[CQ-Contest] Postage rates, was QSLing

[Bokverket]

Postage rates are going up in Sweden because the volume of mail (in the 
snail-mail sense) is going down, and rapidly.  And that is because people 
(including WE HAMS) have found better and cheaper alternatives to qsl.  The 
Swedish Mail has a big country (1000 miles from Stockholm to the very north, 
and a couples of miles southward, too) to serve and is complaining bitterly 
about the requirement that it deliver first-class mail over night. It merged 
with Danish mail which was a disaster, even though that country's area is 
small by comparison, since volume is decreasing even faster there.  And it 
is required to show a profit.

Don't know about the US but here banks, government, businesses and everybody 
is sending invoices by email; you can have your utility bills debited to 
your account automatically, etc, etc.  I hope that you don't still send 
checks :-)

It's interesting if the venerable US mail still is required to do its job, 
and if the rural post offices of brick are still standing.  Here, service is 
lousy both for packages and regular mail. Lots of scandals this last year. 
Beware of privatization or similar measures.

Best,

Goran/SM0DRD