THE POST OFFICE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: ITS ANNUAL MEETING AT BRISTOL.--POST
OFFICE SPORTS: TERRIBLE MOTOR CYCLE ACCIDENT.--BRISTOL POST OFFICE IN
DARKNESS.
The United Kingdom Postal and Telegraph Service Benevolent Society held
its Biennial meeting at Bristol, in June, 1903, and a Banquet was given
by the Bristol Branch to the members of the Conference.
Such a visit to Bristol occurs only once in about 20 years, so it was
regarded as an event of no small importance in the local Post Office
community; and it is, perhaps, worthy on that account of record in this
publication, which aims to be somewhat historical in character. In the
following account of the Banquet there has been withdrawn the seasoning
of the "hear, hear," "laughter," "applause," "loud cheers," etc. The
reader can add it to his or her liking.
The attendance at the Banquet was large, and the guests closely filled
the large central hall of the Royal Hotel, College Green. The High
Sheriff, Mr. Weston Stevens, presided, and amongst those present were
the Lord Bishop of Bristol, Colonel C.E.H. Hobhouse, M.P., Rev. A.N.
Blatchford, Messrs. J. McMurtrie, S. Humphries, R.C. Tombs, I.S.O.
(Postmaster and Surveyor of Bristol), E. Bennett, J.T. Francombe, J.
Asher, J.C. Gilmore, L.J. Botting (the Bristol Central Secretary), E.C.
Taylor (the Chairman of Conference), and many others.
The speeches were interesting as throwing a light on the Post Office
working, and on Post Office benevolence.
When he received the invitation to attend that dinner, Mr. Francombe
said, he was at a loss to know why he should be so honoured. He thought
that possibly some gentleman engaged in the dead-letter office knew he
was a member of the Education Committee of Bristol, and that he might
give a hint to the rising generation to write better, and so save him a
great deal of trouble. If that was the reason, he certainly would
attend to it. Afterwards he said he knew why it was; it was because Sir
Francis Freeling was born in Redcliff, where he (Mr. Francombe) happened
to be schoolmaster of the parish. Sir Francis worked his way up to high
rank in the Postal Service, which was something to be proud of. He hoped
members of the Conference would not go away from Bristol without
visiting Redcliff Church and seeing the slab to his memory. But his duty
was to propose the toast of the Bishop and ministers of religion of that
ancient city. They did not know as much about the Bishop as he should
like them to know. They in Bristol believed him to be physically,
mentally, and spiritually fit to be a leader in the great city. He
believed the work of a Bishop was something like that of a
policeman--not altogether a happy one. His Lordship attended many
functions, gave a fillip to every one of them, and all he said was
reported and saved up ready to be cast in his teeth sometimes. If he
were of a tender disposition he would say, "I could weep my spirit from
mine eyes." But he was not one of that sort. His toast was "Ministers
of Religion." He thought it would have been "Ministers of all
denominations." There was one denomination in Bristol that had no
ministers, and it went on wonderfully well. He referred to the Society
of Friends. He was sure His Lordship would agree. They only spoke when
_the_ spirit moved them, but a good many spoke when _a_ spirit moved
them. Some denominations were better without a minister, and some
ministers would be better without denominations. In the city of Bristol
there was room enough for all, and they need not spend time in attacking
each other, but might do the work God sent them to do. They had one
present that night--a broad-minded gentleman who did his work like the
Bishop, and minded his business, and did not interfere with other
people--Mr. Blatchford.
They always listened in Bristol with special pleasure to a speech from
their friend Mr. Francombe, the Lord Bishop said. He desired to thank
Mr. Francombe for the pleasant manner in which he had spoken of him. The
clergy and ministers had looked about in the world for the faces that
were on the side of right, besides the purely spiritual faces and
spiritual work, and he was always thankful to think a great deal of good
was done in the country by that great service represented that evening.
Their army of postmen and employés of the Post Office were a very great
factor indeed in keeping steady a State like their own. He always said
the same of certain other bodies, but of the postmen it seemed to him
they were so particularly careful about their business, they learned of
necessity to be so sober and so well conducted, or they would lose their
place, that he looked upon them and the railway men as two of the
greatest civilising influences they had among them, apart from such work
as Mr. Blatchford and he were called upon officially to do. He desired
to express, on his own part, his extreme gratitude to those gentlemen
for another reason--the wonderful accuracy with which they delivered the
letters. That gentleman who laughed might once in his life have missed a
letter addressed to him, but it did not happen to the Bishop. In the
five and a half years he had been in Bristol, with a large
correspondence, he was not conscious of having lost one single letter.
He should have been exceedingly glad if a good many had been lost. It so
happened he gave the Post Office a good deal of trouble. He lived at a
place called the Palace. Now Henry VIII. created a bishop's residence in
Bristol, a palace, and it was supposed that a palace must mean something
royal. The real fact was, the name was derived not from a king's palace
but from that of a shepherd--a most suitable thing for a bishop. Henry
VIII., besides creating his residence a palace, created Bristol a city
in the same document. The name palace gave a certain amount of trouble,
because there were palaces in some cities where other things than
bishops were sold. There was a palace where a certain innocuous drink
was sold, and letters sometimes went there. There was also a most
delightful place of entertainment called the People's Palace in Bristol,
and letters sometimes went there. When grave clergymen from a distance
came to stay at his house they were occasionally driven up to the doors
of the People's Palace, and the cabmen expected that they were going to
purchase tickets for the entertainment. A letter came to Bristol
addressed "March 25th, Bristol." The Postmaster was puzzled at first.
Then it occurred to him that the assizes were on, and Justice Day was
the judge, and that his wife was Lady Day. He should like to tell them
one thing more from history. Admirable as the Post Office was now, a
little more than 1,200 years ago, a letter was sent to his predecessor,
St. Aldhelm, from Ireland. The only address given was from an anonymous
Scot. The letter said, "You have a book which it is only the business of
a fortnight to read; I beg you to send it to me." That was all. He did
not name the book. The Post Office in those days was so marvellous a
thing that, as far as they knew, Aldhelm just took the book, put it in
the post, addressed to an anonymous Scot, and he supposed it found its
way to him in Ireland. He did not think they could beat that to-day. Few
people knew how much the country was saved in taxation by people who had
a large correspondence. Their letters were the most agreeable and easy
way of paying their taxes. When they came to see the Budget analysed it
was surprising what a large amount of taxation was paid in this innocent
way. He could not see how it was done. It seemed that the work for which
a penny was charged must cost at least a penny. He could only understand
it on the principle of the old Irish lady who lost on every single apple
she sold, but, by the blessing of God, sold so many that she got a good
living out of it.
He was not surprised, the Rev. A.N. Blatchford said, that the toast
should be so heartily received in a city known as the city of churches.
The Church had thrown herself from ancient time into the cause of the
people; progress and religion had been indissolubly linked together.
In proposing the toast "The Postal and Telegraph Service," Mr. Sidney
Humphries, J.P., present President of the Chamber of Commerce, said that
when he was asked to propose the next toast on the list, his thoughts
naturally turned to the reason for his being put forward to do this
duty, and the only explanation that had occurred to him was that having
had the hardihood to be one of a deputation to the Postmaster-General
quite recently, on the question of their local postal service, those who
had had the arrangement of this function, Mikado like, had lured him to
his punishment; but still, being in for it, many interesting thoughts
had arisen. The first, as to the foresight of that Worcestershire
schoolmaster, Rowland Hill, who, feeling the pinch of expense, made an
agreement with his sweetheart to only write once a fortnight, the rates
of postage in his early days varying from 2d. to 1s. in accordance with
the distance at which they were separated. Fortunately, his thoughts
were directed to the penny postage for all distances within the United
Kingdom, and although many spoke of him as an over-sanguine dreamer,
still events had proved his wisdom, and to-day they had a postal service
that dealt with over 3,832 million letters, postcards, and papers per
annum, giving 91 per head of the population, as against 940 millions 33
years ago, with the comparatively small number of 30 per head then.
Whilst speaking of the enormous growth of the postal business, they
must not lose sight of the wonderful growth of both the telegraph and
Savings Bank business. The former, since it was taken over by Government
in 1870, had more than justified that step, for in the following
year--1871--the number of telegrams sent was 10 millions, whilst last
year the number was well over 92 million messages. Then as regards the
Savings Bank, they could flatter themselves as to the proof it furnished
of the increased wealth of the country, for whilst the total Savings
Bank capital in 1869 was 13-1/2 millions, in 1901 it stood at over 140
millions. But whilst all this progress had been made, many helpful
suggestions had been made by men of moderate position. Take, for
instance, a time so long ago as 1784: the credit of first suggesting the
mail coach was made by a Mr. Palmer, who was then the manager of the
theatre in their neighbouring city of Bath. This was a great improvement
as to speed and safety of delivery when compared with the old postboy;
but think of the mail coach when compared with the mail trains that
covered now over three millions of miles per annum. But with all this
progress there had been many other changes. Think of the notice that was
issued to all postal employés in 1832, that none were to vote or advise
electors how to vote. This was very different to running a candidate on
postal lines, as was to take place at the next election at York. And in
considering what for a better term he might call the commercial side of
the question, there were instances that ought not to be overlooked in
great numbers of devotion to duty--for example, take that of the Scotch
mail carrier, who, feeling himself overcome by the gale and snow, hung
his mail-bag on a tree so that the letters should not be lost, even if
his life were sacrificed. Then this postal system seemed to develop a
special shrewdness. One local case had been mentioned by the Bishop as
having recently occurred, and there was another in which a pictorial
address of Daniel in the lion's den found its rightful owner, who had
become talked about by his visit to a menagerie just before. But in case
they should all think that at last perfection had been reached, there
was another circumstance that he could relate from his own personal
experience. Wanting to send a parcel to Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, he
foolishly sent it to his private address, at 40, Portman Square, instead
of his official residence, he being Chancellor of Exchequer at the time,
and judge of his own astonishment when he received an official
announcement, "Cannot be delivered owing to address being unknown." But
this did not tell against their Bristol friends, a body of men, he
ventured to say, who for smartness and anxiety at all times to meet the
various calls made upon them could not be surpassed, and therefore he
called upon them all to drink heartily the toast of the Postal and
Telegraph Service, coupling with it the name of their local Postmaster
and Surveyor, who was always to the fore in anything that would help
forward Bristol or Bristol interests.
[Illustration: POSTMASTER OF BRISTOL.
_(The Author.)_]
In replying, the Postmaster thanked them all for the cordial reception
of the toast of the Postal and Telegraph Services, and especially Mr.
Humphries, the proposer, for the kind and considerate and genial way in
which he had alluded to his department. In the first place, he wished
to extend to the delegates assembled there--and they came from all parts
of the United Kingdom, North, South, East, and West--the right hand of
good comradeship. Welcome, delegates to Bristol, thrice welcome, he
said. He supposed, in response to this important toast, they would
expect that he should say something of the postal system. The Lord
Bishop had taken them back some hundreds of years--1200 years back, when
Bishop Aldhelm wrote a letter. He must go a little further back than
that. His friend, Mr. Humphries, found a parallel in Holy
Scripture--Daniel in the lion's den. He found in Holy Writ, the only
book of ancient date he had to refer to, that posts and letters were of
respectable antiquity. They would find recorded in Kings II. this
passage in connection with the account of that pathetic incident of the
little Israelitish maiden suggesting the means whereby Naaman might be
cured--"Go to," said the King of Syria, "I will send a letter to the
King of Israel." In the wisdom of Solomon were the words, "My days are
like a shadow that passeth away, and like the post that hasteth by." So
they saw in those ancient days it was all hurry for the postman. He
would skip a few thousand years and come to 1496. It was recorded that
the means of communication in this country were almost non-existent, and
news was carried to and fro by means of travelling merchants, pedlars,
and pilgrims. In 1637 letter posts were established by Charles I. King
Charles stopped in the building that stood on the site of their local
St. Martin's-le-Grand, but little could he have thought that the day
would come when it would be possible for a man to stand on that spot and
speak to a friend and recognise his voice, as far away as Wexford. Sir
Francis Freeling had been named. He became secretary to the Post Office.
He served in the Bristol office two or three years before being
translated to London to become the associate of Palmer, of mail-coach
renown. The old city of Bristol had been under a cloud. In the year 1793
they had only one postman, and two or three years later two. Now they
had 500. In the last 60 years the letters posted and delivered in
Bristol increased from 66 millions to 134 millions in the year. This was
an enormous increase, and showed that Bristol was going to forge ahead
again. It made them glad that the old city had once again aroused
herself. The Post Office had become a giant in the kingdom, but it
exercised its power as a kindly giant. They heard the demand for all
sorts of reforms, but they felt that Mr. Austen Chamberlain was equal to
the occasion.
"The Postal and Telegraph Benevolent Society" was submitted by
Lieut.-Colonel Hobhouse, M.P., who said he was not sure that before long
they would not have to add to their service, and include the telephonic
operators as well. He noticed they depended in their work, and for the
relief which they gave to their members, entirely upon the donations of
their own members. That was satisfactory, not only to them, but to him
as a Member of Parliament, because Members of Parliament seldom came to
gatherings of that sort without being requested to make some
contribution, direct or indirect, to the funds of the Society, so good
as to give them a dinner. He understood the provision of the Society
was in addition to the official pension of the Post Office.
In reply, Mr. Botting said they must all feel very much flattered by the
terms in which Colonel Hobhouse had referred to their Society. He felt
that they might almost suggest to the Government that the questions of
old age pensions and the financial position of friendly societies might
be handed over to them to deal with. He might remind them of a remark
made at the meeting, although having an M.P. present, perhaps he should
not refer to it, that their Society got through more work in a day than
the House of Commons did in a month. He considered they had at their
Conference got through a good day's work. He would not give a long
string of statistics, but he must mention that the Society had a
membership of 19,600, had been in existence nearly 28 years, and during
that time had paid to the nominees of deceased members just upon
£300,000, made up chiefly of penny contributions. Such payments had been
in many cases all that had stood between the widows and orphans and
absolute destitution. In considering this, they must not forget his
friend beside him, whose fertile brain had created the Society. They
must all regret to learn of Mr. Asher's retirement from the Service
through ill-health, and they would all hope that the release from
official work would prove beneficial to him. He (Mr. Botting) hoped that
so long as the Society existed the name of Mr. Asher would never be
forgotten.
Mr. Asher was received very heartily. He said the proposal that such a
society should be formed was regarded as the day dream of a sanguine
mind, but it was something to reflect upon, the immense amount of good
that had been done in the course of years. More practical help he could
not imagine rendering to the fellows in the Service. He trusted that the
work of that day's Conference might re-echo and redound to the credit of
the Bristol meeting, and he desired, in thanking their Bristol friends,
to couple with them the names of Mr. E.C. Taylor and the Reception
Committee.
In proposing "The City and County of Bristol," Mr. Edward Bennett said
that he had attended a great number of these banquets, and had had on
several occasions to propose the toast of the particular town which was
for the moment entertaining the Society. For this reason he was,
perhaps, looked upon as a special pleader, and when he was praising a
provincial city his tongue was thought to be in his cheek, and London
was written on his heart. When Stella was told that Dean Swift had
composed a poem, not in honour of her, but of Vanessa, she replied, with
exquisite feminine amenity, that it was well known that the Dean could
be eloquent over a broomstick. If he that night extolled Bristol above
her other rivals, it would be said of him that he was a verbose
individual, who had called in past years Leeds a beautiful and inspiring
city, Liverpool a rising seaport, and Glasgow a town where urbanity and
sweet reasonableness prevailed. It might be remembered of him that he
had praised the Birmingham man for his childlike humility, and the
Edinburgh man for his excessive modesty. It was his first visit to
Bristol, and it was presumption on his part to speak on the subject at
all. Silence was the better part when a man was situated as he was.
There were some exquisite lines he learnt as a child which conveyed a
deep moral lesson to all day trippers:--
There was a young lady of Sweden
She went by the slow train to Weedon,
When she arrived at Weedon Station she made no observation,
But returned by the slow train to Sweden.
That was what he ought to have done. His heart went out to that young
lady, and he often had pondered whether it was disgust, astonishment, or
admiration which had inspired her silence. There was a special reason
why Civil Servants should be drawn to Bristol. Doubtless even the
Bristol Chamber of Commerce was acquainted with the process known as
"passing over"--many persons in that room had perhaps undergone the
operation--and those who read the history of Bristol felt a pull at
their heart strings when they realised the fact that she also had been
"passed over" by younger and more pushful rivals. But the capable Civil
Servant never admitted the justice of being passed over. In many
instances he established his case, and he did not rest satisfied until
he had retrieved his position, and in time caught up his quondam
rivals. That, he took it, was the position of Bristol at the present
time. She had relied too much on her ancient name, and had allowed
mushroom places like Liverpool and Manchester to steal a march on her.
She was coming to the front again; she had a glorious past, but she was
going to have a brilliant future. He coupled with the toast the name of
the High Sheriff. If he knew any evil of the High Sheriff he would not
mention it that evening. He had still 24 hours to spend in Bristol, and
a man could do a lot of evil as well as good in that time.
The High Sheriff made a short speech in reply to the toast.
Other good speeches followed.
The Post Office Cycling and Athletic Clubs have for some years past been
in the habit of holding Sports at the County Ground in Bristol. These
annual sports, having been held on Saturday afternoons, have usually
been successful, and have attracted large crowds. In 1903, the sports,
held on the 23rd May, attracted no fewer than nine thousand persons,
owing to the unusual feature of motor cycle races having been arranged
as a novelty--motor cycle racing not having been carried on in Bristol
before. There were several competitors, and London as well as local men,
took part in the motor cycle races. Unfortunately, the track, which had
been made some sixteen years previously for ordinary cycle competitions,
was not suitable for motor racing at great speed. In one of the heats
Bailey, of Bristol, was leading Barnes, of London, a noted motor
cyclist, and through some mishap at or soon after the moment of Barnes
getting past Bailey, his machine having run rather wide on the track,
got out of his command, and dashed into the fringe of sightseers who
were lying on the bank to get the best point of view. The result was a
fearful carnage, and ten or eleven people were carried away insensible
and much injured. In the end, three poor boys died in the Hospital, and
fortunately the seven or eight other people who were injured, slowly
recovered from their concussions and contusions. At the inquest, the
verdict was "Accidental Death."
On the 23rd December, 1903, shortly after five o'clock p.m., the civic
supply of electricity in Bristol failed, and shops, business premises,
and houses depending upon it for light, were plunged into darkness in
all parts of the city. This was soon known to be due to a fire having
broken out at Temple Back Generating Station, and the glare in the sky
suggested that the outbreak had reached serious proportions. The Bristol
Post Office has a full installation of electric light; and the failure
could not have occurred at a more inconvenient time, as the pressure
incidental to Christmas was being experienced. Fortunately, not only for
the Post Office, but also for the general public, the large staff
engaged in the interior of the building was able to cope with the
extensive work before them practically without interruption, as
throughout the whole of the department, gas is still laid on, and,
beyond the shifting of one or two desks to within reasonable distance of
gas jets, no inconvenience was caused after the burners and
fittings--somewhat out of order through non-usage--were put to rights.
The public hall, however, suffered most, as, when thus robbed of the
electric light at one of the busiest periods of the evening, only
scattered gas jets were available, and they had to be supplemented by
lighted candles set at intervals around the semi-circular counter. Some
of the candles were in primitive holders, stuck in blocks of wood, and
plugged firmly with nails; others were even without these supports. The
Counter Officers had, therefore, to work under difficulties; but they
got through their manifold duties expeditiously. The greatest
inconvenience was occasioned at St. James's Parish Hall, which was being
temporarily used as a Post Office. Here, there was no gas service
available, and when the electric lights "gave out," the staff had to
scurry hither and thither to get illuminants, which took the form of
postmen's lamps, table lamps, candles in improvised holders, and such
few hurricane lamps as were procurable at the shops, in the general run
on them. The electric light was fully restored in the evening of the
next day. This fire recalls an occasion when at St. Martin's-le-Grand,
the gas supply failed, and the largest Post Office business of the world
was placed at a standstill. The officials, however, were equal to the
emergency, and cartloads of candles were quickly obtained. The staff of
carpenters employed on the building improvised receptacles, and the
postal work was proceeded with, candles as they burnt out being replaced
by men told off for the purpose. Some time afterwards, it was suggested
that the stock of candles left over should be disposed of, but it was
then found that these had been devoured by the innumerable rats which
infest the old building.