With respect to newspapers and engraved papers a distinction, similar to that laid down in the Act of 1837, was made between imported and locally produced matter. The former was charged with 2 annas for every 6 tolas or part thereof; the latter was charged at the following rates:—
Two annas for a weight not exceeding 3½ tolas.
Four annas for a weight not exceeding 6 tolas, and 2 annas for every additional 3 tolas above 6 tolas.
This difference in postage encouraged the circulation of newspapers and printed matter imported from England, but the high internal rates must have greatly hampered the postal circulation of journals printed in India.
Reduced rates, but still varying with distance, were laid down for Bhangy Post according to the following scale:—
| If not Exceeding in Weight. | |||||||||||||||
| For Distances. | 20 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 | 600 | ||||||||
| tolas. | tolas. | tolas. | tolas. | tolas. | tolas. | tolas. | |||||||||
| Miles. | Rs. | a. | Rs. | a. | Rs. | a. | Rs. | a. | Rs. | a. | Rs. | a. | Rs. | a. | |
| Not exceeding | 100 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| Not exceeding | 300 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 4 | 8 |
| Not exceeding | 600 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| Not exceeding | 900 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 8 |
| Not exceeding | 1200 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Exceeding | 1200 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 22 | 8 |
Books, pamphlets, packets of newspapers and of printed and engraved papers were charged at the following rates by bhangy post:—
| Not exceeding 20 tolas | 1 | anna |
| Exceeding 20 tolas and not exceeding | ||
| 40 tolas | 2 | annas |
| For every 20 tolas above 40 tolas | 1 | anna |
| provided that the total weight must | ||
| not exceed 120 tolas. |
The postage on bhangy parcels was calculated by the most elaborate Polymetrical Tables which were supplied to all post offices in English and Vernacular. Many a grievous complaint was laid by members of the public against the strange methods employed by the Post Office in calculating the distance between two places. The sender of a parcel naturally considered that he should pay for the shortest distance between the place of despatch and the place of receipt, but not so the Post Office. It decided that the "postal route," however circuitous, was the one by which postage should be calculated.
Letters were ordinarily limited to 12 tolas in weight, but by Act XX of 1838 the weight had been raised to 30 tolas upon lines where no bhangy post existed; this limit was now raised to 40 tolas (1 lb.) and, where both a bhangy and letter post were conveyed in the same carriage, a special prohibition was made that letters or packets of newspapers of less than 12 tolas weight must not be sent by bhangy post under penalty of a fine of Rs.50 for each offence. This clause was evidently introduced on account of the charge made by the railway companies for the carriage of bhangy parcels.