FREE, Several letters have recently appeared in these columns on the subject of parcels, esperially parcels containing tobacco, posted to soldiers serving at the front. One correspondent bitterly complained that the addressees have had ¢o pay full customs duty, another says he has sent many parcels and has never heard that the recipients of any of them have had to pay duty.
Tt was learned on Tuesday at the British Post Office that the local officials have no knowledge whatever of any regul parcels posted in Shanghai, and addressed to soldiers w the front, are exempt from duty, and so far as can be learned here all tobacco entering the United Kingdom must pay duty, even if addressed to a soldier. In fact, by recent regula: Aions, all tobacco of any sort, prohibited entry into the United Kingdom, except under Board of Trade licence. One correspondent wrdte, "I have been at the (British) post office once again and they still assure me that all parcels for sailors and soldiers are exempt of duty until the war is over." If such a statement has been made by a clerk at the counter of the British Post Office, it must have been with-ow, authority of the Postmaster and under misapprehension of the facts.
The French Rules.
But, as a number of Shanghai residents who have been regularly sending parcels to friends serving in France have learned, parcels may be sent duly free through the French Post Office, and not only are they delivered free of duty, but the postage rate is considerably less, as the tariff of the local French Post. Office is the French domestic tariff. Parcels sent by parcel post to France by the French Post Office are dutiable, but not so with parcels, weighing up 40 one kilogram-me, that are sent sealed by first class letter post. Such parcels are delivered unopened and without duty, and as they are sene vid Siberia, taking the route of the regular Siberia mail route to England and thence across the channel to France, they reach Paris in about 24 days from Shanghai The postage for first class letter mail, sent through the French Post Office, and this may include parcels nat exceeding one kilogrammes in weight, is as follows: One to 20 grammes 04 cents. Mex. Twenty to 50 grammes...
06 Each additional 50 grammes... ". 02
One Kilogramme (2 1b.
Extra fee for registration 10 on, 40 riginal f
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.