The Development of Rates of Postage Part 16

UNITED KINGDOM

Letter postage was found to be high for the formal doc.u.ments of commerce, and from very early times there has been a disposition to accord an exceptionally low rate to such doc.u.ments. The Act of 1660 conferred a special privilege on merchants' accounts not exceeding one sheet of paper, bills of exchange, invoices, and bills of lading. They were to be "without rate in the price of letters," that is to say, no account was to be taken of them. This privilege was continued by the 9th of Anne.[514] The Postmasters-General contended that the privilege was granted in the case of letters for foreign transmission only, but the merchants affected to interpret the Act as applying in the case of inland letters also. They naturally pointed out that restriction of the privilege to foreign letters imposed on traders within the realm a burden of postage not imposed on traders beyond the sea,[515] and the Postmasters-General found so much difficulty in maintaining the additional charge in the case of inland letters that they were ultimately driven to apply to Parliament, in 1720, for the express sanction of law.[516] From this time commercial or other papers obtained no special advantage over ordinary letters in the inland service; and in 1801, when the Post Office was endeavouring by all possible means to increase its net revenue, the privilege in the case of foreign letters was withdrawn.[517]

The introduction of a specially low rate for commercial doc.u.ments was considered in the 'thirties of last century by the Treasury Commissioners of Inquiry into the Management of the Post Office, who recommended the adoption of a general 1/2d. rate.[518] Nothing came, however, of this suggestion.

The privilege to commercial papers has since been restored by little and little as extensions of the book post, established in 1847 (_q.v._), and at the present time most of the formal doc.u.ments of commerce not exceeding 2 ounces in weight pa.s.s at the reduced rate of 1/2d.

FRANCE

(_Papiers d'Affaires_)

In the French service commercial papers (_papiers d'affaires_) const.i.tute a special category of postal packets. Doc.u.ments included under this heading may be described briefly as papers and doc.u.ments, whether wholly or partly written, containing communications which are not of a personal character.

Until 1856 such papers were charged at the same rate as letters. This rate was found to be burdensome,[519] and in 1856 a rate of 1 centime for each 10 grammes was established--the same rate as that for samples and ordinary printed matter--but the minimum charge was fixed at 50 centimes. In 1871 the rate was altered to correspond with that for samples. It now became 30 centimes for the first 50 grammes, and 10 centimes for each further 50 grammes. As a consequence of the adhesion of France to the Universal Postal Union, the rate, together with that for samples, was changed in 1875 to 5 centimes for each 50 grammes. The discarding, in the case of _papiers d'affaires_, of the principle of a minimum charge equal at least to the minimum charge for letters, had unfortunate results. It has been found extremely difficult always to distinguish between doc.u.ments ent.i.tled to be regarded as _papiers d'affaires_ and doc.u.ments which are of a personal character, and therefore subject to letter postage. The privilege is at present restricted to packets weighing not more than 20 grammes, and the rate of postage is 5 centimes. Packets weighing more than 20 grammes are subject to letter postage.

The number of packets pa.s.sing as _papiers d'affaires_ increased rapidly, but still forms only an inconsiderable fraction of the total number of postal packets. In 1856 the number was 39,747; in 1889 it exceeded 15 millions; and in 1913 it reached 58 millions.

It is necessary to issue a long and detailed list showing the kinds of doc.u.ments admissible at the reduced rate, and the difficulty of administering the rate is considerable.

GERMANY

(_Geschaftspapiere_)

After the abolition of the old Prussian _Schriften- und Aktentaxe_[520]

in 1861, neither the North German Bund nor the Imperial administration granted a special rate for wholly or partly handwritten communications which were not of the nature of personal and individual correspondence.

Either letter or parcel rate must be paid on such packets. In the international service the rate for such was the same as the rate for printed matter, and the unfavourable position in the inland service in this respect gave rise to public complaints. In 1900, therefore, a special cla.s.s of packets, named _Geschaftspapiere_, was introduced in the internal service of the German Imperial administration. Papers partly or wholly written, but not of the nature of private or personal communications, were admissible at a reduced rate of postage.[521]

Except for local traffic the new rates were:--

Not exceeding 250 grammes 10 pf.

250-500 grammes 20 pf.

500 grammes to 1 kilogramme (maximum) 30 pf.

Compared with the total postal traffic the number of packets pa.s.sing at the reduced rate is quite small, but it is increasing, and is sufficiently large to indicate that the privilege affords a considerable advantage to the public.

The number of packets of _Geschaftspapiere_ was:--

1904 10,793,620 1907 16,789,260 1910 23,632,220 1913 34,328,950

(IV) POSTCARDS

The idea of postcards originated with Dr. H. von Stephan, who submitted a proposal for their introduction at the meeting of the delegates of the German Postal Union at Karlsruhe in 1865. Dr. von Stephan had realized that the ordinary form of the letter missive, although most suitable in many ways for many kinds of correspondence, was not always convenient.

Much commercial correspondence might be conducted with briefer and less formal communications, and for such short and urgent messages a simple and less costly means would be welcomed.

The proposal was therefore for the issue of cards which should be addressed on the front, and at the back should bear the written message.[522] The cards should be transmitted unenclosed. The proposal was not well received by the delegates. It was, however, revived in 1869 by Professor Herrmann of Vienna, who brought it to the notice of the Austrian postal administration. It was viewed favourably by that administration, and the cards were introduced in the Austrian service on the 1st October 1869, being sold at the price of 5 kreuzer. The innovation was an immediate success, nearly three million cards being sold in the first three months; and following on this success the cards were soon introduced in most other countries.

Except in France, and for the first two years in Germany, the rate charged has from the first been one-half the minimum rate for letters.

In France the minimum for postcards bearing ordinary messages has never been less than 10 centimes.[523] This reduction of 50 per cent. cannot be justified on any ground of cheaper handling. The manipulation and conveyance of postcards is perhaps slightly less expensive than that of ordinary light letters, but any such difference is small, and in point of fact postcards are usually regarded as causing a little more trouble in the process of sorting. For all practical purposes it may safely be a.s.sumed that postcards and ordinary light letters involve approximately the same cost for their handling and transmission.[524] This difference in the rates of postage charged on ordinary light letters and postcards, respectively, is therefore either a standing evidence of the fiscal character of the rate for light letters, or of the uneconomic character of one or other of the rates, or of both.

The postcard has proved immensely popular. Its use for formal and unconfidential communications is a great convenience. By avoiding the necessity for folding and enclosing in envelopes, time is saved in the making up of correspondence for the post; and the saving in postage when a quant.i.ty is sent out is very considerable. The cards are a convenience also in the practical working of the Post Office service. Their use diminishes both the weight and bulk of the mails; on account of their lightness and uniformity of size and shape large numbers can be packed together in small s.p.a.ce. In this respect they contrast strongly with the irregularly shaped packets of books or of general merchandise, which represent the maximum of enc.u.mbrance to Post Office working. The introduction of the picture postcard gave a great impetus to the use of this means of correspondence. Except in France, the traffic has a.s.sumed large dimensions. In the United Kingdom in 1913-14 the total number of postcards was about 926,000,000, while the total number of packets pa.s.sing at the letter rate was about 3,478,000,000.[525]

(V) RATE FOR PRINTED MATTER FOR THE BLIND

The low rate for matter printed in raised type for the use of the blind is a purely philanthropic concession.[526]

In the United Kingdom the rates are:--

For a packet not exceeding 2 ounces in weight 1/2d.

" exceeding 2 ounces and not exceeding 5 lb. 1d.

" " 5 lb. " " 6 lb 2d.

It will be noted that the initial penny rate is maintained (the 2 ounces for 1/2d. being merely the ordinary printed matter rate), but a comparison with the ordinary parcel post rates (see Chapter III) will show that if, as there is reason to believe, those rates are unremunerative, the rates for literature for the blind must involve a heavy loss on each packet. The number of packets is, however, only some 300,000 per annum.

Similar low rates are in operation in other countries. In the United States packets containing matter of this kind are carried free.

(VI) MINOR RATES IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

In the United States and Canada a special method of differentiating rates of postage has been adopted. All postal traffic is termed "mail matter," and is cla.s.sified in four groups, to each of which is applied an appropriate rate. The cla.s.sification, which is almost identical in the two countries, is based partly on the general character of the packets (size, shape, etc.), but more largely on certain general principles of administration, and on the intrinsic value of the contents. Thus the ordinary letter, which is the most important and valuable traffic, is placed in the first cla.s.s of mail matter, and is charged the highest rate. Newspapers and periodicals, which are regarded as of great importance in aiding the education and enlightenment of the people, are placed in the second cla.s.s of mail matter and are given the lowest rate.[527] Books and all other printed matter, commercial papers, postcards, etc., are regarded as of less importance than letters, and are deemed to be less ent.i.tled to encouragement from the State in their distribution, but still ent.i.tled to preferential treatment as compared with packets containing miscellaneous articles. They are accordingly placed in the third cla.s.s of mail matter, and are given a rate intermediate between that of the first cla.s.s and that of the second. All other articles sent by post--the residuum of postal packets--are placed together in a fourth cla.s.s of mail matter, to which is applied a rate higher than the third-cla.s.s rate, but considerably lower than the first-cla.s.s rate.[528]

The rates for first-cla.s.s matter (letters) and second-cla.s.s matter (newspapers and periodicals) in the United States have been dealt with.

They may be repeated here for purposes of comparison: the rate for letters is 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction of 2 ounces; the rate for newspapers is 1 cent a pound or fraction thereof when sent from publisher to subscriber--when sent otherwise the rate is 1 cent for every 4 ounces. On third-cla.s.s matter the rate is 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction thereof, and on fourth-cla.s.s matter the rate is 1 cent for every ounce or fraction of an ounce. With the view of encouraging agriculture, seeds, cuttings, bulbs, scions, roots, and plants are given the same rate as ordinary printed matter in the third cla.s.s.

In Canada the rate of postage on first-cla.s.s matter is 2 cents per ounce or fraction of an ounce, except on postcards, for which the rate is 1 cent, and local or "drop" letters, on which the rate is also 1 cent (_supra_, p. 255). On second-cla.s.s matter the rate is 1/4 cent a pound when posted by publishers to subscribers, otherwise 1 cent for each 4 ounces or fraction thereof. On general third-cla.s.s matter (including samples) the rate is 1 cent for each 2 ounces or fraction thereof: a special rate of 2 cents for the first 4 ounces and 1 cent for each additional 4 ounces or fraction thereof is given for seeds, cuttings, roots, bedding-plants, scions, or grafts. The object of this privilege is evident. The rate on fourth-cla.s.s matter is 1 cent for each ounce or fraction thereof.

These rates have not been calculated with reference to the cost of the service in each case. Cla.s.sification was introduced in the United States Postal Service as far back as 1863, but until 1906 no attempt had been made to apportion the total cost between the various cla.s.ses. The estimate then made showed that the second-cla.s.s mail involved a heavy loss, probably equal to six or seven times the rate of postage.[529]

V

LOCAL RATES