[550] The following statement shows the rates charged in the twopenny post:—
"For every letter transmitted by such Post within the limits of
delivery for the time being of the General Post 2d.
For every letter transmitted by such Post between a place within
the said limits and any place beyond the same, or between places,
both of which are beyond the said limits 3d.
And for every letter originally sent by the General Post directed
to places beyond the said limits, and for every letter originally sent
by the Twopenny Post, and afterwards passing through the General Post,
in addition to all other rates chargeable thereon 2d.
Newspapers sent by the Twopenny Post, and not passing or intended
to pass by the General Post, are charged each 1d.
But newspapers by the General Post and delivered by the Twopenny Post, received by the Twopenny Post and afterwards passing by the General Post, have, since August 1836, been exempted from postage."—Ninth Report of the Commissioners of Post Office Inquiry, 1837, p. 4.
[551] "It is on this principle that it has been found that where a letter has been dropped into the post office in a city, and delivered by a letter-carrier, it does not pay to deliver it for 1 cent, which is just half the rate charged in any other country in the world; and this provision is to assimilate the rate to that prevailing in other countries."—Mr. Haggart, Parliamentary Debates, Canada (Commons), 9th April 1889.
[552] "We have been influenced to make this change from the fact that in large cities and towns the departmental stores, the manufacturing establishments, and other concerns which do a large postal business, use the messenger service to deliver their letters as they found it cheaper, and in this way a large amount of revenue was lost to the Post Office.... Several firms will amalgamate their messenger service, employing say five or ten boys, to whom they will pay 1 cent or ½ cent for each letter, and in that way they will make a profit. Of course, this action on their part is illegal, but it is one of those illegalities that we can hardly prosecute, and we thought it was better to adopt the uniform 1-cent rate which we had formerly."—Hon. R. Lemieux (Postmaster-General), Parliamentary Debates, Canada (Commons), 16th June 1908.
[553] A. de Rothschild, Histoire de la Poste aux Lettres, Paris, 1879, p. 98.
[554] "16 août 1653.—On fait à sçavoir à tous ceux qui voudront écrire d'un quartier de Paris en un autre, que leurs lettres, billets ou mémoires seront fidèlement portés et diligemment rendus à leur addresse, et qu'ils en auront promptement responce, pourvu que lorsqu'ils escriront, ils mettent avec leurs lettres un billet qui portera: port-payé, parce que l'on ne prendra point d'argent; lequel billet sera attaché à la dite lettre, ou mis autour de la lettre ou passé dans ou en telle autre manière qu'ils trouveront à propos, de telle sorte néanmoins que le commis le puisse voir et oter aisément. La date sera remplis du jour ou du mois qu'il sera envoyé. Le commis général qui sera au Palais rendra de ces billets de port-payé à ceux qui en voudront avoir, pour le prix d'un sol marqué; et chacun est adverti d'en acheter pour sa nécessité le nombre qu'il lui plaira, afin que lorsqu'on voudra escrire, l'on ne manque pas pour si peu de chose à faire ses affaires."—Advertisement issued by M. Velayer, cited A. de Rothschild, Histoire de la Poste aux Lettres, Paris, 1879, p. 101.