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Show A Two-Cent Pour-Ounce Letter POBt. The recent Universal Postal congress of Romo increased the international letter weight unit from a half ounce to an ounce, making tho new rato n cents for the first oilnco and 3 centB for each additional ounce, a reduction of one-half. . ' This recalls a similar reduction in the domestic letter postage of Enpland on the occasion of Queen Victoria's jubilee, jubi-lee, June 22, 1SD . At that time the English letter weight unit was extended ex-tended from one to four ounces, with a-rate a-rate of a penny (2 cents) on the first four ouncos. and a halfpenny (1 cent) on each additional two ounces. Uuder tho impulse of this postal improvement tho increaso in the number of English letters postod during tho following six yenrs was 686,500,000, as against 187,-200,000 187,-200,000 during the precodiug six vcars, and this with an increase ot $9,986,000 in revenues. The local letter posts of Switzerland and Gcrmnny offer tho following comparison com-parison with the service of the-United-States: , . Germany City delivery, including places to 46 miles, S ounces, 1 cent. . Switzerland To 6 miles, 8 ounces. 1 cent. Whole countrj-, S ounces, 2. cents. . , - , United States City and Tural deliver', deliv-er', 1 ounce, 2 cents; 8 ounces, 16 cents. One advantago of tho proposed ex tension of tho letter weight unit would bo the practical consolidation of first, third, and fourth-class matter .on all parcels weighing over two ounces, nnd the consequent relief of the postoflice from the annoyance and expenso to which the service is now subjected by the necessity of determining whether matter posted must pay a rate of 1 cent for two ounces, 1 cent an ounce, or 2 cents an ounce. It would be hard to measure tho benefit that would accrue to tho public from a unification of postal rates that would allow tho enclosure en-closure of it samplo of merchandise and of a bill or lett6r in the same parcel. Collier's. |