may reduce
the rate prescribed by it by mutual agree
ment. Postmaster General Meyer has
been quick to take advantage Of the pro-
vision he has been to make similar i'm
prOvementS in the parcels post rates and
arrangements, in the interests of sound
commercial sense.