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Mr. Hill always contemplated an instantane- the hours and enlargement of the means for ous improvement of the revenue; and the posting late letters, and a much more speedy Post-Office affects a well-acted surprise, that circulation of letters by the London Districtthe letters should not have instantly increas-post, to be effected by establishing more frequent ed five-fold. Instead of quoting Mr. Hill in London itself,) by avoiding the necessity of collections and deliveries, (making them hourly himself, the present prime minister (Sir R. conveying all letters to and from St. Martin's-lePeel) may be called as a witness in his be- Grand, by uniting the District-post and Generalhalf; he at least understood Mr. Hill rightly. post letter-carriers in one corps; by improved He says, (Mirror of Parliament, 1839, p. inodes of sorting, and by other means. 3916,) "The author of the plan, Mr. Row-provements, similar in their objects, in other land Hill, whose remarks it is impossible to read without being prepossessed in his favor, admits that the Post-Office revenue may tribution, first to some place in every registrar's suffer."

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large towns. 4. An increase in the allowance district-posts. 5. The extension of rural disof weight, say to two ounces for a penny, in all

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district, and afterwards so as gradually to comWhatever may have been Mr. Hill's ex- prehend within the free official delivery (daily, pectations, they rested upon the complete or less frequently, according to the importance adoption of his plan; and until the plan has of the place,) every town, village, and hamlet, been carried out in its full integrity, no one the system of London day-mails; more frequent throughout the kingdom. 6. The completion of can justly assert that it has failed. And now despatches between large towns, by means of the we are led to consider what remains to be ordinary mid-day railway trains. 7. The next done, remarking, before we proceed to this was suggested by recent experience: Convenpart of the subject, that people speak dole-iences for the transmission, at extra charge, of fully of the loss of the Post-Office revenue, prints, maps, and other similar articles.' 8. The as a real and substantial one,-just as if next is of the same description, 'The relaxation some 700,000l. or 1,000,000l. were annually next also, The establishment of a parcel-post of the present restrictions as to weight.' 9. The thrown into the sea as an atonement for at reduced rates, similar in some respects to the sending letters at a penny postage,-a sacri- Banghy post in the East Indies.' 10. The next fice by no means too great if indispensable. also, The completion of the arrangements with The fact however is that letters are carried foreign Powers for mutual reductions of postage.' for a penny, while the lost surplus of Post- 11. The next also, 'Increased facilities to foreign Office revenue quietly remains in our own nations for the transmission of letters through this country.' pockets.

Mr. Hill thus sums up the measures of improvement not yet effected:

"The next head is, 'MEASURES INTENDED TO AFFORD INCREASED SECURITY TO THE CORRESPONDENCE.-These are all parts of the original plan, or are proposed to meet changes "The measures are divided under heads, the which have been subsequently made in the Postfirst of which is 'MEASURES INTENDED TO AF- Office. 1. A cheap system of registration. 2. FORD INCREASED FACILITIES FOR POST-OFFICE Receipts (for a small fee) to be given, if requirDISTRIBUTION.-1. An earlier delivery of Lon-ed, on posting a letter. 3. A more rigid and don General-post letters. 2. An extension of

der a Penny Postage (subject to certain modification as respects the distribution of letters to rural parts which has never been carried out,) assuming, 1. That the number of chargeable letters remained stationary. 2. That it should increase two-fold.

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systematic investigation as to the character of service, and arrangements for making the supeapplicants for admission into the Post-Office rior of each department responsible, as far as practicable, for the conduct of the inferiors. of the money-order system. 2. Reduction in the "MEASURES OF ECONOMY. | 1. Simplification 3. That it increase three-fold and so on to sevenfold. It appeared from this calculation that " cost of railway conveyance, by establishing a posing the chargeable letters to increase six-fold, fairer principle of arbitration; by discontinuing the benefit to the Exchequer would be practically useless lines; by substituting, when practicable, the same as at present, and that supposing it to in- cheaper means of conveyance; by reducing crease seven-fold, that benefit would be augmented within proper limits the space occupied by the by 23,000l.; while on the most unfavorable suppo- mails; and by avoiding as much as possible the sition,- -one indeed which can never be verified, use of special trains. [The latter object would viz., that the enormous reduction in postage should be greatly promoted by appointing a later hour, produce no increase whatever in the number of say five or six P. M., for the arrival in London letters, the Exchequer would sustain scarcely any of the day mails.] 3. Reduction in the cost of injury beyond the loss of its present revenue. other words, while every individual in the coun- less lines, by invariably resorting to public comordinary conveyance by discontinuing all usetry would receive his letters at an almost nominal expense, the whole management of the Post-Office petition, (avoiding all unnecessary restrictions would bring upon the State a charge of only as to the description of carriage. speed, number 24,000l. per annum, and as this would also cover of horses, passengers, etc. ;) and by invariably the gratuitous distribution of franks and news- adopting the cheapest suitable means. [The papers, it may be fairly considered as a mere de- reduced traffic on many roads appears to reduction from the produce of the newspaper stamps."quire the substitution of light one or two-horse -See Post-Office Reform. carriages for the present four-horse mail.

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receive a reply between one part of London and another is about seven or eight hours, and between London and the suburbs ten or eleven hours, even when night does not intervene; but in the latter part of the day, letters for the suburbs are still more unreasonably delayed. A letter for Bayswater, if posted at an ordinary receiving-house after four o'clock, is not delivered till next morning; and as the reply, even if immediate, would not be delivered till about one P. M., the intervening time would, in extreme cases, amount to twenty-one hours." These defects arise from two causes; the infrequency of collection and delivery, and the now absurd practice of carrying almost all letters to St. Martin's-le-Grand before they are delivered. The metropolis already is more popu

coaches.] 4. Reduction in the present unnecessarily expensive establishment of mail-guards. 5. Economy in the packet service by the discontinuance of useless lines, and by the substitution, when practicable, of contract for Government-packets; (the communication with Ireland, for instance, may very probably be made more convenient and certainly much less expensive. There is little doubt that the principal mails from most parts of Ireland via Dublin, may be brought to London half a day earlier than at present.) 6. Revision of all salaries and allowances on the receipt of the intended annual return of fees, etc. The regulation of the receipt of fees, etc., so as to prevent large and unexpected claims for compensation. 7. The establishment of scales of salaries applicable to all offices, beginning low and advancing with length of service. 8. The extension of the hours of attendance in the metropolitan offices, to a full day's work for all employed, of course with the regulation of the salaries accordingly. The lous than sixty-nine of the principal cities extension where practicable of the system, which is found so convenient and economical in many provincial offices, of employing females in assorting letters. 9. Simplification in the mode of assorting letters and newspapers. 10. The investigation of the more economical manage place. sion, where practicable, to others. 11. Improve- absurd, if, instead of having nearly 2000 ment and economy in the manufacture and dis-post-towns and sorting-offices throughout tribution of postage stamps. 12. The abolition England and Wales, the Post-Office should of money-prepayment, and the adoption of the have but one office, say at Birmingham, and economical arrangements consequent thereon. bring thither all the letters of the kingdom 13. The adoption of measures to induce the for distribution, taking thither the letters public to facilitate the operations of the PostOffice, by giving complete and legible addresses posted in Cornwall to be delivered in Cornto letters, by making slits in doors, and by other wall, as well as the letters posted in Essex to be delivered in Kent. The metropolis is estimated to increase 3000 houses yearly, but the Post-Office remains obstinate.

ment in certain offices, with a view to its exten

means.

and towns of England, including Liverpool and Manchester; even they would leave a balance of 487 on 1,873,676 persons; yet the Post-Office, in spite of all remonstrance, continues to treat the metropolis as but one The principle would not be more

"MISCELLANEOUS MEASURES; viz.-1. The extension of the money-order system to every place in the United Kingdom where there is a Seven years ago this defect was exposed, post-office; also, if practicable, to the Colonies. and a suitable remedy suggested by Mr. Hill, 2. The re-adjustment of the free-delivery bound- in all fulness of detail: he recommended that aries, which at present exclude large portions of many towns. 3. The placarding at each office London should be divided into several disof the regulations in which the public has an in-tricts, each one retaining and distributing terest, as the hours of opening and closing the its own letters, and that there should be a colletter-boxes, of commencing and completing the lection and delivery of letters every hour: deliveries, the authorized fees, etc., as a means upon which plan he calculated that the maof preventing unnecessary inquiries, and assisting in keeping the postmasters to their duties." -(82, pp. 33-35.)

We shall say but a few words upon some of the more important suggestions in the preceding extract.

jority of district-post letters would be delivered within about an hour and a half of the time of their being posted. Colonel Maberly affects that he cannot understand the proposal:-" What we have always wished to ascertain from Mr. Hill, has been the exact plan upon which we should work it out in Improvement in the organization of the detail, if we were to attempt to carry it out, metropolitan correspondence has been talked and to that we have never been able to fix about for several years. Six years ago an him yet." (Ev. 1039.) Being pressed, hourly delivery of letters in London would Colonel Maberly retreats from his position have been accomplished but for the vis in- and admits that "he is not thoroughly acertia of the Post-Office. "The interchange of quainted with the details." (Ev. 1045.) So letters by the district-post is so slow, that little indeed did he know of the plan, that he special messengers are employed by the pub

lic whenever despatch is important. The * In the suburbs the principle of district-offices is time ordinarily required to send a letter and adopted.

they are exceedingly numerous; in others, of superior relative importance, they are comparatively infrequent. Some places, of 200 or 300 inhabitants, have them; others, with 2000 or 3000, are without.

misunderstood hourly delivery" to mean a letters be not furnished; and this was a part delivery within an hour, calling it "a bait of Mr. Hill's plan, in which Mr. Baring took held out to the public that they would get an especial interest. their letters within an hour," (848) and pronouncing the scheme "a physical impossi- not appear to have been regulated by any well"The establishment of rural post-offices does bility." defined principle. In some districts, owing apThere is another practical absurdity con-parently to the greater activity of the surveyors, nected with the delivery of the London letters; almost every morning, within three miles of St. Martin's-le-Grand, letter-carriers dressed in blue and red carrying one sort of letters, and letter-carriers dressed in red and blue carrying another sort of letters, start at the same minute from the General Post-Office, go over the saine route and down the same streets together, knocking even at the same doors together! This process seems somewhat unnecessary, and it might be thought that one man would do the business quite as well as two. The Post-Office threatens that, if it be driven to hourly deliveries and consolidation of letter-carriers, the public shall pay for its intrusiveness to the tune of 26,000l. per annum. (Evid. 1988.) But Mr. Hill conclusively proves (Evid. p. 37) that these improvements may be effected without any material addition to the expenditure; he says.

"On the full efficiency of the means 1 propose I am willing to stake my reputation. The offer which I made before leaving the Treasury, to continue my general services without any remuneration, I am perfectly willing to renew for this specific object, pledging myself that if the arrangements be left to me I will effect

"1st. An hourly delivery in London, so arranged as to reduce the time occupied in the interchange of district-post letters by about one half.

"2nd. A delivery of General-post letters throughout London to be completed by nine o'clock in the morning; and

"Of the 2100 registrars' districts, comprised in England and Wales, about 400, containing a million and a half of inhabitants, have no postoffices whatever. The average extent of these 400 districts is nearly 20 square miles each; the average population about 4000. The average population of the chief place of the district about place from the nearest post-office between four 1400; and the average distance of such chief and five miles. In one instance, the chief place of the district (Saxilby, in Lincolnshire), containing nearly 1000 inhabitants, is as much as 16 miles from the nearest post-office; and in some parts of Wales the distances are even greater than this.

tricts which are altogether without post-offices Again, while we have seen that those discontain. in the aggregate, a million and a half of inhabitants, it can scarcely be doubted that even those districts which are removed from this class by having a post-office in some one or other of their towns or villages contain, in their remaining places, a much larger population destitute of such convenience."

"In some places quasi post-offices have been established by carriers and others, whose charges add to the cost of a letter in some instances as much as 6d. A penny for every mile from the post-office is a customary demand."

The Treasury, after very careful inquiry into the subject, framed a minute in Au"3rd. Such an extension of time for receiving gust 1841, for the remedy of this state of late letters in the evening as will enable the pub-things. Its object was to establish a postlic, by sending to offices to be established near office in every registrar's district which did the railway-stations, to post letters in case of emergency to a very late hour, say a quarter not already possess one. This minute fully past eight." detailed the inconveniences sustained.

When Mr. Hill has failed, it will be time enough to let the Post-Office try an experiment which will cost 26,000l. a-year; but it will be wanton profligacy to give that office the first trial in despite of Mr. Hill's offer.

"In some places a messenger is employed to carry the letters to and from the nearest postoffice (a distance occasionally of 10 or 15 miles), who is remunerated either by a subscription raised among the inhabitants, or more frequently The next material improvement of which by a fee charged on each letter; in other places a pauper performs the service, and thus the exthe public are deprived by the dismissal of tra expense is reduced, if not altogether avoided. Mr. Hill, is a systematic provision for the Frequently the messenger is employed by the distribution of letters, etc., throughout the ru- postmaster of the neighboring post-town,-a cirral parts of the kingdom. Had Mr. Baring cumstance which has in many instances led to remained in office, it is probable that the fee being erroneously considered by the inevery part of the kingdom would now enjoy habitants as established by authority, and conthe means of participating in the benefit of sequently to its being submitted to even when obviously excessive; and in some cases it is statthe Penny Post. It must be confessed that ed that the mail-guard or other person employthe reduction of postage is rendered compared in conveying the mail through or near the vilatively valueless, if the opportunity of posting | lage, leaves the letters at an appointed place

and obtains a fee, generally a penny for each. | hundred a week, shall be deemed entitled to But in numerous instances nothing like a sys- the privilege of a receiving-house and a free tematic arrangement exists.

We doubt not that our country readers will fully sympathize with this statement. The estimated cost of establishing at once four hundred new post-offices was about 80007. per annum, which the Treasury thought would be well expended in effecting "so important an extension of the benefits of cheap, rapid, and secure communication by post."

In addition, Mr. Hill proposed to extend the system to smaller districts, by the following or a similar arrangement:—

"1st. Establish weekly posts to every village and hamlet, increasing the frequency of such posts in proportion to the number of letters.

2nd. Lay down a general rule, under which places not otherwise entitled to posts may obtain them (or those entitled may have them more frequently), on payment by the inhabitants, in either case, of the additional expense incurred, minus a certain fixed sum per 1000 letters.

"Extend the above arrangements, with such modifications as may be needful, to Ireland and Scotland.

"Large as is the number of post-offices that would be required for carrying out these plans, the expense would be comparatively inconsiderable. First, because many of the places in question are upon the present lines of communication; and, secondly, because every increase in the number of offices necessarily reduces the distance from one to another, thereby diminishing the expense of conveyance. Taking these matters into consideration, it may be safely estimated that an annual outlay of about 70,000l. would suffice for the addition of 600 daily posts, and many thousand weekly posts; in short, for the completion of the whole plan of rural distribution, as here indicated. And when it is considered that the arrangement would in all probability add one-third to the population now included within the range of the Post-Office, there can scarcely be a doubt that the increased receipts would far more than cover the additional expenditure."

delivery of letters, and that whenever such places apply for post-offices the same shall be granted. The Postmaster-General then proceeded to prepare the Treasury for an unlimited demand for such offices, and he was "not prepared to say what might be the total cost of carrying out the measure throughout the kingdom." (App. page 147.) Subsequently he estimated the number of offices at about 400, and the expense at 70007. or 80007., whilst his Secretary said that "it was impossible to give any idea of what the number would be, and that there would be some thousands of such posts." If the PostOffice persist in this ill-digested scheme, and expend thereon, as it very likely may, some hundred thousand pounds, it is but justice to Mr. Hill to show that he is in no way responsible. He says:

"In the course of my examination before the parliamentary Committee of 1838, I was repeatedly questioned as to the feasibility of extending the penny rate indefinitely, and the following extracts are from my answers to such interrogations:

"If this Committee has time to go into the investigation, I think there will be no difficulty at all in showing that, if the rate is to be uniform, as respects all houses in the kingdom (for I see no point at which you can stop short of that), if every letter is to be conveyed to every house in the kingdom at an uniform rate, either that rate must be considerably higher than 1d., or the Government must make up its mind not to look to the Post-Office any longer as a source of revenue. If the Government is willing to convey letters without profit, I for one shall be very glad to see such an arrangement made, but I see no reason at present to think this will be done' (733).

"*** I considered that I had to devise the best plan consistent with the condition of affording the Government a great part of the revenue; if the revenue is abandoned, uniformity of postage, no doubt, may be carried out to an unlimFor a period of nearly two years, the Post-ited extent; that would be a better mode of disOffice set this good intention of the Treasury at defiance. On the 21st of March, 1843, the Secretary says, "No definitive arrangements have been made." Questions being asked in parliament, the Post-Office was "forced" into action in the necessary way, to use the Postmaster-General's own word, and something was done,-not any thing however proposed by Mr Hill! His plan was given up as too expensive, and with ludicrous inconsistency the Post-Office substituted a plan which will be vastly more expensive, whose cost indeed it is nearly impossible to calculate. The principle suggested by the Post-Office and adopted by the Treasury, is, that all places whose letters shall exceed one

tributing the letters undoubtedly, leaving out of the case the question of revenue" (735).

Suggestions upon the completion of the system of day mails, respecting the rates charged by foreign Powers on British letters, colonial letters, a better general distribution between large towns, the removal of restrictions upon weight, rail-way stations being made official post-offices (private post-offices they already are to a considerable extent, where the clerks are obliging), are all given in detail by Mr. Hill, but we have not space to examine them. The suggestions for a parcel-post, and for the security of correspondence, are however too important to be passed over.

We are glad to record Colonel Maberly's Hill. Lord Lowther's remedy is to prohibit, observation that, within considerable limits, if possible, by a compulsory fee of Is., the the charge ought not to advance at all with transmission of money and other valuable the weight of letters (Rep. of 1838, Ev. letters, not registered. "At present any letter 3114); the cost of receiving, sorting, and dis- is registered on payment of Is. by the sender, tributing, being scarcely greater on a packet but not otherwise. The number of registerweighing two, three, or four pounds, than on ed letters is very small, being only about sixone weighing a quarter of an ounce. Of the ty per day of the General-Post letters posted truth of this there can be little doubt, and we in London, or less than one in 1500." If the are satisfied that, if the Government were to compulsory fee is not found sufficient to recarry parcels at a reduced rate, great accom- duce the number, then it is proposed to inmodation would be given to the public and a crease its amount. Now the great evil of large revenue gained. Mr. Hill suggests that this proposal is, that it makes the Post-Office parcels of a certain weight should be carried the judge whether a packet contains money at a penny per ounce, the Post-Office having or jewelry, etc. This folly was practically a right, as in the case of parliamentary pro- demonstrated before the Committee, when a ceedings, to detain them over a post, if neces- quantity of various kinds of letters were laid sary, so as to avoid heavy mails. This meas- before Mr. Bokenham, the head of the inland úre, by justifying more frequent deliveries in department, some containing coin, others the several districts, would tend greatly to specimens of natural history, etc., and he was perfect the Post-Office mechanism. The con- asked to distinguish the one from the other; venience in rural districts would be very but the wary officer would not venture to great. Such a plan for the carriage of par- touch them, or to say in the presence of the cels is in operation in the East Indies, un- Committee what held coin and what did not. der the name of the Banghy Post; when the It is easy to see that, if this proposal had been maximum of weight is said to be 15 lb. and sanctioned, the Post-Office would virtually of size 15 in. x 12 in. × 21. What can be have had the power of putting a shilling tax done, under all disadvantages in the East, by on every packet. foot-messengers, would be easily managed here by railways and horses.

Instead of any compulsory payment, to be assessed at the discretion of the office, Mr. The importance of security of correspond- Hill suggested that the public should be inence cannot be overrated. Yet, vital as it is, duced to register their letters by a low fee, it would appear from Colonel Maberly that beginning with 6d. per letter, and reducing the Post-Office morals are in a most rotten it still lower if possible. The Post-Office obstate. He says "the department has be- jected to this, that registered letters would come thoroughly demoralized" (Ev. 1174). become so numerous as to render it impossi"I can state that the plunder is terrific" ble to carry on the business of the office. "If (Ev. 1176), a letter posted with money in it you cannot do it, allow me," answered Mr. might as well be thrown down in the street Hill. The feasibility of the plan was fully as put into the Post-Office" (Ev. 1178). Of demonstrated, but still it has been treated course these statements are much exag- only with contempt, upon the allegation that gerated. The number of money-letters lost the duties at the great "Forward" offices, under the new system is doubtless absolutely such as Birmingham, would be rendered ingreater than under the old; but in compari- superable. Allowing for an increase of eightson with the increased number of letters now fold on the present number of registered letsent by the post, and considering the with- ters, they would amount to the alarming numdrawal of the previous gratuitous registration, ber of seventy-two per day, "to be despatchthe losses have not increased; so that, speak-ed at fifteen periods of the day,"-not five at ing relatively, the number of losses has not increased at all, and the risk to which money-letters are now exposed is no greater than heretofore. Indeed, as Mr. Hill well observes, "this conclusion seems almost necessary to account for what excites Colonel Maberly's special wonder, viz., the obstinate adherence of the public to a practice which, on his showing, must be pronounced to be absolutely insane."

How to remedy the evil, whatever may be its amount, has been the subject of long contest between the Postmaster-General and Mr.

each despatch!" No possible increase of force would meet the difficulty!" We will take Mr. Hill's examination of the case of the travelling post-offices.

"If bad begins at the 'forward' offices, worse remains behind in the travelling-office. 'How the duty is to be performed there,' the Post-master-General declares himself altogether at a loss to imagine.' Adding that, if the number of registered letters should increase largely, this office must be abolished.'

"The danger of this injury to the public service, it may be here observed, was strikingly set

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