Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 Jun 1955

Vol. 151 No. 8

Written Answers. - Postal Rates

Mr. Childers

asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state the percentage increase in charge since 1939 on the following basic rates: (1) internal postal letter rate, (2) European letter rate, (3) internal parcel rate, (4) United Kingdom parcel rate, (5) internal printed paper rate, (6) poundage rate for £1 and £2 postal orders, (7) internal telegram rate, taking whatever unit is most convenient, (8) Dublin residential and business telephone rental charges, (9) provincial residential and business rental charges within two miles of exchange, (10) local call rate, (11) local coin exchange call rate, (12) daytime trunk call rate for any five groups of comparable distances from 25 to 100 miles.

Mr. Keyes

The percentage increases since 1939 are as follows:—

	Rate	Percentage Increases
1.	Internal Letters (first unit of weight)	50
2.	European Letters (first unit of weight)	66?
3.	Internal Parcels (average)	67
4.	Parcels United Kingdom (average)	76
5.	Internal Printed Papers (average)	50
6.	Postal Order Poundage—£1 (£2 Postal Order introduced in 1953)	50
7.	Internal Telegrams	No change
8.	Dublin residential telephone standard rental charge	50
	Dublin business telephone standard rental charge	54
9.	Provincial residential telephone standard rental charge	50
	(A free local call concession to the value of 6s. 3d. per quarter (maximum) is available to these subscribers, making the net increase 25% where the concession is used)
	Provincial business telephone standard rental charge	54
10.	Local calls—Subscriber	50
11.	Local calls—Public	50
12.	Daytime trunk calls:
	Radial distance between exchanges connected
	Over 25 and up to 35 miles	33?
	,, 35 ,, 50 ,,	40
	,, 50 ,, 75 ,,	50
	,, 75 ,, 100 ,,	28½
	(In 1939 there were four charge groups covering calls between exchanges from 25 to 100 miles apart; in the 1953 revision the last two charge groups shown were amalgamated)