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It Is ewentia! to th* puMoiM of savemmcat, and mlMmlcnt to all A* and* of Rational pABoy," _ jf Kt>>*i*Kl>'Jttpor' Of thi OmtmmioMn of Rmmtui Inquiry, \»i». ^ ■' " Tht Drinciula of dw PauOflhwatiu MtaUhhmvnt, a* b diiilnotly laid down in tlicizthdiuutlesir.i wa« to almd MVaataae to ttada and oMamarc*. Th* difcct ntanue to ba dtrivrd iVom the Pott Office wan not tbc (Kimai; coniidaaUan."— Jtaport on ik» Pott Ofei,,l)y tori LmeOnj. '■' Wa hafo tuiBdantly infonnad onnalvm aDthiiniMaotto beaatisflcdthat an .aitaration in the pieMot ' 'C i^Mtn >• aliwlnttly n«eaMary>"— 'Wt.A Jl«parl an (Iw Pott O0ct, Ay GATE STREET. law. Jhrice Two Shiltingi sewed. i -:■■ m t. . . r t.. . y- t^ , ■ -t — 1 "'■'^ ^ -IlJ.JTrYPt' ■ins. POST OPFICPil REFORM; ira V- ■ ; ■ <■■ " ■ IMPORTANCE AND PRACTICABILITY. BY ROWLAND HILL. ■.|; V, ' "TIiefaeilltTOffytqaeirt, punctual, and quick coitiini-.nlcatian, which the intUtntlon of the PMtOfflcewat i calculated to aasure, may be justly claswd amons the elements of profitable commerce. It Uetsential taili/'Jf' purpoMt of goremicent, antf subwrrient to all the ends of national policy." Bighltenth Report of Ihe Commiuionert of Reitntu Inquiry, 1SS0. <■ The principle of the Post Office at its eatablishment, as is distinctly laid donn In the lith Charles II., was to afford aavantase to trade and commerce. The direct revenue to be derired fhim the Post Office was not the primary consideration."— Acport on the Poti Office, 6y lord Lotelher. " We have sufficiently informed ourselves on this suUect to be satisfied that an alteration In the present system is absoluttly necessary."- Fourth Ktport on Ihe Poal Office, by the pret«nt Conimim'on«rt of Inquiry, LONDON: PUBLISHED BY CHARLES KNIGHT AND CO., 22, LUDGATE STREET. • 1837. LONDON : Printed by Wimiam Clowes and Sons, Stnmford-itTeet. ^. PREFACE. T- A SMALL edition of this little pamphlet was printed, and privately circulated, early in the month of January. It is unnecessary to trouble the reader with the reasons for adopting this course, but I may remark, that it has been productive of one important advantage, — it has enabled me to submit my plans to the consideration of many able men, who, either from attention to the particular subject, from skill in organization, or from extensive commercial know- ledge, are eminently qualified to judge of the practicability of the measures proposed. Their examination has led to sonie important improve- ments, which, while they remove certain difficulties that attached to the plan in its original form, tend still further to simplify the proposed mechanism. These modifications are given in the present edition. Doubts as to the well working of certain parts of the plan, even in its present form, have certainly been expressed by some whose opinion I esteem very highly; such parts have consequently under- gone a laborious and anxious re-examination ; and IV PREFACE. have, in the present edition, been treated more fully than in the former. Knowing that I alone am re- sponsible for the practicability of the plans which I have suggested, I should have considered it my duty to reject every alteration, by whomsoever recommended, the reasons for which did not satisfy my own mind. Fortunately, however, in each instance in which I have not been convinced by the arguments in favour of a proposed modification of the plan, my own opinion has been confirmed by a majority of those who have kindly interested them- selves in the matter. The cordial reception which the plan, as a whole, has hitherto met with, has tended to confirm my conviction of its practical)ility and importance ; and it is now submitted to the more severe ordeal of public opinion, in the confident hope that it will receive that candid, though searching, examination which should ever attend the pursuit of truth. Such an examination I respectfully invite from the public press; well knowing that however it may affect the plan here put forth, it cannot ])ut greatly promote the object I have in view, which is not to establish the merits of any peculiar system of management, but to lead to the adoption of the best system, whatever that may be, and thus to render the Post Office efficient in the highest degree. Fortunately this is not a party question. M^hether ^N vl PREFACE. considered in reference to the remission of taxation, to the extension of commerce, the promotion of friendly intercourse, or the advancement of educa- tion, it is interesting to all. An objection to the proposed plan, which has reached me from an unknown quarter, is too remark- able to be passed over without notice : it is, that the number of letters under the proposed arrangements would be increased so enormously as to render their distribution impossible. I have reckoned upon a great augmentation of the Post Office business, as affording the means for lowering the rate of postage and increasing the facilities for the transmission of letters. The ob- jector so far outruns my expectations as to convert that which I consider a matter of gratulation into a subject for apprehension. It seems to me that the Post Office must neces- sarily be considered as in a defective state, unless it is capable of distributing all the letters which the people of the country can have any motive for writing; at least in ordinaiy seasons, and under ordinary circumstances ; therefore, if at any time the means employed by the Post Office prove insufficient, they should be forthwith increased. If the objector can be supposed to mean that the '^ VI PREFACE. number of letters will probably become so great that no practicable increase of the Post Office establish- ment will be sufficient for their distribution, I may remark upon so extraordinary a supposition, that I never yet heard of a merchant, a manufacturer, or a trader, possessed of sufficient capital and other adequate means, being frightened lest his business should become too large. To go a step further, how ridiculous would it seem should a joint-stock com- pany, with ample capital, an able direction, and active and intelligent agents, decline the undertaking they had proposed to themselves, upon discovering that they must expect an unprecedented demand for the objects of their operations. With national resources, the transaction of any conceivable amount of Post Office business must be easy ; and let it not be forgotten, that under able direction, the more extensive the business, the more systematically it may be conducted, and, consequently, with greater effect, economy, and facility. The nation can always command the services of men of first rate ability ; let that be done, and then we may safely rest assured that all visionary obstacles will at once disappear, and that real difficulties will be vigorously grappled with, and in time overcome. However, it is always well to have a dernier resort. If, unluckily, an epidemical passion for ■'fead^ 'Mt' I'fiBhl?. T PREFACE. vn letter writing should rage to such a degree as to overpower all ordinary and extraordinary means of control, even let the pent up spirit lift the safety valve and expand itself in freedom. Or, in more staid language, no longer confine the puhlic to the use of the Post Office, but allow letter writers to choose a mode of transmission for themselves. 2, Burton Crescent, Feb. 22, 1837. ii.:' ''• - i POST OFFICE REFORM. ''V: The last quarterly accounts show tliat the present revenue of the country greatly exceeds the expendi- ture; there is therefore reason to hope that a re- duction of taxation may shortly take place. In the reductions which have heretofore heen made, the gain to the public and the loss to the revenue have varied greatly in relation to each other. Thus in the repeal of the house duty, the gain to the public and the loss to the revenue were practically equal ; while the remission of one half of the duties on soap and leather eventually diminished the pro- ductiveness of each tax by about one-third only ; a reduction of about 28 per cent, in the malt tax has lessened the produce of that tax by only two or three per cent. ; and in the instance of coffee, a reduction in the duty of 50 per cent has actually been accom- panied by an increase of more than oO per cent in its produce. B POST OFFICE REFORM. J) These facts show that when a reduction of taxation is about to take place, it is exceedingly important that great care and judgment should be exercised in the selection of the tax to be reduced, in order that the maximum of relief may be afforded to the public, with the minimum of injury to the Revenue. The best test to apply to the several existing taxes for the discovery of the one which may be reduced most extensively, with the least proportionate loss to the revenue, is probably this : excluding from the examination those taxes, the produce of which is greatly affected by changes in the habits of the people, as the taxes on spirits, tobacco, and hair-powder, let each be examined as to whether its productiveness has kept pace with the increasing numbers and prosperity of the nation. And that tax which proves most defective under this test is, in all probability, the one we are in quest of. If this test be applied to the principal branches of the revenue, it will be found that the tax on the transmission of letters is the most remarkable for its non-increasing productiveness. A mere glance at the following tal)le must satisfy every one that there is something extremely wrong in this tax as it now stands. COMPARATIVE DIMINUTION OF REVENUE. 3 TABLE showing the Net Revenue actually obtained from the Post Office, for every fifth Year, from 1815 to 1835 inclusive; also the Revenue which would have been ob- tained, had the Receipts kept pace with the Increase of Population, {the Rate of which increase, since 1831, is assumed to be the same as from 1821 to 1831.) Revenue which would liave been obtained Year. Population. Net rerenue actu- had the receipts kept Comp.aratixe ally obtained. puce witli the increase iif iiopulatiou from 1815. loss. £ £ £ 1815 19,552,000 1,557,291 1,557,291 • •••••• 1820 20,928,000 1,479,547 1,674,000 194,453 1825 21^,362,000 1,670,219 1,789,000 118,781 1830 23,961,000 1,517,952 1,917,000 399,048 1835 25,605,000 1,540,300 2,048,000 507,700 I It appears, then, that during the last twenty years, the absolute revenue derived from the Post Office has slightly diminished ; whereas, if it had kept pace with the growth of population, there would have lieen an increase of £507,700 per annum. As com- pared with the population, then, the Post Office revenue has fallen off to the extent of more than half a million per annum ; but if the extension of education, and the increasing trade and prosjierity of the country, during this period, be taken into account, there can be no doubt that the real deiicit is even much greater. The extent of this loss will probably be best estimated by comparing the Post CTice revenue with that actually derived from some tax which, while less exorbitant, is in other respects liable to n2 1« 4 POST OFFICE REFORM. nearly as possible the same influences. The tax upon stage-coaches obviously falls under these conditions. Allowing the great increase in steam-navigation* as a set-ofF against the slight diminution in the duty on post-horses, which might be considered as im- pairing ♦he correctness of this comparison, let us proceed to the consideration of tlie following table, which shows the net produce of the stage-coach duty for every fifth year, from 1815 to 1835 inchisive ; together with the net revenue actually derived from the Post Office during the same time ; as also the amount which would have been obtained htid tiie receipts increased at the same rate as the produce of the stage-coach duty. STAGE COACH UDTIIiS. POST OFFICE REVENUE. 1 Year. Net Heve- >l by the Stage Coach Duty. Rate ppr cent.of the increa^ie us compared with the year 1815. Net Revenue uctii- ally obtained from the Post OfTnte. Revenue which would have been olv tained liad tlie re- ceiiits of tlie Post Office increased at the iiume rate as the iroduce of the Stage Coach Duty. Comparative Ions. 1815 1820 1825 1830 1835 £ 217,671 273,477 362,631 418,598 498,497 1 ! / 1,557,291 1,479,547 1,670,219 1,517,952 1,540,300 £ 1,557,291 1,946,000 2,585,000 2,990,000 3,550,000 25 66 92 128 466,453 914,781 1,472,048 2,009,700 * In the evidence before the Parliamentary Committee on the Blackwall Railroad, it is shown, that the number of persons who, in the year 1835, traversed the whole distance between Lon- don and Blackwall by means of Steam-boats was upwards of one million. Had the limit been placed as high as Greenwich, the multitudes constantly passing between that place and London would have vastly augmented the number. ^ : Mi POSTAGE TOO HIGH. 5 s upon ilitions. Ration* le duty as im- let us f table, ch duty elusive ; 3d from Iso the lad tlie duce of nparativo luns. ■166,453 314,781 i72,048 )09,'700 e on the persona 2en Lon- s of one vich, the London II If it be granted, tlien, that the demand for the conveyance of letters has increased during the last twenty years, in the same ratio as that for the con- veyance of persons and parcels, which can scarcely be doubted, it follows inevitably that, for some cause or other, there is, in effect, a loss in the Post Office revenue of £2,000,000 per annum. In support of this view of the case it may be stated, that, in France, where the rates of postage are less exorbitant than with us, the gross receipts are said to have increased from nearly 24,000,000 franks (£960,000) in 1821, to 37,000,000 franks (£1,480,000) in 1835, or fifty-four per cent., in four- teen years. The increase of the net receipts of our own Post Office, which it is assumed above ought to have taken place, within the same period, is seventy- one per cent.; but this difference is more than justified by the superior increase in population and commerce in this country, as compared with France. Besides, the high probability is, that the net revenue in France would be found to have in- creased more rapidly than the gross revenue. These considerations would lead us to infer, that the effec- tive loss to the Post Office revenue, resulting from some cause or other, is even more than two milliciis per annum. The unsatisfactory state of our Post Office revenue is thus referred to by Sir Henry Parnell : "The re- venue of the Post Office has been stationary, at about £1,400,000 a year, since 1818. This can be ac- 6 POST OFFICE REFORM. I counted for only by the great duty charged on letters ; for with a lower duty the correspondence of the country through the Post Office would have increased in proportion to the increase of population find national wealth."* On this subject Mr. M'Culloch says: "We believe, however, that these (the additions made to the rates of postage) have been completely overdone, and considering the vast importance of a cheap and safe conveyance of letters to commerce, it will immedi- ately be seen that this is a subject deserving of grave consideration. In point of fact the Post Office re- venue has been about stationary since 1814, though, from the increase of population and commerce in the intervening period, it is pretty obvious that had the rates of postage not been so high as to force recourse to other channels, the revenue must have been decidedly greater now than at the end of the Mar. Were the rates moderate, the greater dispatch and security of the Post Office conveyance would hinder any considerable number of letters from being sent through other channels. But in the estimation of very many persons, the present duties more than countervail these advantages, and the number of coaches that now pass between all parts of the country, and the facility with which the law may be evaded by transmitting letters in parcels conveyed by them, renders the imposition of oppressive rated Financial Reform, fourth ed. \i 41. TAX ON POSTAGE. I letters ; J of the icreased ion and I belie; e, he rates ne, and ind safe immedi- of grave ffice re- thougli, lerce in hat had to force ist have of the lispatch would n being imation re than iber of of the may Ije >nveyed ^e rat to of postage quite as injurious to the revenue as to individuals." * There cannot, I conceive, be a doubt that the main cause of the i^markable state of the Post Office revenue, is that which Sir Henry Parnell and Mr. M'CuUoch point out. Consequently, that even supposing the tax on the transmission of letters to be regulated with a total disregard to the conve- nience of the public, but merely with a view of ren- dering it as productive in immediate revenue as pos- sible, it is at present decidedly too high. The net revenue derived from the Post Office is rather more than twice the whole cost of manage- ment; from which it may appear that the tax is about 200 per cent, on the natural or untaxed cost of postage. Such a tax, enormous as it would be, is however far below that really levied, — for it must be borne in mind that the cost of management includes the cost of collecting the tax, and that of conveying the newspapers and franked letters. Hereafter an attempt will be made to ascertain the natural cost of postage with some degree of precision. In the mean time it may be remarked, that even if the whole expense of the Post Office be considered as the natural cost of conveying the letters and newspapers, and a due proportion (say one-third) of that expense l)e placed to the account of newspapers and franked letters, the tax on the transmission of M'CulIoch'g. Commercial Dictionary, p. 935. w 1 8 POST OFFICE REFORM. m P letters would be, on an average, upwards of 300 per cent, on the natural cost of such transmission, a rate of taxation which all experience shows to be highly impolitic. It is not necessary to follow out the subject in all its ramifications, otherwise there would be no diffi- culty in showing that any obstacle to the free circu- lation of letters, prospectuses, prices current, &c., must operate injuriously upon many other branches of the revenue. Tlie loss to the revenue is, however, far from being the most serious of the injuries inflicted on society by the high rates of postage. When it is considered how much the religious, moral, and intellectual pro- gress of the people, would be accelerated by the un- obstructed circulation of letters and of the many cheap and excellent non-prjitical publications of the present day, the Post Office assumes the new and important character of a powerful engine of civilization ; capa- ble of performing a distinguished part in the great work of National education, but rendered feeble and inefficient by erroneous financial arrangements. Connected with this view of the subject is a con- sideration too important to be overlooked. There cannot be a doubt that if the law did not interpose its prohibition, the transmission of letters would be gladly undertaken by capitalists, and conducted on the ordinary commercial principles, with all that economy, attention to the wants of their custom- ers, and skilful adaptation of means to the desired « .! POST OFFICE A MONOPOLY. 9 end, which is usually practised by those whose in- terests are involved in their success. But the law constitutes the Post Office a monopoly. Its con- ductors are, therefore, uninfluenced by the ordinary motives to enterprize and good management; and however injudiciously the institution may be conducted, however inadequate it may be to the growing wants of the nation, the people nmst submit to the incon- venience ; they cannot set up a Post Office for them- selves. The legislature, therefore, is clearly respon- sible for all the mischief which may result from the present arrangement. With reference to this point, the Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry, in their able Report on the Post Office, remark, that " the re- strictions which, for the maintenance of the revenue, the law has imposed concerning the untaxed convey- ance of letters, raise an obligation on the part of the Crown to make adequate provision for the public exigencies in this respect ; and, in effiicting this object, it falls within the province and the duty of His Majesty's Post-master General to create, as well as to guard and to collect a revenue."* It Avould be very easy to multiply arguments against the present condition of this tax. I might speak of the gross inequality of its pressure, of the impossibility of preventing evasion, now notoriously practised by all classes, notwithstanding the inquisi- torial means resorted to for the detection of offenders, and the severity of the penalties inflicted. But surely * 18th Report of the Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry, p. 4. 10 POST OFFICE REFORM. U': V.;' ■Ill W !.:• enough has been said to demonstrate the mischievous tendency of this tax, and the urgent necessity for its extensive modification. If it be conceded that the tax on the transmission of letters is the one most in need of reduction, the next consideration is, What is the greatest extent, under the present circumstances of the revenue of the country, to which reduction may be safely carried ? It has, I conceive, been satisfactorily shown that reduction in postage to a considerable extent, would produce an increase of revenue. A second reduction would therefore be required to bring back the revenue to its present amount ; and still a third reduction to bring it within the proposed limits. It would be useless to attempt to ascertain the measure of each of these steps in the reduction of the rates of postage, which, indeed, are only stated with the view of showing that a very extensive re- duction in the whole will be required to effect any important diminution in the amount of revenue. In order to ascertain with as much accuracy as the circumstances of the case admit, the extent to which the rates of postage may be reduced, under the condition of a given reduction in the revenue, the best course appears to be, first to determine as nearly as possible the natural cost of conveying a letter under the varying circumstances of distance, &c. ; that is to say, the cost which would be incurred if the Post Office were conducted on the ordinary com- any ACTUAL COST OF CONVEYING LETTERS, &C. 11 mercial principles, nnd postage relieved entirely from taxation ; and then to add to the natural cost such amount of duty as may be necessary for producing the required revenue. As a step towards determining the natural cost, let the present actual cost be first ascertained. Without desiring to interfere with the franking privilege, or to relieve the Post Office of the cost of transmitting newspapers, we nmst, in order to obtain an accurate result, consider (for the present) a due share of the expenses of the Post Office, as charged to the account of franked letters and newspapers. The number of letters chargeable with postage which pass through all the post-oflBces of the United Kingdom per annum is about * 88,600,000 The number of franked letters* 7,400,000 The number of newspapers* 30,000,000 Total number of letters and newspapers per ann. 126,000,000 The annual expenses of all kinds at present aref • £696,569 * The total number of letters, &c., transmitted through the Post is a statistical fact altogether unknown ; the statement here given is the result of an estimate, which, however, may be relied upon as 8\ifficiently accurate for the present purpose. (Vide Appendix, pp. ll— PO.) t Finance Accounts for the year 1835, pp. 55 — 57. The great increase in the number of newspapers since the reduction of the duty (already about one-fourth) must be expected in some degree to increase the expenses of the Post Office ; the increase cannot, however, be such as materially to affect this calculation. w 12 POST OFFICE REFORM. % Consequently, the average cost of conveying a letter or newspaper, including the cost of collecting the tax, is, under the present arrangements, about \\d. In the totalof expenses here given some are however included which ought not to enter into the calcula- tion; — certain expenses, as, the cost of the packet service, for instance, are undoubtedly capable of great reduction : others, as the cost of expresses, and of many by-posts, are met by special cliarges. For the sake of simplicity, it will be well to confine the attention to the apparent cost under the existing arrangements of what may be called the Primary distribution of letters f &c., (meaning by that term, the transmission of letters, &c., from post-town to post- town throughout the United Kingdom, and the de- livery within the post- towns,) and to leave out of con- sideration, for the present, the cost of Secondary dis- tribution, or that distribution which proceeds from each post-town, as a centre, to places of inferior im- portance. At the same time, in estimating the cost of primary distribution, it will be convenient to make any reductions which are obviously practicable, and which do not require a deviation in principle from the existing arrangements. The following table exhibits the apparent cost of primary distribution, cleared of certain extraneous charges, and divided under two heads; the first showing the expenses of transit, or those which are dependent on the distance over which the letters have to be conveyed ; the second showing the expenses of PRIMARY DISTRinUTION — COST OF. 13 tlie receipt and delivery of letters, or those which arc independent of dibtance : the cost of collecting the tax is of course included under the latter head. It will be observed that the Post Office is hur- thened with a charge of £30,000 per ann. for super- annuation allowances, allowances for offices and fees abolished, &c. This heavy charge of course greatly increases the apparent cost of numagement. The first part of this table, as far as column B, inclusive, is taken from the Finance Accounts for 1835, pp. 55 —57, the remainder is the result of estimate. 14 POST OFFICE KEFORM. > X £-3 o - CJ — jr o S ?^ - -S 1) K S -■ 3 m Bi H T. < a o I) t2 (M «^ o a> in o "M OO a Q> ? £ = « — ■3 J: •o c-i o 00 00 ■9 =5 u >= ' S J" S ?* i 3i 2 Si: jr **- C ^ -^ [T s = 1 =-.2 u 3 1^ 5-.i - i! " M v -V 00 i>. CO i>. © 00 -^ 00 C-I i ?.i - "i^ rt — i « -3 P-=« X r 4* < ■= 5 >H OS ». S fl o S-a-2 3 "^ ,^, '^ V^ I ^« i: "« ,^ -2 .~ -< ^2 s

. O O o t^ • o »n M o l-M • iM o« OJ 00 1— < f^ .,rd - t- _; /i 1 o = £=S o ^-^-f" CO i =• r- O." c 5i = i* .2 55 ■^ o ^ ' o f c; o l' '^ O fe •■ ' o o o 1-1 CO lO o — CO !i 01 C) o -r o i^ «>. — o CO O O iC Ol p-i -— cr oi ■^ ST) O Ol 1— 1 I CO o © 01 1^ 00 o o o !§ « — o !" •- rt .-5 rj ^ -3 .2 0) TA u 1» 5S c -4^ 3 CT o o PL, >i be C a C » Q- C en .i i 3 o 64 •^»» Sf^ ^ PRIMARY DISTRIBUTION — COST OF. -^ >n 00 •r; CI C5 -* -r c-i o CO 05 t^ o o cn o o O Oi o o »\ • •^ • •o •^ 1— • p_4 « *-H , « ■ s MOO ■^ O o 1 • • • s^ .T^ ■v •fl M C5 00 " i;-3 B 1^ 00 r_4 fc -t< c^ = 5=^ 01 o C5 in Ol r-. O a-r-r o -S" •o CO o f? h 2. CO r- C5.-" S o ^ it 2 iJ'S CO tfs if o o CO (M V (— t -r ,:3 -r i^ V CO o CO 0-. CI o o o o o o -IS CI CO o o M C^ '1 « o ^ — o D CI r^ ■I T sn ..UK _. t« 3 rt c ? ' o o t>. CO GO •.o o © o t= o CI f— t -r o CO 1^ 00 05 o o a> J> 30 CO -r •n ci CO CI CO CO o CO CO GO o -r r^ CO O CI "^ •^ 00 1^ o CO orj ^-H O -.Tj T «o 00 — • »o t^ o CI o o ■ CAPh o Ik ,o u u a d is <^- .2 -a 3 O C ^ B ca 3 o S .£.^ « 3 3 loo K V at 'S -•-' -^ ■^ OJ 0) n u u 3 ^ u a *> e -^ >, "3 "^ 5> K ^ 00 <0 o o 14 ii -« s sj 2 a.c; 3 S'*) l--.>>.>. mpq 15 o a .2 "3 o # S a §1, 05 <>9 S. a 3 o u I o a 2i a to ^ _ . a ._ « o a a C So O O 0) »« J) " « o a « M d n •" 8 a S." rt a P.g " is5 a.&» =1 « -^ S a u ^ g 4; J2^i ii ■" * ,S *-« 4) W C P a a o m £, O •3 a o ;*^ a a (U o tti a> en a « ■3 a n en ci "a o s ,3 H -3 I g = f ..2-3 .2 •- ;•< fc* •3 S a § o 5 ^ w O WJ _. w o ^ O ? oi rt '"'3T3 1(3 POST OFFICE REFORM. Taking the number of letters and newspapers to be 126,000,000, (see p. 11,) the average apparent cost of the primary distribji- tion of newspapers, letters, &c., within the United Kingdom, is for each 84 hundredths of a penny. Of which the expense of transit is one-third, or 28 hundredths of a penny. And the cost of receipt, delivery, &c., two-thirds, or 56 hun- dredths of a penny. But it must be recollected that the cost of transit for a given distance will, under ordinary circum- stances, be in tolerably direct proportion to the weight carried ; and as a newspaper or franked letter weighs on an average as much as several ordinary letters, the average expense of transit for a letter chargeable with postage, is probably about one-third of the amount above stated, or nine hundredths of a penny.* The smallness of the expense of transit, as here stated, will probably excite some surprise ; the following calculation, however, which is founded on more exact data, and is therefore more trust- Avorthy, shows that the expense of transit upon the great mass of letters, small as it appears to be, is probably loaded with charges not strictly appertaining to it, or is greatly enhanced by the carriage of the mail to places which are not of sufficient importance to repay the expense. Whatever may be the cause of the discrepancy between the two calculations, the account of the Pos' Office expenditure is not pub- lished in sufficient detail to enable me to assign it with certainty. * The chargeable letters do not weigh more than about one- fourth of the whole mail. COST OF TRANSIT. 17 Estimate of the cott of conveying a Letter from London to Edinburgh, a distance of 400 miles. Mileage on the whole Mail* £ s. d. Froii» London to York, 196 miles, at It^^. per mile 1 6 6 J From York to Edinburgh, 204 miles, at l^d. per mile 1 5 2 10 6^ Guards' Wages. — Say six Guards, one day each, at IQs. 6d. per week f 10 6 Allow for Tolls, (which are paid in Scotland,) and al^ ^iher expenses J 1 18 11^ Total cost of conveying the Mail once from Lon- don to Edinburgh, including the Mails of all intermediate places 5 The average weight of the mail conveyed by the London and Edinburgh mail coach is about... 8 cwt. Deduct for the weight of the bags, say 2 Average weight of letters, newspapers, &c 6 The cost of conveyance is therefore per cwt 16*. 8d. Per ounce and a half, the average weight of a newspaper, about one-sixth of a penny. Per quarter of an oimce, the average weight of a single letter, about one thirty-sixth of a penny. * Parliamentary Return, 1836, No. 364. t Parliamentary Return, 1835, I^o. 442. I In strict fairness the English tolls ought perhaps to be in- cluded, as the exemption may be considered part of the price paid by the public for the conveyance of the mail. On the other hand, at least part of the coach duty, which for the mails is two- pence for every mile travelled, should be deducted from the esti- mate. Sir Henry Parnell is of opinion that exemption from this duty would, under good management, be a compensation in full C 18 POST OFFICE REFORM. m If any doubt is entertained of the accuracy of this result it may be tested thus i—Suppose one thou- sand letters to be made up into a parcel and dis- patched from London to Edinburgh by coach : at the estimate above given, the weight of the parcel would be about 161bs., and the charge for its carriage about 2s. 4^d. ; a rate of charge which, upon a contract for nearly hfilf a ton per day, will furnish an adequate remuneration to the coach-master. It appears, then, that the cost of mere transit in- curred upon a letter sent from London to Edinburgh, a distance of 400 miles, is not more than one thirty- siath part of a penny. If therefore the proper charge (exclusive of tax) upon a letter received and delivered in London itself were two-pence, then the proper charge (exclusive of tax) upon a letter received in London, but delivered in Edinburgh, would be iwo- pence plus one thirty-sixth part of a penny. Now, as the letters taken from London to Edinburgh are undoubtedly carried nuich more than an average distance, it follows, that when the charge for the receipt and delivery of the letter is determined, an to the coach proprietors for the conveyance oi the mail. He says : " Without going into particulars, and attempting to prove what is the right course that ought to be taken, I should say generally that there would be no difficulty, with a proper plan of manage- ment, to have the mail coaches horsed by allowing the stamp duty only — without an exemption from paying to Us — that is 4cl. a [doable] mile — provided that the proprietors were allowed to carry an additional outside passenger, which would be equal to 3(/., and that coaches of the best possible construction were used." — 7th Re- port of Com. of Post Office Inquiry, p, 98. COST OF RECEIPT AND DELIVERY. 19 an additional charge of one thirty-sixth pai-t of a penny would amply repay the expense of transit. If, there* fore, the charge for postage be made proportionate to the whole expense incurred in the receipt, transit, and delivery of the letter, and in the collection of its postage, it must be made uniformly the same fror^ every post-town to every other post-town in tne United Kingdom, unless it can he shown how we are to collect so small a sum as the thirty-sixth part of a penny. Again, the expenses of receipt and delivery are not much affected by the weight of each letter, within moderate limits ; and, as it would take a nine- fold weight to make the expense of transit amount to one farthing, it follows thaty taxation apart^ the charge ought to be precisely the same for every packet of moderate weight, without reference to the number of it^s enclosures. Having ascertained that the actual expense of conveying the letters from post-town to post-town forms so small a fraction of the whole apparent cost of primary distribution, it will be Avell to examine the other items of expenditure more minutely, with the view of discovering how far they are to be considered as the natural and necessary cost of distributing the correspondence of the country, and how far they result from the Post Office being made an instrument of taxation. The items of expenditure now to be brought un- der consideration are those which are classed at p. 1 4, c-2 w 20 POST OFFICE REFORM. m 1 in column F, as attendant on the receipt and delivery of letters. A reference to the table shows that they consist almost entirely of salaries to the officers and servants of the Post Office. These persons, with a few exceptions, may be arranged in three classes ; namely. Superintend- ents, (including Post-masters and Keepers of Re- ceiving-houses,) Clerks, (including Messengers,) and Letter Carriers. In a Parliamentary Return (1835, No. 442) is a detailed statement of the salaries paid in the London, Dublin, and Edinburgh post offices, which amount to more than one-half of such salaries for the whole of the British Isles. Assuming that the remaining part is divided among the three classes in the same relative proportions as in these places, the account will stand thus : Actual cost in London, Kdin- biirgh, and Dub- lin, per annum. Estimated cost for the United Kingdom per annum. Per eentage on the whole cogt of primary distribu- tion, as deduced at p. U, viz. a£426.517 Superintendents, includ- ing Post-masters and Keepers of Receiving- houses £ 22,400 61,500 46,000 £ 38,300 105,400 78,800 25 18 Clerks, including Mes- sengers Letter Carriers Total 129,900 222,500 52 1. Superintendents. — The expense of superin- tendence in every establishment depends chiefly on CLERKS. 21 the variety and complexity of the operations to be performed. If by any arrangement the operations of the Post Office could be extensively simplified, there can be no doubt that the same amount of superintendence would suffice for a greatly increased amount of business. The causes of the present complexity, and the practicability of extensive sim- plification, will be considered more conveniently in connexion with the duties of the clerks. 2. Clerks. — The duties of the Clerks in the London Officii will be taken as a specimen of those of the body generally ; they are principally as follows. On the arrival of the Mails in the morning, to ex- amine all the letters, in order to see that the charge upon each letter for postage has been correctly made, and that each Deputy Post-master has debited himself with the correct amount of postage for paid letters ; to stamp the letters ; to assort them lor delivery ; (in this the Letter Carriers assist ;) to ascertain the amount of postage to be collected by each Letter Carrier, and to charge him therewith. Previously to the departure of the mails in the evening, the duties of the Clerks are principally to adjust the accounts for the post-paid letters brought from the Receiving-houses ; to " tax " the unpaid letters ; that is to say, to write on each the charge for postage ; to stamp all ; to assort them for dis- patch to the different post-towns; to ascertain the amount of postage to be collected by each Deputy Post-master, and to charge him therewith 22 POST OFFICE REFORM. It must be borne in mind that the public con- venience requires that the delivery of letters should follow as closely as possible the arrival of the Mails ; and that the receipt of letters should be con- tinued as close as possible up to the departure of the Mails. It follows, therefore, that all these mul- tifarious duties have to be performed in the shortest possible space of time, though some, from their diffi- culty and complexity, involve an enormous amount of labour, while their accurate performance demands a degree of vigilance rarely to be met with. Take for instance the financial proceedings in the evening. First there are the accounts to be settled with the Receivers (71 in number) for the post-paid letters; then there is to tax the letters, which, without counting the franks, are frequently as many as 40,000, and every one of which is to be examined with a candle to see whether it is single or double ;* then the proper postage is to be determined, not only with reference to such inspection, but also with reference to the distance of the post-town to which it is ad- dressed, and to be marked on the letter with pen and ink ; and lastly, nearly 700 f accounts of postage are to be made out against as many Deputy Post- masters. When the hurried manner in which these complex operations have to be performed is considered, it is * ISth Report of Com. of Revenue IiKiuiry, p. (33. t Pari. Ketuni, 1835, No. 512, p. 6. CLERKS. 23 manifest that errors must frequently arise. Tliere is also an obvious danger of extensive frauds on the Revenue from collusion between some of the Deputy Post-musters and those whose duty it is to charge them with the postage. The examination of each letter by a candle too, by revealing the contents, creates temptations to theft, which have too often been irresistible. In the Appendix will be found some proofs that the dangers here contemplated exist in practice.* This liability to error and fraud renders it highly important that some sufficient check on the opera- tions under consideration should be practised. The fact is, however, that no such check exists, the only security being in the conscientiousness of the Deputy Post-masters, whose duty it is, on receipt of their bags, to examine the charges placed to their accounts, and to correct any error which they may discover. Mr. D. W. Stow, an officer of the Post Office, when asked by the Commissioners of Revenue In- quiry, ** What is the longest operation in preparing the letters for delivery, the stamping, sorting, or taking the accounts?" replies, "Taking the ac- counts, because it leads to a dift'erence very often which might retard the operation : the stamping is a mere mechanical thing, as well as the exami- nation, "f There can be no doubt that the chief sources of * Appendix, p. 69. t 18th Report of Com. of Revenue Inquiry, p. 474. 24 POST OFFICE REFORM. 'ft all this trouble, and error, and fraud, exist in the complexity of the operations ; a complexity arising out of the varying charges for postage, and the in- termixture of paid and unpaid letters. The remedy must therefore be looked for in the means of sim- plification. If the postage of all letters were collected after their passage through the Central Office, something would be accomplished in simplify- ing the operations, but how much more would be effected if any means could be devised by which the postage of all letters should be collected before their passage through the Central Office ! For the purpose of estimating the advantages which would result from such an arrangement, suppose for a moment that all letters were post-paid, that the rates of postage were uniform, without re- gard to distance, (say a certain small sum per ounce,) and that the amount collected were transmitted to the Central Office, from the London Receiving- houses, and from the several post-towns, with the letters, or at least accounted for at the time of their transmission; the correct amount being ascertained and checked at the Central Office by weighing, and perhaps counting, the mass of letters received from each officer. A little consideration will show the enormous effect wiiich this arrangement would have in simpli- fying and accelerating the proceedings of the Post Office throughout the kingdom, and in rendering them less liable to error and fraud. Take as a LETTER CARRIERS. O^ to '^'- speciiiieii its effect in the Central Metropolitan Office. There would be no letters to be taxed ; no examina- tion of those taxed by others; no accounts to be made out against the Deputy Post-masters for letters transmitted to them, nor against the Letter Carriers. There would be no want of checks ; no necessity to submit to frauds and numberless errors for want of means to prevent or correct them.* In short, the whole of the financial proceedings would be reduced to a simple, accurate, and satisfactory account, con- sisting of a single item per day, with each Receiver and each Deputy Post-master. Can there be a doubt that under such simple arrangements, especially if the operation of assorting the letters could be materially facilitated, (of which more hereafter,) the present staff of clerks would amply suffice for at least a four-fold amount of busi- ness ? Still, however desirable such a simplification may be, its practicability has yet to be ascertained. But, before proceeding to this question, it will be convenient to consider whether the time of the remaining class of Post Office servants (the Letter Carriers) is capable of being economized. 3. Letter Carriers, — This is by far the most numerous class in the service of the Post Office; so much so, that although their individual salaries are comparatively low, the aggregate, as shown at a * The Post-master General ia of opinion that the present com- plexity of the accounts is such as to render any certain check im- practicable. Par. Pro. 1835. No. 443, pp. 5 and 6. RT 4! 26 l»OST () V FlC E H E FO H M . .* ' ' i' ■II |). 20, ioniis a very iniportunt item in the account ; any abridgment of tlie labours of this cbiss of ser- vants must tlierefore be of great economical impor- tance. The evidence given before the Commis- sioners of Revenue Inquiry apjiears to indicate the means of attaining this desirable object. At the time of the investigation (1828) there existed in London what was called the " early delivery" of letters ; that is to say, any person for a small annual fee was privileged to receive his let- ters before the usual hour of delivery. The privi- lege, I believe, still exists, but to a much less extent. The early delivery was effected thus : the letters in question were separated from the others and dis- tributed by persons, (generally the Letter Carriers of remote quarters, while on the way to their own proper districts,) who delivered the letters at the respective houses, leaving the postage to be collected by the proper Letter Carrier of the district, who for that purpose made a second round after completing his ordinary delivery. Mr. Benjamin Critchett, Inspector of the Inland Letter Carriers, was examined, among other matters, as to the time required for the early and late delive- ries respectively ; the following is an extract I'rom his evidence thereon :* * Since this evidence was given, the employment of Omnibuses for the conveyance of tlie Letter Carriers to the remote districts, and other arrangements, have caused the ordinary delivery of let- ters to commence much earlier. LETTER CAKUIEUS. yy '* It' a postman were to deliver the wliole of liis letters as he went alon*^, not taking the money for any of them, and returned through his walk, and then collected the money, would they not all he delivered much earlier than they are now? — Cer- tainly, " And would it require more hands to do it than are now employed ? — No. ** The man going back to receive the postage of the early letters must pass by the doors where he has delivered letters and received the postage? — Yes: I will describe the operation in two or three districts this morning : I will take Lombard-street, where the number of letters that were delivered this morning was 637. " In Lombard-street? — Yes. The amount of postage £25 14.v. 3e postage. It must be remembered, however, that as these officers have already to re- ceive and accoint for the postage upon about one- fifth t of the letters which pass through their hands, constant attendance is even now required ; wliile * A very trifling inducement would suffice to effect such a change. It would be obviously fair to instruct the Letter Carrier to pass any door not so provided, and to deliver the letter on a second round, charging a small sum, say a halfpenny, for his trouble. t 18th Report of Com. of Revenue Inquiry, p. 54. ^i^ REDUCTION OF POSTAGE. 31 1.: their labour is obviously much increased by the circumstance of the charge vai-ying with each suc- cessive letter. As we have seen that tlie above arrangements, if carried into practice, would secure a vast public benefit, we are naturally led to the consideration of the means for their adoption. To ^o extensive a change there are, of course, many obstacles ; some sacrifices are necessarily re- quired; any plan, therefore, Avhich holds out a fair prospect of surmounting the difficulty nmst justly be considered, even if not free from objection, as entitled to a careful and candid examination. The essential elements of such a plan are, first, a very low rate of postage, to neutralize the objections on the part of the public to its being demanded in advance ; and, secondly, a uniform rate of post- age, to simplify the mode of accounting for its receipt. With respect to the latter element, it has already been shown (p. 19) that in fairness the rates of post- age for primary distribution ought to be uniform ; i\r ' ov^t of transit along the mail-roads, even for ^li- .umtest distances, being so trifling, as not to bt; ( xDressible by the smallest coin. This part of the plan, therefore, appears to present no difficulty, and the only question is, whether it is possible to reduce the postage sufficiently low. In order to ascertain the greatest extent to which tliis reduction may be carried, it will be necessary to c iculat- tho cost of primary distribution under the I ll 111 ^^fe 3-2 POST OFFICE REFORM. economical arrangements proposed above. It lias already been shown that, under such arrangements, the present establishment of the Post Office, with some slight addition to the salaries, under the head " Superintendents," (the class to which Receivers and Deputy Post-masters belong,) would suffice, even if the amount of business to be transacted shop.ld increase four or five-fold. A considerable addition to the mileage would of course be required, as on sonie roadt \t certainly would be necessary to employ two, tiii , or even four mail-coaches. Assuming for the prebcnt that, owing partly to the reduction in postage, and partly to increased facilities of communication, the total number of letters, &c. passed through the Post Office would increase to four-fold the present amount^ the calculation will be as follows ; I Heads of charges. (See p. 14.) Present cost of primary distribu- tion within the United Kingdom. (See page 14, column D.) Estimated future cost of primary distribution with- in the United Kingdom. Salaries and allowances £ 222,510 8,039 135,919 4,987 9,974 4,085 5.913 3,539 30,248 1,303 426,517 £ 250,000 12,000 310,000 10,000 15,000 6,000 9,000 6,000 30,248 3,000 Special services and travelling charges PlnnvpVRiiPP of IVfails. &C. Parkpf service and uort dues Tradesmen's bills,building, and repairs Rents of offices, tithes, and taxes Law charcres Stationery, printing, and postage Superannuation allowances, &c Menai and Conway bridges (tolls) ... 651,248 REDUCTION OF POSTAGE. 33 By the above estimate it appears that, if the corre- spondence of the country increase four- fold, i.e. amount to about 500,000,000 of letters, newspapers, &c., (see page 11,) then upon the proposed arrangements the cost of primary distribution within the United Kingdom will amount to £651,248 per annum, pro- ducing an average cost per letter or newspaper of 32 hundredths of a penny, or one farthing and three- tenths of a farthing. When it is considered that the mere transit of a letter by the mail-coaches costs practically nothint^, and that the penny posts, of which there are about 200* in England alone, are stated by Sir Francis Freeling to be in many cases very profitable,! ®ven though these pence have to be collected from house to house, there is nothing very surprising in this result. The following facts may be stated in corroboration of its accuracy. The average cost of managing the twopenny-post of London, notwithstanding the large allowance of weight, and the expensive manner in which the establishment is conducted, is only 34 per cent, on the receipts,^ or about two-thirds of a penny per letter. The distribution of the Penny Magazine is exactly parallel with the proposed primary distribution of letters. The magazine is sent to every part of the kingdom, and in considerable towns is delivered ♦ 1 8th Report of Com. of Revenue Inquiry, p. 585. t 18th Report of Com. of Rpvenue Inquiry, p. 351. I 2l8t Report of Com. of Revenue Inquiry, p. 4. D i 34 POST OFFICE REFORM. ( I ;■; i\' n^ at the houses of the subscribers ; but the penny charged for the magazine includes not only the cost of distribution, but the cost of eight large pages of letter-press and wood-cuts ; and yet it is well known that the undertaking is a profitable one. The carriers who ply between Birniingham and the neighbouring towns, to a distance of 12 or 13 miles, are in the constant habit of conveying letters, which they deliver at one penny each. It is very improbable that the carriers have any well-organized system of distribution, and of course they must be paid something for their risk in breaking the law ; although, from the open manner in which they pro- ceed, it may be inferred that the chance of penalty is not very great. I have been informed by a highly respectable merchant and manufacturer of Bir- mingham, that the number of letters distributed by these means very greatly exceeds, in his opinion, the number distriLuted within the same district by the Post Office. It appears then that the cost of priinary distribu- tion can be reduced from 84 hundredths of a penny (p. 16) to 32 hundredths of a penny (p. 33) per letter, if the charge for postage can be reduced so low as to neutralize the objection on the part of the public to its being paid in advance ; and if the assumed increase in the number of letters can be brought about. But the required increase in the number of letters must depend mainly on the extent to which the postage is reduced. An extensive reduction of postage appears KEDUCTION OF POSTAGE. 35 therefore to be the one thing needful. The postage must he brought sufficiently low to secure the advan- tages at which we aim, remaining only sufficiently high to afford the required revenue. The cost ot" primary distribution under the new arrangements being only about one-third of a penny per letter, a profit or tax of 200 per cent, on such cost might be added, Avithout raising the postage above one penny. A uniform rate of one penny would, 1 conceive, be sufficiently low to neutralize nW pecuniari/ objection to its being invariably paid in advance ; (other objections will be considered hereafter ;) espe- cially if the public were made to understand that its being thus paid were a necessary condition of so great a boon.* It can scarcely be doubted that so extensive a reduction in postage, together with the concurrent increased facilities of communication, would produce even more than the assumed increase in the number of letters. t But if it only produced an increase to the extent assumed, ane lul ; I -.4 Letter Receiver, all over the kingdom, should be re- quired to kee;> them on sale : a discount, such as is now given on stamps, would render it their interest to do so. Stationers also would be induced to keep them. The stamp of the receiving-house should be sti'uck upon the frank- stamp, to prevent the latter being used a second time. For the forgery of these stamps their low price would leave but little temptation ; juid the account of their issue^ compared with the account of tlie number of letters passed through the Post 0£Bce, (kept as already described by the tell-tale stamp,) would lead to the detection of any extensive fraud. Should experience warrant the Government in making the use of stamped covers universal, most important advantages would be secured ; advantages, indeed, of such magnitude, that before any exception whatever is admitted, the policy of such exception should be very fully considered. 1. The F'jst Office would be relieved altogether from the collection oi the Revenue, and from all accounts relating to that collection. Distribution Mould be its only function. 2. ^Phe receipt of letters would be much more siiuple even than it now is ; as the present trouble of receiving money for thr^ post-paid letters would be avoided. 3. Any necessary exception to the uniform rate of \^^ \^A i' m^ 'Mr M^ ii 44 POST OFFICK KEIORM. postage (Id. per half ounce) would, under this ar- rangement, be productive of comparatively little incon- venience. For instance, the greater weights proposed to be allowed in the local posts would be readily managed. Penny covers, and sheets for local posts, might be marked thus, when stamped, " For Local Distribution. — The weight allowed is two ounces." Or all penny covers and sheets might be marked thus: " For General Distribution. — ^The weight allowed is half-an- ounce. '• For Local Distribution. — ^The weight allowed is two ounces.** It may, perhaps, be said that this plan only trans- fers the receipt of postage from the Post Office to the Stamp Office ; but it will be recollected that at the latter tlie postage would be collected in large sums^ the number of payments being reduced, probably, in the ratio of at least a thousand to one. The cost of stamping such an enormous number of papers may appear to be a formidable objection to this arrangement. With the aid of machinery, how- ever, this cost may be reduced to a mere trifle. The only objection which occurs to me to the universal adoption of this plan is the following: Persons unaccustomed to write letters, would, per- haps, be at a loss how to proceed. They might send or take their letters to the Post Office without having had recourse to the stamp. It is true that COLLECTION OF POSTAGE. 45 on presentation of the letter, the Receiver instead of accepting the money as postage, might take it as the price of a cover, or band, in which the bringer might immediately inclose the letter, and then re- direct it. But the bringer would sometimes be unable to write. Perhaps this difficulty might be obviated by using a bit of paper just large enough to bear the stamp, and covered at the back with a glutinous wash, which the bringer might, by apply- ing a little moisture, attach to the back of the letter, so as to avoid tlie necessity for re-directing it. If the bringer should put the letter into the letter-box, there would be no resource but to send it to the dead letter office; but, if proper pains were taken to inform the public, and legibly to mark the letter- box, " For stamped Letters, Franks, and News- papers only," such cases could seldom occur. Probably, however, the preferable plan, in tlie first instance at least, would be to adopt a con iiiation of the two modes, giving to the public an option, as re- gards packets not exceeding the half ounce, to use the stamp or pay the penny. If it were required that all packets exceeding the half ounce should be inclosed in stamped covers, (and the number being comparatively small, and their admission for tliemost part a novelty, no one could object to such an obligation,) the Re- ceiver would have to account for penny letters only ; and the index of the teli-talc stamp would at all times exhibit the exact amount of postage received : Fw^ 46 POST OFFICE REFORM. 5 ; J , no operation could be more simple or more free from the possibility of err'^r. I am aware that many consider the required pay- ment in advance objectionable. In the Appendix, (page 96,) the principle is fully considered. I have there :-ho\vn a modificution of the preceding plan which might be adopted, if it sliould be thought im- politic at once to attempt the universal adoption of that principle. I do not insert the modification here, because, however useful it may be as a temporary ex- pedient, I am decidedly of opinion that it ought to form no part of a permanent plan, and that to resort to it at all would be a step of very questionable policy. ; M I! ■i INCREASED FACILITIES OF DISTRIBUTION. The Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry begin their Report on the Post Office as follows : " The facility of frequent, punctual, and (|uick communication which the institution of the Post Office was calt di- lated to secure, may be justly classed among the elements of profitable commerce. It is essential to the purposes of Government, and subservient to all the ends of national policy. " In this view the establishment of the Post OtBce possesses a character distinct from, and an importance superior to its title to consideration as a productive branch of the revenue. Nor is its utility in this re- to be appreciated solely by the revenu« derived spect appre( FACILITIES OF DISTRIBUTION. 47 directly from it, for it may be considered also as auxiliary to other branches of the public income. " But whatever distinction may be observed be- tween the more general and primary purposes of this institution, and its value separately regarded as an immediate source of revenue to the Crown, it will be found that the same means may be employed to promote its several objects; and that, in a prosperous state of the country, its productiveness, in a financial calculation, will be measured by the proportion in whi' h, under judicious management, it is made to contribute to the interests, the convenience, and the habitual indulgence of the comnmnity. *' To prove the truth of this pri: iple, it might be sufficient to refer to the immediate results of the well- known improvements, introdaced in the year 1784, upon the suggestions of Mr. Palmer, in the circula- tion of letters within the now United Kingdom. '• Various causes have subseq^'ently contributed to the vast progressive increase of the annual re- ceipts of this depai-tinent, which in twenty years, dating from the adoption of Mr. Palmer's plan, were trebled, and have since become five-fold their previous amount. But a general comparison of the extent of the accommodation afforded, and of the quantity of correspondence maintained through the Post Office at different periods, will establish the principle already assumed, that the growth of this corresp^Mideiice (and of the attendant revenue) na- 48 POST OFFICE REFORM. Ill W^ tiirally keeps pace with the amendment and ex- tension of tlie means of intercourse, and with the increased wealth, commerce, and prosperity of the country, and will show that this effect, although it may have heen in some degree counteracted, has not been prevented by the restraints of augmented taxation. " In looking at the Post Office, therefore, with a view to its regulation as a department of the re- venue, it is indispensable that attention be prin- cipally directed to its more important uses, and to the efficie cy of its arrangements for the attainment of those purposes."* There can be no doubt that one cause of the comparative falling off of the Post Office revenue is want of attention to the principles here laid down. The Post Office has too generally lagged behind other institutions in the progress of improvement, instead of being, as it might be, an example to the country of skilful and energetic management. Pre- viously to the improvements of Mr. Palmer, the mail was about twice as long in proceeding from town to town as the stage-coaches • Mr. Palmer's improvements brought up the Post Office to an equality with other commercial institutions of his day, and, as stated by the Commissioners, led to an enormous increase of revenue. For many years hile other institutions have bee past, rapidly t a c n a 18th Report of the Com. of Revenue Inquiry, pp. 3 and 4. CAUSES OF IMPERFECTION. 49 proving, the Post OHice has again been nearly stationary; it has, consequently, fallen a second time in arrear, and, as a means of distributing the correspondence of the country, is, at present, la- mentably inefficient. In making these statements I imply blame to no one ; to do so forms no part of the task which I have undertaken. It would, perhaps, be impossible for any one to read the able Reports which have been made by the past and by the present Commissioners of Inquiry, without feeling indignant at the disregard for the public interest, the jobbing and peculation which they expose.* It will be wise, however, to regard the past no further than may be useful in securing a better state of things for the future. To effect this will require an extensive change in the ad- ministration, and a reconstruction of the mechanism of the Post Office. With regard to the administration of the Post Office, it may be remarked, that so long as the office of Post-master General is a political appointment, it is impossible that the individu;il selected, however anxious he may be efficiently to discharge his duty, can do more than acquire a general knowledge of the vast and compli- cated mechanism he is supposed to direct. The most efficient officer, therefore, is the secretary, but as he has not the requisite authority for effecting * See especially the Report by the present Commissioners on the Packe!s Establishment. April 30, 1836. E iii r^ 50 POST OFFICE REFORM. such improvements as he may think necessary, the responsibility does not in fairness attach to him. ]Much may be expected from the known talent and energy of the gentleman recently appointed to this office, but it . \ust be borne in mind that, if the pre- ceding views are at all correct, the inefficiency of the Post Office results chiefly from the excessive and variable rates of postage ; consequently that the removal of the evil depends on Legislative enactment : this consideration in a great measure explains the present state of things. Looking at those arrange- ments which w^re clearly within the control of the Post Office authorities, we find much that has re- ceived and has deserved general admiration ; and in one respect, viz. the prompt and courteous attention paid to all letters of complaint, the Post Office has for many years been a model of excellence.* It would here be out of place to enter into a general investigation of the defective system of the Post Office, I may, however, be allowed to mention a few facts. About GOOO of the letters which arrive in London * It is not generally known that the Duke of Richmond, when Post-master General, was desirous )f performing the duties of the office gratuitously, and that it was not until after he had been repeatedly urged by Government that he consented to accept a salary: even then it was only accepted prospectively. It is not, perhaps, consistent with the efficient discharge of important public duties, that the public servants should be unpaid, but it is impossible not to admire such an instance of generous disinterest- ed uess. 1 e DKI.AY IN TRANSMISSION. 51 when 1 of the been Icept a lis not, liortant it it is Iterest- by the morning mails, on their way to other towns, lie all (lay at the Post Office for want of a morning dispatch,* although there are excellent morning coaches from London to every part of the king- dom. The consequence of this delay is, that places corresponding through London, however near they may really be to one another, are, as regards facili- ties of communication by post, forced as far asunder as London and Durham. f If a blank post-day intervene, the delay is even more remarkable. A letter written at Uxbridge after the close of the Post Office on Friday night, would not be delivered at Gravescnd, a distance of less than forty miles, earlier than Tuesday morning. The extent to which personal intercourse takes I»lace between London and the district within a cir- cuit of ten miles, that is to say, between the places of business and the homes of thousands of profes- sional men and tradesmen, is shown by the continued current of stage-coaches and other carriages along every road. There can be no doubt that the com- munication by letter, in the same district, would be projjortionately great if the Post Office affi^rded the necessary facilities; but such is the ludicrous tardi- ness of the three-penny post, that no one thinks of employing it where dispatch is of the slightest im- portance * 18th Report of Com. of Revenue Inquiry, p. 477. t In the 7th Report of the Com. of Post Office Inquiry, just puhmitted to Parhanient, (Feb. 1837,) a morning disptitch of these letters is recommended. e2 ,(11 1^ 5-2 POST OFFICE REFORM. To interchange letters between London and Ilanipstead, through the j)ost, requires, under the most favourable circumstances, about ten hours : a messenger would walk over the ground in a quarter of the time. A letter which shall arrive in London between six and seven o'clock, by a morning mail, would not be delivered at Hampstead, or any other place equally distant, till eleven or twelve o'clock. A London tradesman residing at Hampstead, \\\\o should, from any cause, be prevented from returning home as usual in the evening, would be unable to prepare his family for his absence by a post letter, unless he wrote before three o'clock; and even after two o'clock a letter would be too late, if put into any district receiving-house. If two letters were put into the proper district re- ceiving-houses in London, between five and six o'clock in the evening, one addressed to Highgate, the other to \^''olverhampton, (which lies 120 miles furtlier along the same road,) the Wolverhampton letter would be delivered first. In the charges for postage the most unaccountable anomalies exist ; g. g.\ there is a cross-post from Wolverhampton through Dudley, Stour])ridge, and other places. Between Dudley and Stourbridge this })ost passes through the village of Brierly Hill. The postage of a letter from Wolverhampton to Dudley is \d. ; but from \^^olverhampton to Brierly Hill, some miles further on, it is only one penny. The remedy for the defective arrangements which n EXPECTED INCREASE IN LETTERS. 53 able roni and tliis ill. to erly lliicli lead to these and many other inconveniences and anomalies, is no doubt, to a great extent, independent of the reduction in postage which has Ijeen recom- mended : the increase in the number of letters, re- sulting from tha^ reduction, would, however, greatly facilitate the necessary reforms. With regard to more frequent departures of the Mails, for instance, as two or more coaches would probably be required on each mail-road, they might arrive and be dispatched one in the morning and one in the evening, not only without additional expense, but witli great advantage to the Post Office, as a means of preventing an incon- venient accunmlation of business at one hour of the day, and also as a means of reducing the number of cross-posts, and thus centralizing the business of the Post Office. There are serious objections to nume- rous cross-posts. Hitherto it has been found impos- sible satisfactorily to check the receipts for postage ; and the number of cross-post letters which are lost is proportionately very great.* If the facilities for the general distribution of let- ters were rendered adequate to the wants of the pub- lic ; and if the local distribution of the metropolitan district,f and of similar districts about all large towns, * 18th Report of Com. of Revenue Inquiry, p. 489. t The three-penny post is peculiarly in want of improvc- 1 lent. Its operations are not only slow, but irregular and ex- pensive. The mileage for the wretched hacks which carry the bags is twice as great as for the mail-coaches. The Com- missioners of Revenue Inquiry (Twenty-first Report, p. 46) re- commend the employment of the stage-coaches. To this it has been objected, that their punctuality cannot be depended upon ; 54 I'OST OFFICE UKFOIIM. were nuuiaged, as it niiglit easily be, so as to afford tlie means of fre(|iient and rai)id coininunication, these causes alone would j)rodiice a great increase of letters.* The extent of the increase thus obtained, as well as the extent of that which would result from the reduced postage, does not admit of exact calcula- tion ; but, judging from the effects produced by similar causes, (as the increase of letters resulting from Mr. Palmer's im])rovements, and the greatly extended consumption of any article in general request which (Parliamentary Report, 1835, No. 443, p. 21 j) hut surely the means emplo\ eil for enforcing punctuality on the part of the mail- coaches, are not less applicahle to coaches travelling a short distance. Indeecl all doubt on this subject is fully removed by the successful expcrinicut of the West India Dock Company. For bome time past the coaches which run every quarter of an hour between Billiter Square and the West India Docks have been quite as jjunctual in their departure and arrival, and nearly as quick, as the mail coaches. This improvement is the result of a contract which the Dock Company has entered into with the coach proprietors for the conveyance of dispatches between the Company's office in Billiter Square and the Docks ; by which contract punctuality is secured under certain penalties. * The increase of travelling between places connected by rail- ways may be cited in support of this view. The fares between such places have not been much reduced by the railways ; (in some instances they are not reduced at all ;) and yet it has been shown by Dr. Lardner that the number of travellers between l)laces so cormected has increased nearly four-fold. (See the Re- l)orts of the Bristol meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.) In his evidence before the Parliament- ary Committee on the Blackwall railway. Dr. Lardner states the numl)er of persons conveyed along the Dublin and Kingston rail- ruad, in a single year, to be about a million and a quarter. SECONDARY DISTIUUUTION. 55 rail- Iweon ; (in Ibeen ween Re- the lent- the I rail- invariably follows a considerable reduction in price,) there is scarcely a doubt, in my opinion, that the total increase in the number of letters would exceed that which has been assumed. The increase of MS. letters alone Avould be very great, for, in the first place, many more would be written, especially by the poorer and more numerous classes; and, in the next place, all, or nearly all, would be distributed by the Post Office; but the great increase would probably be in the transmission of printed circulars, prospectuses, catalogues, and prices current. In the opinion of connnercial men, enormous numbers of such papers would be distributed by the Post Office, if the rates of postage were low. The question as to the probable increase is fully con- sidei.'d in the Appendix, (p. 83.) Stcondary distribution of letters, or that distri- bution which proceeds from each post-town as a centre, to places of inferior importance. In the pre- sent state of things, the secondary distribution of letters is in some places a source of loss. This appears to me to be undesirable : every branch of the Post Office ought, in my opinion, to defray its own expenses, although it is, at the same time, important that the ramifications should be as numerous as possible. The most equitable arrangement appears to be this : let the whole weight of taxation be thrown on the primary distribution, which ought to include every place Avhich can be reached without absolute loss to the revenue, and let each department of the secondary distribution just defray its oM'n expenses. i' Bsm f iA\ POST oi rui:: kkfohm. \: f ti m SB V? As joniti gtMitlcmcii, lor wlioso opinion I liuvo a very hii^h rehjuH't, think tliut leltors should be dis- trihuttMl for the same ohiirj^i; in uU districts, oven where, from the thinness of the population, tlieir dis- tribution would be a source of considerable loss to the Kevenue, I think it necessary to exauune this part of the subject more fully. In the first place, it may be remarked, that a limit nuist be drawn somewhere. No one would contend that letters are to be distributed at the minimum rate over a district such as may be found in many parts of Scotland and A\'^ales, and even in some parts of England, where people in the receipt of letters live two or ihret; miles asunder. A system of secondary distribution must, therefore, be j)rovided for. It ir.ay, however, be said, give a discretionary power to some one ; but a ears to me, be sacrilicing the interests of the more populous, without benefiting the less populous places. For if the charge be in all cases made unifi^rm, it is manifest either that the revenue must suft'er, or that the charge, as regards the large towi.s, nmst be ad- vanced. If Govermnent can give up the revenue, there is no dilliculty in the matter ; but if not, the adoption of this principle must lead to an increjise in the charge on all letters. There is no eligible medium between a penny and two-pence, therefore the universal charge would become two-pence : but two-pence per letter, or a penny in addition to the primary charge, would, in all probability, suffice for the secondary distribution, as in very remote places there might be a delivery on the alternate days only, as at present. Thus, for the sake of uniformity, postage would be doubled to the whole comnmnity, when doubling it for the part only where the transmission is accom- panied with increased expense would be sufficient to secure the revenue from injury. It appears, then, that the adoption of the principle under considera- r oH POST OFFICE REFORM. t tion would, as already stated, injure the towns without benefiting the villages. Nor would the general revenue be very much aug- mented by such an arrangement. A charge of two- pence per letter, or even three-halfpence, would pro- bably exclude the great mass of printed correspond- ence, and it would diminish the correspondence of all kinds : it would also tend to maintain, as between large towns, the contraband conveyance of letters, and thus the Post Office would, to a considerable extent, as at present, have to distribute the least pro- fitable part of the '^ a"* j)ondence only. The followiixg v dketch of the plui of c Derations which I would .3j«,gest. Let the inhabitants of any district., acting through the Guardians of the Poor or other recognized authority, be entitled, on paying in advance a small annual fee to the Deputy Post-master of the town to which their letters are dispatched, to require that a bag shall be made up for the district ; and let them arrange for fetching and carrying the bag, and for the delivery and collection of letters ; charging the expense, which would be very trifling, upon the parochial rates, or upon each letter, as may be most convenient.* An extra postage, to be collected on the delivery of each letter, would, in a country dis- * What are called fifth clause posts, or post? established on a guarantee given by the parties benefited to defray the expense, may be considered as in some measure a precedent for the proposed arrangement. See the evidence of Sir F. Freeling, Eighteenth Report of the Commissioners of Revenue Incpiiry, p. 351. ^F^i FOREIGN AND COLONIAL LCTTEUS. 59 trict, delay the delivery but little, as the time of the Letter Carrier is occuj)ied chiefly in walking from house to house. The proposed arrangements should in each case be submitted to the approval of the central authority, (the Post-master General or Commissioners,) whom it might perhaps be necessary to empower to make arrangements for secondary distribution in any in- stance ii. which the local authority declined or neglected to act. If this plan were adopted, the central authority of the Post Oihce would be relieved of nearly all care with respect to tlie secondary distribution of letters ; the frequency, and, consequently, the expense of which would in each instance be regulated in exact accordance with the wants of the district. Foreign and Colonial Letters. — For the sake of simplicity in accounting for the postage, it is very desirable that the Foreign and Colonial letters should be subjected to as nearly as practicable the same regulations as Inland letters. As it will probably be inqiossible in all cases to provide for the English postage on letters received from foreign countries being paid in advance, some peculiar arrangement with reference to foreign letters appears to be retpiired. The mode of dealing with them, which suggests itself to my mind, is the following : Let all foreign letters on leaving this country be subjected to a double rate of English postage, but let foreign letters received into this country be Ml p?" V I I'iX 00 POST OFFICE REFORM. :i ^p % delivered free. Tlia postage claimed by the foreign government being in each case paid by the foreign resident. This arrangement would appear to obviate the necessity for all negotiation with foreign govern- ments on the subject of postage, and it would be practically the same in its results as though the English postage were charged in both directions. The only difference being, (with few exceptions not worth regarding,) that in an interchange of letters the English resident would pay his share of the postage at once instead of at twice. As this ar- rangement would be an exception to the penny rate, it would be well to require that all letters addressed to foreign countries should be enclosed in the stamped covers already named. These covers should be legibly marked ** Foreign Letter," and sold at uniforui rates. If, as I would recommend, the rates of postage already proposed for Inland letters were extended to Foreign letters, the prices of covers for Foreign let- ters would be exactly double those for Inland letters ; but as it appears necessary to treat Foreign letters differently from others, no inconvenience would arise to the operation of the general plan if the prices were higher. For the sake of simplicity it appears desirable to treat all foreign letters alike, although certain Governments might be willing to require j)ayment of the whole postage in advance, and to account to the English Government for the English portion. ^r\ SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. 61 And as, in many minds, the distinction between a foreign country and one of our colonies is not clearly defined, it would be desirable perbaps that Colonial letters should be placed under tbe same re- gulations as Foreign letters. If tbis were done, the covers would be marked " Foreign or Colonial Letter." The reduction here proposed in tbe postage of Foreign and Colonial letters might easily be effected, for the increase in the number would be such that the payments for ship-letters might be reduced from 2(1., the present rate, to a farthing each, and yet amply remunerate the masters of vessels.* The foregoing sketch will, I hope, sufficiently indicate the nature and extent of the reform which appears to be required in the Post Office. The necessary limits to a paper of this description have prevented my exhibiting the plan in all its details, and many auxiliary arrangements have been alto- gether omitted. As my object has been to carry out the principles * There is perhaps scarcely any measure which would tend so effectually to remove the obstacles to emigration, and to maintain that sympathy between the colonies and the mother country, which is the only sure bond of connexion, as the proposed reduc- tion in the postage of colonial letters. The importance of pro- moting voluntary emigration from Ireland in aid of the Poor Laws, renders this consideration, at the present time, deserving of the greatest attention. i i 6-2 POST OFFICE KEFURM, ii I % 1 which I have endeavoured to develope to their full extent, I have avoided, except in one or two in- stances, speaking of any improvements Avhich do not form essential parts of my plan ; it woidd be easy to show tliat, with a less extensive reduction of post- age than that which I have proposed, much may be done towards increasing the facilities pf connnunica- tion, and securing the collection of tho revenue. I earnestly hope, however, that a reform will take place, at once thorough and com[)lete ; the more rigidly the subject is investgated, the more, I feel assured, will the practicability of the measures here proposed be nuide manifest. The following is a sunnnary of the conclusions which it is believed have been established in the preceding paper. 1. That the present cost of primury distribution is, for the most part, the result of complex arrange- ments at the Post Office. 2. That these complex arrangements would be avoided, if postage were cliarg«Ml, without regard to distance, at a uniform rate, (which is shown to l)e the only fiiir rate with reference to the expenses in- curred,) and were collected in advance. 3. That the postage might be collected in ad- vance, if reduced to the rate proposed ; viz., one penny for each packet not exceeding half an ounce in weight, with an additional penny for each ad- ditional half ounce. •w\ SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. 6J i:m 4. That, owing to the great simplicity of the arrangements which might he adopted under these conditions, the present estahlishment of the Post Office, nith a shght addition, would suffice for a four-fold increase of husiness. 5. That this increase of husiness would lead to greatly increased facilities of conmmnication, as, for example, two departures and two arrivals of the London mails per day. G. That these increased facilities, together with the greatly reduced charges, would have the effiict of increasing the numher of chargeahle letters, in all prohahility, at least five and a quarter fold ; which increase (the numher of franks and newspapers con- tinuing as at present) would produce the four-fold increase of business, for which, as it has been shown, the present establishment of the Post Office, with a slight addition, would suffice. 7. That the necessary cost of primary distri- bution is not the present actual cost, viz.., 84 hun- dredths of a penny, but only 32 hundredths of a penny; the diffiirence, viz., 52 hundredths of a penny, arising from the employment of the Post Office in levying an excessive tax, and from the con- sequent expensiveness of arrangements and restriction of correspondence. 8. That in consequence of the great reduction in the necessary cost of primary distribution which would be effected by the proposed arrangements the proposed low rate of postage would yield a profit IH"' 5^ N^ 64 POST OFFICE REFORM. 4 l'. or tax of 200 per cent, on such necessary cost of primary distributior? ; which, after i)aying for the distribution of franks and newspapers, would afford a probable net revenue of £1,278,000 per annum.* 9. That the secondary distribution of letters ought to be untaxed, and the small unavoidable expense defrayed, in each instance, by the inhabit- ants of the district for whose benefit it is established; also that it may be so managed as not, in any degree, to interfere with the simplicity of the arrangements proposed for effecting the primary distribution. In treating this subject, it is not improbable that the want of practical familiarity with the arrange- ments of the Post Office may have led to some mis- conception in matters of minor importance ; but I am not without hope that any such disadvantage may be counterbalanced by the absence of those prejudices in favour of an established routine, to which practical men are peculiarly, and, perhaps, unavoidably liable : and I feel assured that no mis- conception can possibly have arisen which materially affects the results at which I have arrived. The data from which these results are deduced are taken chiefly from Parliamentary Reports ; they, as well * The amount of revenue realized will, of course, de\)end chiefly on the increase in the number of letters, &c., the extent of which is necessarily very much a matter of conjecture; there is no doubt, however, that a large revenue will be obtained. See Appendix, p. 80, for a full examination of this question. MB] PRESENT TIME FAVOURABLE TO IMPROVEMENT. 65 ill as the calculations, are fully stated, and are con- sequently open to examination and correction. Besides the state of the revenue and the neces- sities of commerce, there are other circumstances which clearly show that the present is a very desir- able time for effecting the reforms here suggested. The rapid extension of railroads now going on would of itself, in a short time, inevitably work a revolution in the system of the Post Office. Between Manchester and Liverpool, instead of one direct post per day, as before the construction of the railroad, there are now four, which alone produce a revenue of nearly £11,000 per annum. Indeed, it is obvious that the extensive employment of railroads will render it necessary to re-model the whole system of distri- bution. Let other independent changes then be made, while there is time to effect them. The public attention, too, thanks to the perse- vering exertions of Mr. Wallace, whose success shows how much may be accomplished even by one Member of Parliament who shall thoroughly devote himself to his purpose, is at length beginning to awake to the evils of the present system ; and the newspapers already manifest frequent indications of a growing anxiety for their removal. Judging from the rapid growth of public opinion which we have recently witnessed with regard to other institutions, we may expect that in a few years, or even months, if "the still small voice" which, at present, gives scarcely audible expression to half- 63 POST OrFICE REFORM. It formeil desires, be neglected, it will swell into a loud, distinct, and irresistible demand ; and then a reform, which would now be received with gratitude, as one of the greatest boons ever conferred on a people by its Governnitiit, would perhaps be taken without thanks, and even with expressions of disappointment, because less extensive than unreasonable people might have expected. Fortunately this is not a party question, some of the leading men of each political party having expressed themselves favourable to great changes. The Duke of Richmond, Earl Spencer, and Lord Ash- burton, in the House of Lords, and Viscount Lowther, Mr. Hume, Mr. Wallace, Mr. Warbu n, and many others, in the House of Commons, have declared them- selves in favour of extensive reforms ; the necessity for which may almost be said to have been acknowledged by the present Government, when they proposed to appoint a Commission of management, and by the late Government, when they appointed a Commission of Inquiry . Lord Ashburton, whose opinion is de- serving of great attention, appears to think that the cheap transmission of letters is so important that postage ought to be relieved altogether from taxation. It is believed, therefore, that the proposed reform, if undertaken by Government, would not meet with opposition. Its object is not to increase the political power of this or that party, but to benefit all sects in politics and religion; and all classes, from the high- est to the lowest. To the rich, as to the less wealthy, r CONCLUSION. 67 to it will be acceptable, from the increased facilities it will afford for their correspondence. To the middle classes it will bring relief from oppressive and irri- tating demands which they pay grudgingly ; esti- mating them even beyond their real amount, because probably of their frequent recurrence — which they avoid by every possible contrivance, and which they would consider quite intolerable if they knew that nearly the whole is a tax. And to the poor it will afford the means of communication with their distant friends and relatives, from which they are at present debarred. It will give increased energy to trade ; it will remove innumerable temptations to fraud ; and it will be an important step in genera education : the more important, perhaps, because it calls on Government for no factitious aid, for nothing in the shape of encouragement, still less of compulsion ; but merely for the removal of an obstacle, created by the law, to that spontaneous edu- cation which happily is extending through the country, and which, even the opponents of a national system will agree, ought to be unobstructed in its progress. We see, then, that the state of the revenue, the improved means of conveyance, the necessities of commerce, the proposed alterations in the controlling authority, the state of public opinion, — all things concur in rendering the present the most desirable time for a complete reform of the Post Office. A more popular measure could not be discovered. It would bring immediate, substantial, practical, indis- f2 !• 68 POST OFFICE REFORM. putable relief to all. A thorough investigation will, I am satisfied, prove the practicability of the exten- sive reforms here suggested : but the most super- ficial examination will manifest the perfect ease with which great improvements may be effected. Let the Government, then, take the matter in hand; let them subject these proposals to the se- verest scrutiny, availing themselves of the informa- tion possessed by the able men who constitute the present Commission of Inquiry ; let them proceed with that boldness which the existing state of the re- venue justifies and requires, and they will add another claim — not inferior to any they now possess, nor one which will pass unregarded — to the gratitude a*id affection of the people. APPENDIX. No, 1. ERRORS AND FRAUDS ARISING OUT OF THB PRESENT MODE OF COLLECTIN') THE POSTAGE. The following extracts are from the Eighteenth Report of the CommisBionera of Revenue Inquiry. " It is also to be observed, that upon the taxation of letters in the evening there is no check, there being no examination similar to that which takes place in the morning in the Inland Office, and the duty of the tellers being confined to a computation of the general amount of the postage chargeable against each Deputy Post-master.* "The species of control which is exercised over the Deputy Post-masters is little more than nominal ; and its defectiveness will be more fully seen hereafter from the necessary remarks upon the practice incidental to it in other offices. We therefore felt the more desirous to ascertain what degree of protection this portion of the revenue had derived from the practical conduct of the business relating to it in the Inland Department. An examina- tion of the letter bill books, for this purpose, disclosed a series of inaccuracies, in the charges raised against the Deputy Post- masters in that department, far exceeding that frequency of * Ei<;hteenth Rejiort of the Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry, p. 66. 70 APPENDIX. minute error, for which, considering the complicated nature of the duties, and the rapidity with they arc required to be executed, we were prepared to make allowance. In many instances, it appeared upon inspection, that for twenty-five successive days the " Office Account," as it is called, differed from the charges admitted by the Deputy Poat-masters, and this with reference to towns afford- ing the most considerable revenue, as Hull, Brighton, Exeter, Plymouth, Birmingham, Liverpool. Your Lordships may observe, on referring to the evidence of Mr. Johnson, who combines the duties of b President of the Inland Office with those of a senior clerk in the Letter Bill Office, and should therefore be peculiarly conversant with this branch of the businees, that such a continued series of differences is not regarded as unusual in most of the large towns. His statement is corroborated by Mr. Brown, a clerk also in the Letter Bill Office, who says that in the large towns there is scarcely u. night that some variation does not occur. ** We do not pretend to offer any accurate pecuniary estimate of the general result of the imperfect practice in raising these charges against the Deputy Post-mast jrs ; but we have grounds for stating, so far as our scrutiny has extended, that the ' Office Accounts ' have most frequently fallen short of the true amounts of charge as corrected and admitted by the Deputy Post-masters. A comparative statement which we caused to be made from the Letter Bill Books of the accoimts of 184 pose towns, included in the first, second, and third divisions, for the months of J'.ily and August last, showed that in the former month, in 118 out of 158 cases, and in the latter, m 113 out of 168 instances, an excess of charge was admitted bv the Deputy Post-masters beyond the nrao\uits of the respective office accounts for those periods. It is remarkable that in some of those instances, as of Bath and Bristol, the daily differences consisted uniformly of short charges against the Deputy Post-masters throughout tlie period of two months, and the same was observable in the case of Plymouth for the month of Aug\ist. The short charges against the two first- mentioned towns in this period amounted to JP47 Os. Ohd. The total excess upon the v hole of the divisional accounts alluded to r EHUORS AND FRAUDS. 71 (that is, the additional revenue brought to account by Deputy Post-masters beyond what they had been originally charged with in the Inland OflSce) amounted to if 133 bs. 4}^d.; the over- charges in the dame period amounting to if 16 10,y. *ld. To what amount errors, either of taxation or telling, may have escaped correction it is not possible to ascertain ; and we do not offer this statement as any criterion whereon to found any calculation of the extent of the differences that may have arisen upon the ac- counts at large. In one instance of recent occurrence, which has fallen under ouv inspection, a short charge of £l6 4$. against a Depvity Post-master, (as admitted by himselT;) appeared within a period of twelve days : in another, a sum of £7 4s. 7. 'i ■ 72 APPENDIX. w ■•' officer, whose duty consisted in superintending the assorting of letters at the Central Office. " Did you ever happen to detect the secreting of letters ? Not often ; I was once at an unpleasant concern of that kind : un- fortunately those cases have very often occurred, but I cannot say that I individually detected any other person. "In those instances in which letters have been lost, letters canning money for instance, has a detection taken place frequently in the office ? — No, not often. " How has the detection taken place ? — It used to do more when the paper circulation took place, the notes used to be traced to the parties, they used to be passed off in the neighbourhood of the letter carrier, they used to be traced by the solicitor: but cer- taxnlij detection in the office is of rare occurrence."* I am indebted to Mr. G. Napier, Advocate Depute, for the fol- lowing interesting account of the discovery and conviction of an offender in the Edmburgh Post Office, who had abstracted a l)ank note from a letter. The trial took place at Edinburgh, in March 1834. In January 1834, Mr. Duncan, a merchant at Liverpool, put into the Post Office there a letter addressed to his mother, at Broughty Ferry, in Forfarshire, and containing a Bank of England note for £bO sterling. The letter, which had been ex- pected on a particular day, not having reached the old lady, she immediately wrote to her son on the subject, and he again, being a mercantile man, and having kept a memorandum of the date and number of the note, immediately wrote tt ;•'> Bank of Eng- land to stop payment of it. Inquiry was also 1 "^.^diately made at the different post offices of Liverpool, Edinbu/^^fi, jJundee, and Broughty Ferry, through all of which it should have passed in the proper course of transmission to the place of destination, but no trace of it could thus be got ; no trace as to where it was lost, or even that it had ever 1 ^n seen in the possession of the Post Office at all. All that could be learned was, that the letter con- * Kitrlueenth Report of Coinniissioiiers of Revenue Iiiqiiiiy, p. 4ti'J. TFMPTATIONS TO FRAUD. 73 taming the bank note had been put into the Liverpool Post Office and had not reached its destination. It happened, however, that one of the Tellers of the Commer- cial Bank of Edinburgh, being one night in the pit of the theatre, had his attention particularly attracted, by some accidental circum- stance, to a person sitting immediately in front of him. The very next day a person, whom the Teller at once recognized to be the same individual, although completely altered in dress, being now muffled up in a cloak, and wearing green spectacles, and having a fur cap drawn much over his face, called at the Com- mercial Bank, and presented to the next Teller a £50 Bank of England note, to be exchanged in Commercial Bank notes, who, according to custom, requested the person to write his name and address on the back. The person then wrote on the back of the note the woids, " Jo. Wilford, College Post Office," and the money was paid him. When he had gone, the brother Teller, who had been in he theixtre, asked, from mere curiosity, who that wae, arid was shown the signauire upon the note. The note was then transmitted in the usual course to the Bank of England, and was thciC discovered to be the note stolen from Mr. Duncan's letter. It was then returned to the Commercial Bank for inquiry, and from the accidental circumstance already mentioned, the Teller who had been in the theatre at once recollected the appearance of the perttnn who had presented it. A clue being thua got, it was thouglii pro|M'r first to ascertain whether that person could be found among«t the officers of the Post Office at Edinburgh. The Teller was therefore placed in a room into which every officer of the Post Office, as he arrives in the morning, comes to enter his name in a book, and amongst them the Teller there saw the per- son who had presented the stolen note. This person was James Wedderbum Nicol, who was of course apprehended, and in his lodr^ings, which were immediately searched, was found the fur cap, the spectacles, and a considerable portion of the Commercial Bank notes, or at least the same description of notes, for they could not be expressly identified. It was also ascertained that Nicol had borrowed the cloak in which he had appeared at the Iit»5r"' 74 APPENDIX. ,r' bank, and the whole had been bo adroitly managed, that if the proof had not been particularly strong against him, he might have broken it down by proof of an alibis as his absence at the Post Ofl&ce had not been noticed, he having quietly slipi)ed out at a favourable moment, run to his lodgings and disguised himself, got the note changed, thrown off his disguise, and returned to his place in the Post Office, in an unaccountably short time. It appeared that Nicol, who was well connected, and it is under- stood of previously good character, was tempted to abstract the letter, from having observed the presence and value of the note it contained, when, in the discharge of his duty, he held the letter up to a strong light for the purpose of ascertaining whether it was single or double. He pleaded guilty to the charge of theft, and was sentenced to transportation for life. This story serves to illustrate the temptations to which those in the employment of the Post Othce are exposed : it shows also that while the opportunities for the commission of fraud are fre- quent, the chance of detection is exceedingly remote. But for a curious combination of accidental circumstances it appears pro- bable that this delinquent would have escaped. The narrative also leads to this reflection, that had either of two mistaken ar- rangements not existed, the offence would not, in all probability, have been committed. First, if postage were not so high, the note would probably have been ciit into two parts and sent at different times. And secondly, if letters were charged by weight, instead of by the number of separate pieces of paper they contain, it would not be necessary for some one to hold up each before a light to examine its contents, and thereby be })laced under strong temptation. No. 2. PREI'ARATOIiy ASSORTMENT OF Lr.TTKRS. The Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry* recouuncnd a pre- paratory assortment of letters at the receiving-houses, similar * Kif,'htfi'nth Rejiort, p. f>4. PREPARATORY ASSORTMENT OF LETTERS. to to that here proposed. To this recommendation it has been objected by the Post-master General, that " the receivers are tradesmen, and any operation with the letters in an open shop, beyond the mere transfer from the receiving-box to the bag, must be highly objectionable, even if it tended to forward the busi- ness at the General Post Office ; but any attempt at such assort- ment, with nearly 100 post towns classed in 24 divisions, would lead to extensive confusion, and would retard instead of expe- diting the delivery."* But the objection here stated does not appear applicable to the ])lan which I have proposed ; under that plan ih". letters would be merely trnnsferred from the receiving boxes to the bag. The present mode of procedure is, for the letters to be taken to the Central Omce unasBorted : at the Central Office they are first assorted into twenty-four divisions, each division corre- sponding to a line of road, — that is, all letters which go by the same mail-coach are put into a heap, and these heaps are then subdivided, so as to bring all letters for the same post-town together. It appears, then, that a preparatory assortment of letters into twenty-four divisions is common to both the existing and the proposed arrangement. The preparatory alphabetic assortment, however, possesses two decided advantages over the other ; first, it is made before the receiving-houses close ; secondly, it is much more easily effected, and consequently much more rapidly and accurately done : for it req\iires no knowledge of the me- chanism to be afterwards emplo}'ed for the distribution of letters, but merely the power of deciding quickly whether a certain place is a post-town or not, a fact which the receiver may always ascertain by corasulting an alphabetic list, and such a list is frequently consulted at present to ascertain the rate of postage ; or, as the number of letters which present any difficulty must always be small, he may put them apart for assortment at the Central Office, by those who have more experience than him- self; while the ])rcparatory assortment noAv practised requires a • Parliamentary Return, 1835, No. 512. p. f>. :T ■^\ 76 APPENDIX. knowledge not only as to whether certain places are post-towns or not, but as to the particular line of road to which every one of the 700 post-towns belongs. Frequent practice will certainly accomplish much; but it may be doubted whether, amid such a multitude of facts, any amount of practice will afford that perfect familiarity which is essential to a high degree of accuracy and dispatch. If the alphabetic arrangement were adopted, it is pro- bable that the first operation, after the letters arrived at the Central Office, would be, to bring all letters for the same post- town together ; they would then be put into the bags, and the bags assorted for the roads. Possibly experience may show that even more progress in the assortment might be made at the Re- ceiving-houses. Much would be accomplished by providing separate boxes for a few of the largebt towns, as Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and Bristol. If this were done, a very considerable portion of the whole number of letters would be finally assorted; for in these towns, and in London, nearly one-half of the Post Office revenue is collected.* No. 3. RECEIPTS FOH LETTKRS. There is an important improvement, the mention of which was reserved for the Appendix, because it is not essentially connected with those great changes which it has been the main object to recommend. The evidence given before the Commissioners of Revenue In- quiry shows the great desirability of some plan which would render it practicabl'- and easy for the Post Office to give, when required, receipts for letters sent to the post. In many instances such a plan would be the means of tracing lost letters : oftentimes it would protect the Post Office from need- less ap]>lications and unfounded complaints ; and it would o])po8e • Tables of Rt-wnuti, kc, 1834, ji. 4-1. NUMBER OF LETTERS. 77 an effectual bar to the fraudulent conduct of servants, who are known, in many instances, to have destroyed letters, in order to pocket the postage. 1 should propose that every person desiring a receipt should, on taking the letter to the receiving-house, present a copy of the superscription, on which the Receiver should stamp a receipt, with the date, and his own address ; precisely such a stamp as is placed on the letter would suffice. I propose that the charge for such receipt should be a half- penny, and that, as a means of collecting the same, it should be required that the copy of the superscription should be made on a printed form, to be provided by the Post Office, and to be sold to the public at the rate of a halfpenny each, by the Receiver, either singly or in books, as might be required ; a certain profit on their sale being allowed by the Post Office, as a remuneration to the Receiver. These receipts would, I imagine, constitute good legal evidence of delivery ; and as they might be made to form a cheap register of all letters dispatched by post, many persons would probably adopt the practice of taking them for that reason alone. I am informed that precisely such receipts as are here described, except that a printed form is not employed, are given gratuitously in the Presidency of Madras. As a large nximber of persons would probably avail themselves of this arrangement, no small benefit might thus accrue to the revenue. No. 4. :-ing SSTIMATB OF THE NUMBER OF CHARGEABLE LETTERS WHICH PASS THROUGH THE POST OFFICES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN A YEAR. [The data on which this calculation is founded, are, Ist, The number of letters delivered in London and the suburbs, as far as the limits of the three- penny post; 2nd, The amount of postage collected within that district ; and 3rd, The amount collected in the whole kingdom. As about one-fifth of the letters are post-paid, the amount of postage collected in the metro- politan district does not necessarily represent the total charges on the letters delivered in that district ; it may, however, be safely assumed that Jffrv m 78 APPENDIX. the postage paid in advance un Che letters delivered, is balanced by th« , postage paid in advance on the letters collected in the district.] The number of chargeable general post letters, brought into London by the mails in the course of a week, count- ing double and treble letters as one each, is at the present time (Nov. 1836) about 222,000 Of which the '* forward letters," or those passing through London on their way to other post-towns, are about 36, 000 Consequently the number of chargeable -' • general post letters, delivered within the metropolitan district in a week, is about 1 86, 000 The number of letters delivered by the two-penny and three-penny post in a week is, at present, about 210, 000 Of which the general post letters included above are about 30,000 Consequently the number of two-penny and three-penny post letters delivered within the metropolitan district in a week, is about 240,000 And the whole number of chargeable metro- politan letters in a week is about 426,000 Or per annum about 22,152,000 The amount of postage collected in the metropolitan district, in the year 1835, after deducting for returned letters, over- charges, &c., was as follows : * In the General Post department £454,000 * In the Two-penny and Three-penny Post department 113,000 Total ^567,000 Being an average of about ^\d. per letter. * Finance Accounts for 18;^5, p. 54. >y the NUMBER OF FRANKS. 79 ♦ The amount of postoge collected in the United Kingdom, in the year 1835. was £2.243,293, or about four times as much as that collected in the metropolitan district j consequently the whole number of chargeable letters which pass through the post offices of the United Kingdom in a year, may be assumed to be about 22,152,000 x 4=88,608,000. 000 000 ,000 ,000 trict, iver- 000 Estimate of the Number of Franks passed through the Post Offices of the United Kingdom in a Year. The number which arrive in London in the course of a week is, at the pres^ent time (Nov. 1836), about 53,500 The number dispatched from London in a week is about 41200 Total of franks passed through the London office in one week g^ fjQQ As one-half of these probably are Govern- ment franks, the greater part of which pass through the London Post Office, the number of franks carried by the cross-posts, even in the parliamentary vacation, will of course be considerably below the proportionate number of chargeable letters conveyed by the cross-posts; that number, as estimated by the amount of postage.t is about two-thirds of the number passed (in- wards and outwards) through the Lon- don office. The number of cross-post franks, including those received and dispatched by the Dublin Post Office, * Finance Accounts for 1835, pp. 54 and 57. t Ditto, p. 54. J^ff^ 80 APPENDIX. will probably be about one-half of those passed through the London Office. Say 47,300 Making the whole number of franks per week. ... 1 42 , 000 Or, per annum 7,384,000 Estimate of the Number of Newspapers passed through the Post Offices of the United Kingdom in a Year. The number of newspapers dispatched by the London Post Office, per week, is, at the present time, about 305,000* The number published in London is, probably, about 500,000 per week , consequently three in five are dispatched by the Post Office. The number of provincial papers published is probably about 900,000 per week; the pro- portion distributed through the provincial Post Offices, including those of Dublin and Edin- burgh, is probably about three in ten; the number will therefore be about 270, 000 Making the whole number of newspapers passed through all the Post Offices of the United Kingdom per week 575,000 Or, per annum 29, 900, 000 Say 30,000,000. No. 5. (4^ ESTIMATE OF THE REVENUE V^THICH WOULD BE DERIVED FROM THE POST OFFICE UNDER THE PROPOSED ARRANGEMENTS, ASSUMING 1. The number of chargeable letters to remain as at present. 2. That it increase two-fold. • This number is rapidly iucteasiug. ESTIMATE OF REVENUE. 81 0* 3. 3. That it increase three-fold ; and so on to seven-fold. In each case the number of franked letters and newspapers is supposed to remain as at present. Though this calculation is necessarily founded to some extent on conjecture, it is confidently hoped that the caution used in making it has secured results not remote from truth. It will be borne in mind, that the proposed arrangements pro- vide for defraying the cost of distributing the franks and news- papers out of the postage received for letters ; also, that, as the cost of secondary distribution is to be met by a special charge exactly equal to such cost, both the cost and the receipts con- nected therewith may be altogether omitted in the calculation. From this calculation (see next page) it appears that, supposing the number of chargeable letters to increase six-fold, the benefit to the Exchequer would be practically the same as at present ; and that, supposing it to increase seven-fold, that benefit would be augmented by about £280,000 ; while on the most unfavourable supposition, one indeed which can never be verified, viz. that the enormous reduction in postage should produce no increase what- ever in the number of letters, the Exchequer would sustain scarcely any injury beyond the loss of its present revenue. In other words, while every individual in the country would receive his letters at an almost nominal - \pense, the whole management of the Post Office would bring »on the state a charge of only £24,000 per mum, and, as this » 'uld also over the gratuitous distribution oi ranks and newspapers, it may fairly be considered as a mere deduction from the produce of the ueNN;>paper stamps. ROM ■NTS, nt. 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CO CO d • ^w CI "-^ • « ■* " tsn ; m • 2. 1 en 9: e8 if 13 c " 1 s a (U •8 ca '^ C "u 5^ '♦-' 1^' :^* c . 13 ^ :ta •4-J 0) 1 . Hcc; ^ in INCREASE OF LETTERS. No. 6. 83 1 uD 1 1 CI 1 1 X 1 1 o» o in - ^ W in t- S A CO V. < o> 1— 1 N *^ ^H CI in CI n aN ) 'Tt* 05 < 00 r* 4 > CI > in 5 t- #t t^ O i 5 00 J H in € M ■1 5 CI ) in i c\ t> •* 3 «0 1 t- . CI > "^ ' <^ .-1 1 1 00 !£l 1 c^A 1 Ci 1 1 1 ■l • 3 • • • • • « • • • • • • 4-> tC ■ o Vh Ph >H o tU 13 ■ (U u 4-> PROBAHLE INCREASE IW THE NUMBER OF 1 ETTERS. Which of the results exhibited in the preceding paper will be obtained by the measure contemplated, it is impossible to predict with certainty. Important material for conjecture, however, may be found in the following statement. The sources of increase calculated upon are, 1. The virtual prevention of contraband conveyance. 2. An extension of the actual correspondence. With respect to contraband conveyance, it is beyond all doubt that it is at present carried on to a very great extent. I have already stated (p. 34) that an extensive irregular distribution of letters is constantly proceeding in the manufacturing district around Birmingham; and it is well knov/n that vast numbers are every day forwarded by carriers and coach proprietors. Not long ago there was seized in a carrier's warehouse one bag containing eleven hundred letters. Almost all parcels, especially such as are sent at stated times, (booksellers' parcels for instance,) con- tain letters; and not unfrequently large packets are sent by coach, consisting of letters alone. Again, the vast extent to which the trade of the country has in- creased within the last 20 years, must have been attended by a proportionate increase in the amount of mercantile correspon- dence, while the great spread of education, and increase of popu- lation during the same period, must have greatly augmented the correspondence of all kinds. Attention may again be called to the fact mentioned at page 5, that an increase of more than a half has actually taken place in the revenues of the French Post Office since 1821 ; and it maybe remarked, that in the 20 years during which our own Revenue has been practically stationary, that derived from the Post Office of the United States has more than tripled.* • In each of the cases here cited, the revenue frota our own Post Office inclusive, it is the grou revenue which iti spoken of. G 2 R 84 APPENDIX. '^ I Now, as regards our own Post Office, the number of post letters during the last 20 years has not increased at all, it is manifest that the whole augmentation must have gone to swell the con- traband CO .veyance. Nor is this surprising when we consider that the diminution in the price of almost all other articles has produced a virtual increase in the charge for postage ; that the opportunities for such irregular conveyance have vastly multiplied ; and that in consequence of the increasing difficulty in enforcing any law which is not strongly backed by public opinion, the risk incurred in this illicit practice is greatly reduced. Now, it may be safely assumed that, practically speaking, all the letters at present conveyed in this irregular manner, will, by the proposed regulations, be brought to the Post Office. Here also it may be remarked, that without interfering with the privilege of franking, the proposed reduction would tend greatly to relieve Members of Parliament and others from the importunity to which they are at present exposed, and thus convert no incon- siderable portion of the 24,000 daily franks into chargeable letters. With respect to increase in the actual amount of correspon- dence, the proposed arrangements will bring two causes into operation, both very potent. First. — Increased facility of communication. Secondly. — Diminished expense. On the potency of the former cause much light is thrown by the Report of the Commissioners of Revenue Inquiry, as quoted at page 46, and I may here especially refer to the fact, that the consequence of Mr. Palmer's improvements, which merely tended to increase facility^ was, in the course of twenty years, to triple the correspondence of the country. But the second cpuse would probably tend to the increase of correspondence even more than the first. That the lowering of duties most decidedly tends to increase consumption, is proved by the fact, that in scarcely any instance has the loss to the revenue been in the same proportion an the reduction. Several instances Mere cited in the first page of this INCREASE OF LETTERS. 87 tr of Iocs in [any as lult, luc- md as be ind, has at least eustainetl the total expenditure in that article at its former amount. In every one of the instances given above, all of which are of articles of very general consumption, the total ex- penditure, so far from being diminished by the decrease in price, has considerably Increased, and in some instances the increase is very great. Thus on coffee, the price of which, as stated above, has fallen one-fourth, the public now expends more than twice as much as it did before the reduction. And, making every allowance for the progress of population and wealth, this increase, when considered as not on the consumption but on the actual expendi- ture, must be pronounced a very striking fact. Nor is it to be explained by supposing that coffee has superseded other beverages, for, during the very same time, there has been a corresponding increase in the amount expended on tea, malt liquor, and spirits ; an increase manifestly attributable to the same causes. In pursuing this question it will be convenient to consider the bulk of the letters written as arranged in two classes, viz. letters on business, and letters between friends and relations. With respect to the former class, in addition to an immense number of letters at present forwarded by contraband conveyance, there ia the large class of invoices, now sent most frequently with the goods to which they relate, but which, as I am informed by mercantile men whom I have consulted, would, under the new regulations, be invariably sent by post, as letters of advice. Again, there are the lists of prices current, which, especially in commodities liable to frequent fluctuations, it is of importance should be received at short intervals. Speaking of prices current, Lord Lowther, in his very able Report on the Post Office, says, '* It" is, I think, plahily shown by the evidence taken, that great advantage would arise to trade from the transmission of prices current at a small rate of postage. It ia affirmed by various wit- nesses, that threughout the country there is a continually increas- ing desire among persons in trade for such information of the state of the markets in Luiidon and elsewhere as prices current would T 88 APPENDIX. It:''' '%:} f''! afTurd. That the furnishing of this information is very much rsstricted by the high rate of postage, and that if it were more generally afforded, it is probable that much more business would be done. It is also stated, that the increase in the number trans- milted at a low rate of postage would be such, that the Revenue required would be much greater than it now is under the high rate of postage, — one witness, Mr. Cook, estimating the increase, if allowed to be transmitted at a low rate of postage, at three mil* lions of prices current annually.* Prospectuses too, such as are already issued to some extent by merchants, manufacturers, and shopkeepers, would become a very large class of post letters. For example, a manufacturer intro- ducing some improved article, a shopkeeper receiving new pat- terns, or a bookseller issuing a new work, would gladly avail him- self of any inexpensive means of immediate communication with every individual of the class from which he expected his customers. The foUov'ng is a statement in corroboration of these views, with which I have been favoured by Mr. Charles Knight, the publisher. " Upon the point on which you desire my opinion, with refer- ence to the productiveness of the Post Office Revenue under a greatly reduced scale of charges, I have no hesitation in believing that if the rate of postage throughout the country were reduced to a penny, many hundreds of thousands of prospectuses of new books, and of publishers' catalogues, would be annually circu- lated. In my own case, I should feel that such a mode of circu- lation would be by far the cheapest and most efficient plan of advertising. To be able to address the information which a prospectus communicates, with absolute certainty, to the persons likely to be interested in its perusal, would be a most advantageous method of advancing the distribution of books, and would obviate * 5th Rupurt of the Commissioners of Post Office Inquiry.- Loid Lowther's Report is May 1835. -The (late of mi INCREASE OF LETTERS. 89 ^ 1 ^ 1 l! i r 13-1- certainly follow ; he would therefore, as at present, be obliged to make his round. But he would have uo means of distinguishing the receipted from the unreceipted letters, (there is no difficulty in distinguishing the paid from the unpaid letters,) therefore he would be careful to deliver all. It follows, then, that the proposed arrangements are superior to the present as a security against idleness on the part of the letter- carrier. It is needless to point out their superiority against his dishonesty : the collection of the postage is no security against the abstraction of a money letter if the contents exceed the postage. In conclusion, I may observe, that the proposed payment in ad- vance would effect a material reduction in the number of returned letters, and save the public the expenses attendant upon them. The returned, refused, mis-sent, and re-directed letters, and over- charges for the year 1835, cause a reduction on the gross revenue amounting to no less than £110,000. Coleridge tells a story which shows how much the Post Office is open to fraud, in consequence of the option which now exists. The story is as follows. " One day, when I had not a shilling which I could spare, I was passing by a cottage not far from Keswick, where a letter- carrier was demanding a shilling for a letter, which the woman of the house appeared unwilling to pay, and at last declined to take. I paid the postage ; and when the man was out of sight, she told me that the letter was from her son, who took that means of letting her know that he was well: the letter was 7iot to be paid for. It was then opened, and found to be blank ! "* This trick is so obvious a one that in all probability it is exten- sively practised. * Letters, Conversations, and Recollections of S. T. Coleridge, vol. ii. p. 114. < I h; ^ ■"v.. IXTRODrCTION OF THE PLAN. 103 Lteu- jl. ii. > ' No. 8. INTRODUCTION OF THE PLAN. With the view of combining, as far as possible, the advantages of the tentative method with those attendant on the immediate and entire developement of the plan, the following mode of bringing it into operation is submitted. That the whole plan be made the subject of one enactment, commissioners being appointed with the requisite powers for car- rying it into effect ; and being authorized to introduce the changes in such manner as may appear to them expedient, agreeably to the arrangement adopted in the case of the Poor Law Commission. Considerable time would manifestly be rccpiired before the plan could be brought into general operation. Meanwhile, and, indeed, this should be the first step taken, the measure could be applied to some particular distribution. It is recommended that this should be the local distribution of the metropolitan district, or that which is now conducted in the twopenny-post department, which includes the threepenny-post delivery. There are many reasons why this district should have the pre- ference. To its extent and importance are added the advantages of a Post Office Establishment distinct in almost all its parts from the General Post, with distinct receiving-houses, (except in the sub- urbs,) and distinct accounts ; while, in common with other such districts, it is relieved from the variableness of charge depending on the niunbcr of enclosures. The priority assigned to London, too, could excite no jealousy, as the alteration would merely place the metropolis on a level with many other districts. It is, perhaps, needless to remark, that it is no part of the plan, in this stage of its operation, to alter the rate of general postage. Again, by selecting this district, the experiment would be brought under the immediate observation of Government. Little more change would be required than to reduce the postage, whether of twopence or threepence, say to a penny, per two ounces ; to admit packages not exceeding one pound in weight ; / ^K lOl APPENDIX. I..- fc to require payment in advance, by either of tlie modes pointed out at page 37 ; to employ the short stages for the conveyance of the mails, their complete fitness for which has been demonstrated by the successful arrangements of the West India Dock Com- pany ; (as already stated;) and by these and other means which may readily be devised, to secure more frequent, rapid, and eco- nomical distribution. As some parts of the district within the range of the threepenny- post ought, from the thinness of their population, to be placed under the arrangements for secondary distribution, (described at page 55,) this first application of the plan would try its working in all the important parts. Finally, if this first step should show the necessity of any modi- fication of the plan previous to its being brought into general operation ; and if such modification should not have been provided for by the powers conferred on the Commissioners, the necessity for an amendment of the act would have been made so manifest that I conceive there would be no difficulty in effecting the required change. There would be nothing to undo, except to amend an act which had not been carried into effect, as tlie prac- ticability of the proposed reduction of postage in the metropolitan district is undoubted, the whole cost of management, even under the present expensive arrangements and restricted correspondence, being only two-thirds of a penny per letter. To effect such a relief from taxation, and to render the facilities of commu- nication adequate to the wants of the people in a district con- taining about one-tw«lfth of the population of the Unit«d King- dom, would of itself be an immense improvement. THE END. London Printed by W. Clowes and Sons, Stamroid-slreAt. ointed nee of itrated Com- vrhich 1 eco- )enny- placed l)ed at jrking modi- eneral ovided cessity anifest ig the ept to prac- olitan under ience, such mmu- con- Cing-