JOINT SECRETARYSHIP. (1846-1848.)
The scene of my labours was henceforth to be in that institution
which had so long been the centre of my thoughts; and though the post
assigned me would, as I knew, give me but limited power for attaining
the ends I had in view, I still hoped by patience and perseverance to
make fair progress. I now resumed the Journal which for four years had
been suspended:--
"_December 5th, 1846._--Called on the Postmaster-General at his
house.... Drove with him to the Post Office in his cab."
As we passed through Newgate Street, there was a little incident of
some amusement. The way being blocked, there arose some of the abusive
language usually heard on such occasions against those who, being
immediately ahead, seem to stop the way; and the Postmaster-General
and his new secretary came in for their full share. Upon looking back
we found that the abuse came from the driver of a mail-cart, who was
thus unconsciously railing at his official superiors. Lord Clanricarde
burst into a hearty laugh; showing, what I have often remarked, that
men under heavy official pressure seem more than commonly pleased with
a little fun.
"On reaching the Post Office, Mr. Cornwall (the
Postmaster-General's private secretary), who had preceded us, told
me that Colonel Maberly wished to see me. We went together to M.'s
room. M. and I shook hands, &c. All three then proceeded to make
the circuit of the Post Office, and I was introduced to all the
heads of departments.... To commence duty on Wednesday, the 9th."
This was at least a satisfactory beginning, but what was to follow?
While I resolved that nothing should be wanting on my part to
maintain harmony, I could not but form, from the past, unsatisfactory
expectations as to the future. How far these misgivings were justified
will appear presently; and yet I should willingly suppress much of the
evidence on this point but for fear of misleading future reformers.
It is important that any one meditating such a course as mine should
know what that course really was; so that before entering on his work
he may count the cost. How soon difficulties are forgotten by mere
bystanders was curiously shown in my case by an article some few years
later in the "Edinburgh Review," on Mr. Charles Dickens's story of
"Little Dorrit." Few periodicals rendered me more important service
than this--in none did it seem less probable that the nature and extent
of my struggles would be underrated; and yet my course was cited as one
notoriously demonstrating the injustice of those attacks on official
jealousy which have rendered "Circumlocution Office" a familiar term.
Mr. Dickens's amusing reply will be found in "Household Words," Vol.
XVI, p. 97, and it may be added that it contains a short, but true and
lively, sketch of my early struggles. Prior, therefore, to describing
the improvements which I was gradually able to introduce, I shall
endeavour to give a specimen of the circumstances which, for years
after my restoration to office, made progress so tardy:--
"_December 9th._--Commenced duties at the Post Office.
"The Postmaster-General has referred to me by minutes the Railway
Report, and several applications for increase of force or of
salary, but there is some demur in supplying the necessary
papers, and the assistant-secretary (Campbell) showed me a minute
(referred to in a note which I received this morning from the
Postmaster-General, who is not at the office to-day), prescribing
the course of proceeding in my department. It appears to be
unnecessarily restrictive; must see the Postmaster-General on the
subject."
To show how much this minute was likely to hamper me, it is only
necessary to state that it forbade me to demand any papers whatever,
or to send for any officer, without first enumerating my wants in a
minute, which was to receive the sanction of the Postmaster-General,
and then be sent to Colonel Maberly for him to give it effect. As
it was impracticable for me, when entering on any investigation, to
foresee what papers or what officers I should require to consult, or
even to know what papers were in existence, it is obvious that by such
a rule my proceedings would be so clogged as to render satisfactory
progress impracticable:--
"_December 10th._--... seem to think that the minute may be
converted into a means of annoyance. Johnson, the chief clerk, has
refused to show Armstrong [my private secretary] the form of the
letter register without a written order to that effect; but the
Postmaster-General learnt the fact, and set the matter right even
before I could see him. On my calling his attention to the minute,
he explained it to be much less restrictive than I had supposed,
and at once wrote a second minute explanatory of the first."
With regard to the supposed necessity for restriction, I soon learnt
that not only the assistant-secretary, but also several of the clerks
in the secretary's office, could obtain necessary papers without the
least difficulty. I must add that, while at the Treasury, I had similar
freedom in relation to the papers there, and even to the officers of
the Post Office, and I can truly aver that, so far from abusing the
opportunities thus given, I had been careful to avoid everything that
could in the least degree infringe the discipline of either department.
Subsequent discoveries, however, led me to understand what strong
reasons there must have been for obtaining from the Postmaster-General
an order rendering access to papers as limited as possible. For, while
I really shunned all knowledge on the subject, I could not avoid
receiving from casual observation ample confirmation of the suspicions
that I entertained three years before as to the extent to which the
Parliamentary Committee of 1843 was misled.[34]
Restriction became the more galling because, in the very nature of
things, the pressure of work was more than enough.
"_December 15th._--Learnt from Stow that a copy of the minutes as
to the course of proceeding in my department (December 9th and
10th) has been sent to the head of each department in the office.
This needless publicity is not, I fear, without an object. The
minutes desire that a copy may be supplied to me, without naming
any other party."
The reader, who has observed how speedily the withdrawal of my friends
from power in 1841 was followed by intrigues to thwart my progress,
undermine my credit, and remove me from my post, will be little
surprised at the manifestations recorded above. At the time of the
first cabal, I was in the weakness of isolation; this, the second, was
formed when I was in the weakness of a novel position; and it will
be found hereafter that other such seasons were chosen as times for
similar proceedings. I felt too truly that a struggle was to come, and
I could not yet foretell how far I should be supported in it by the
Postmaster-General.
I had scarcely got my department into somewhat smoother working, when I
was called upon to deal with applicants of two separate kinds: first,
deputations from letter-carriers and stampers, suggesting improvements
and applying for increase of wages; all of whom, for the sake of
discipline, I declined receiving without the express sanction of the
Postmaster-General; and, secondly, from persons claiming compensation
for inventions or devices already included more or less explicitly
in my published plan. The most remarkable amongst these claimants
was a lady, who informed me by letter that the plan of penny postage
originated with her, and begged that I would be so obliging as to aid
her in obtaining due compensation from Government!
Meantime I went to work with a view to the extension of those
facilities on which I had laid so much stress:--
"_January 30th, 1847._--This week engaged chiefly in completing the
instructions to the surveyors, by means of which I hope to effect
important improvements simultaneously in all the large towns in the
kingdom."
These instructions, when completed, were sanctioned by the
Postmaster-General, who, however, thought it necessary that they
should be issued under the signature of Colonel Maberly. With the
Postmaster-General's consent, the document subsequently appeared in
the newspapers. Of the Reports called for by this circular, about
one-half were received within six months, and these gave information as
to the state of things in about one hundred and twenty of the largest
provincial towns. They showed all sorts of anomalies, though not quite
so much room for improvement as I had expected. I was convinced,
however, that the very issue of the circular had caused considerable
improvements to be at once made. My progress, nevertheless, continued
to be clogged with difficulties:--
"_February 3rd._--The present arrangements do not work well in
some important particulars. I have no ready means of learning what
is being done in Maberly's department, in consequence of which we
sometimes play at cross purposes, and there is much delay.... At
the risk of being considered 'impracticable,' I must try to put
things on a different footing."
"_February 6th._--I feel very uneasy at the slow progress made,
but, circumstanced as I am, it is impossible to go faster."
My moral difficulties found a physical parallel:--
"_February 8th._--Returning to Brighton [where I still continued
to live] by the 5 p.m. express train, was stopped by a sudden
snow-storm. With two engines we were three and a-half hours in
advancing three miles from Three Bridges. We came to a dead stand
near to the Balcombe Tunnel; remained there till 1 a.m., unable
to proceed or return, when, an engine having arrived, and all the
passengers having been crammed into three carriages, we returned
to Three Bridges, leaving the remainder of the train in the snow.
Sat up all night at 'The Fox.' Next morning, the line being open to
London soon after ten, I returned to town. The other passengers, I
found, on my return to Brighton at night, did not complete their
journey till 4 p.m. (having been twenty-three hours on the way)."
A few days later, being invited by the Guardian Society at Liverpool
to a public dinner, I took opportunity, in my speech of thanks, to
explain to a certain extent the duties and powers of the Post Office,
misapprehension as to which led then, and doubtless leads still, to
unprofitable correspondence, withdrawing attention from practical
improvements to futile discussion. I found it particularly necessary
to show why suggestions, however valuable, cannot be suddenly adopted,
since, in so vast and complex a machine as the Post Office, which must
not for one hour be arrested in its motion, it is indispensable to make
such preliminary examination and complete arrangement as will yield
full security that the change will throw nothing out of gear, but work
smoothly from the first. I showed that, while some of the improvements
called for by my Liverpool friends seemed feasible, others could not be
made.
Thus, it had been demanded that letters should no longer be carried
past the office from which they were to be distributed to some office
further on, whence they would have to return, but that the distributing
office should receive them at once. This demand, not then new, nor yet
worn out, I had to meet by showing that the letters for one office were
at such times mixed up with those for other offices, and therefore
could not be dropped in passing, while the delay in sorting could not
be absolutely prevented unless every post town in the United Kingdom
made up a bag for every other post town, which, as there were then
about one thousand post towns in all, would involve the daily despatch,
transmission, and opening of a million of bags in each direction, an
immense majority of which would contain no letters whatever. At the
same time I assured my auditors that I should do my best to render the
Post Office as useful as possible, and that I would carefully inquire
into all the defects in its management which they had brought to my
notice.[35] To this task I addressed myself on the morrow.
Even here, however, I found old impediments to the progress of
improvement; for when I proposed to Mr. Banning, the postmaster
of Liverpool, to keep open the Money Order Office to a later hour
without waiting for instructions from London, my advice was met by the
presentation, though with many apologies, of the Postmaster-General's
restrictive minute, the issue of which had been previously condemned,
but unfortunately not revoked. One consequence was that I refrained,
for the time, from attempting improvements at Manchester, lest I should
encounter another copy of the minute there. On my return I pressed on
the Postmaster-General the importance of reconsidering the arrangements
affecting my position before his leaving town, which he promised to
do, perhaps the more readily because he was much pleased with what I
had effected at Liverpool. The consideration, however, produced no
immediate result.
"_September 28th._--Banning, who called upon me to-day, reports
that the restriction of the Liverpool receiving-houses to stamped
and unpaid letters, accompanied as it is by an extension of time
for posting, is working very satisfactorily; so are the other
improvements which, not requiring Treasury sanction, have been
carried out; but I find that though the Treasury sanction [to
certain further improvements] has been received a month, no steps
whatever have as yet been taken thereon. The reply to the weekly
inquiry made as to matters in arrears has been, that the papers
were with Colonel Maberly, and beyond this nothing could be learnt
till to-day, when, getting impatient at the delay, I set Armstrong
to learn the cause, when it appeared that the papers were not with
Colonel Maberly at all, but in the first clerk's room, where they
had been 'mislaid' as usual."
This transaction, though apparently but of local importance, I
have narrated at some length, because it shows how the progress of
improvement was clogged, and how much my time was occupied in watching
lest that which I had carefully planned should be marred in working.
Other difficulties will appear as I proceed with my narrative:--
"_February 17th._--Requested that he [the Postmaster-General]
would reconsider a minute directing that letters addressed to me
by the subordinates shall pass not only through the heads of the
departments, as I had proposed, but through Maberly's office."
"_February 24th._--Finished a minute calling for copies of many of
the periodic returns made to Maberly, to which I have added several
original ones, with a view of obtaining tolerable statistics. At
present they are lamentably deficient."
"_February 27th._--The Postmaster-General is so much engaged in
his duties as Cabinet Minister that he rarely comes to the office
at present, and I am obliged to defer many points on which it is
necessary to consult him. I am much dissatisfied with the little
progress made."
When, however, the Postmaster-General was more at leisure we sometimes
got on apace:--
_March 5th._--Had a long interview with the Postmaster-General,
and got through much business. I never met with a public man who
is less afraid of a novel and decided course of action ... ; _e.g._,
a proposal of mine to require the postmaster at Manchester to
pay out of his fees the salaries of two new clerks, required on
account of his own inefficiency, has been cordially adopted, in
direct opposition to Maberly and the surveyor; and this is the
more important, inasmuch as my minute is a direct attack on a
claim hitherto treated with great reverence, viz., the right of an
officer to continue receiving fees (unless compensated), however
large in amount and mischievous in their tendency, simply because
he has once enjoyed them.
"Spoke again of the absolute necessity of my being better
informed as to what is going on, and proposed that he [the
Postmaster-General] should direct that all communications to
and from the Treasury should pass through my hands. He at once
concurred in the necessity of the thing, but proposed that, instead
of writing a minute on the subject, he would himself take care that
I saw such papers before they left his own hands. I fear that the
arrangement will frequently be forgotten, but I could not object to
try it. He again expressed a wish that I would not disturb existing
arrangements, at least so far as they appear in writing; but on my
telling him that the rule requiring me to obtain papers through him
caused much inconvenience and delay, he told me in confidence that
he did not desire that I should regard it, but send for any papers
that I wanted."
Not liking this anomalous state of things, I consulted confidentially
with Mr. Jones Loyd, mentioning also my uneasiness at the slow progress
of improvement, and referring to the expectations held out to me
through him and Mr. Warburton before I entered the Post Office.[36]
These expectations, however, I did not suppose were likely soon to
be fulfilled, as I had just learnt that a large addition was about
to be made to Colonel Maberly's staff. Mr. Loyd, while recognising
the expectations held out to me, advised me temperately to press the
Postmaster-General to assign to me a department, or at least to leave
in my hands till ripe for his own decision all matters connected with
any specific improvement which may be assigned to me. On this advice I
resolved to act as occasions arose. I presently had further evidence
that I was advancing in the confidence of my official superiors. The
Postmaster-General placed the secretarial management of the Money Order
Department in my hands, and directed that all returns to Parliament
should be submitted to me before being sent to the Treasury, with free
leave for me to attack any such as seemed unfair to penny postage,
while the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his place in Parliament,
spoke highly of my services.
At the same time, I felt obliged to remind the Postmaster-General of
our slow progress. I again called his attention to the delay of my
measures after their leaving my hands; showed, in short, that all my
measures were standing still, and told him I was very anxious to bring
some one improvement to a successful issue, a view in which he agreed,
thinking, however, that much had already been effected. As regards
minor matters this was true enough, but my continued anxiety was
justified by the fact that I had now been nearly four months in office
without being able to bring into effect any improvement important
enough to require the sanction of the Treasury.
On April 1st of this year, in accordance with the wish of the
Postmaster-General, I went to Bristol. As what I found there may be
regarded as a specimen, by no means an unfavourable one, of the state
of things at the provincial offices generally, I describe it. The
first delivery of the day, by far the most important of all, was not
completed until twelve o'clock; the letter-carriers, as I was informed,
often staying after departure from the office to take their breakfast
before commencing their rounds. I was able to show how at a small cost
(only £125 a year) it might be completed by nine. The office itself I
found small, badly lighted, and worse ventilated. The day mail thence
to London was nearly useless, its contents for London delivery being
on the morning of my inquiry only sixty-four letters, thirty-seven of
which might have been sent by the previous mail on the mere payment
of the extra penny. The impression regarding this mail, both in and
out of the office, agreed exactly with my evidence in 1843, viz., that
all day mails, to be efficient for their purpose, should start as late
as is consistent with their reaching London in time for their letters
to be forwarded by the evening mails. The satisfaction I felt in such
improvements as I had been able to make on the spot was much enhanced
by my receiving at the termination of my visit the thanks of both
clerks and letter-carriers for the new arrangements.
To return to the subject of obstruction:--
"_April 20th._--A letter from Mr. Lettis, a senior clerk of the
Money Order Office, written on the 12th instant, and forwarded
the same day by Mr. Barth, instead of being sent at once to me,
was forwarded, by Colonel Maberly's own endorsement, to the
Postmaster-General, then in the west of Ireland, in consequence of
which it did not reach me till yesterday, I being all the while
engaged on the subject to which it relates."
The paper thus retarded I soon found was one amongst many, all of them
more or less important to a right understanding of the work on which I
was specially engaged. Application, however, to the Postmaster-General
for the maintenance of direct communication produced no other effect
than an injunction to Colonel Maberly's department against further
delay.
In the midst of these troubles, petty in themselves, but trying to my
health and very injurious in the delay they produced, I saw, for the
first time, a fellow-labourer in the great cause of postal improvement,
who, in establishing the overland route to India, had surmounted
formidable difficulties and rendered invaluable services, without,
I fear, securing either to himself or his family any proportionate
recompense. My record of the interview is very brief:--
"Lieutenant Waghorn called. He is a man of singularly energetic
appearance."
A means of preventing, to a considerable extent, injurious measures in
the Post Office being taken without my knowledge was hit upon almost
accidentally. Upon my mentioning to Mr. Parker, then Secretary to the
Treasury, that many of the applications from the Post Office to his
department were made without my cognizance, and offering, with the
sanction of the Postmaster-General, to go down once a week or so to
the Treasury to assist him in his decisions upon them, the offer was
gladly accepted, the more so as the augmentations recently made in the
Post Office salaries were producing corresponding demands from other
quarters. Yet further confidence was shown when the new practice at the
Treasury started a fresh difficulty, viz., as to what was to be done
when my opinion was against measures which the Postmaster-General had
recommended without consulting me. Upon my applying to Lord Clanricarde
for instructions, he told me that he wished me to have no scruples
as to any measures, but to advise against them unhesitatingly if so
inclined.
Notwithstanding this confidence, however, the anomalous arrangement of
the department remained fruitful in mischief; indeed every practised
man knows that where proceedings are vitiated at their source no
subsequent vigilance suffices for their effectual correction. In
my case, moreover, vigilance on such points was maintained at the
sacrifice of progress in improvement. Parliamentary returns moved for
about this time by members hostile to my plans, and demanded in such
form as to mislead, were accelerated, while one moved for by Mr.
Warburton in such form as to secure a true statement was kept back.
Though, by great effort, I procured from the Postmaster-General an
order for modification in two of the fallacious returns, yet, after
all, one of them actually went forth with all its errors retained.
After many details on this vexatious topic, my Journal proceeds as
follows:--
"I feel ashamed, as well as annoyed, in having to record these
vexations, and I must put an end to them by some means or other. I
would gladly omit these records altogether, but former experience
has shown that it would be unsafe so to do. I am obliged,
therefore, with a view to my own justification hereafter, to
continue them, though I cannot but fear that (should this Journal
ever be read by those who do not know me intimately) such daily
complainings may be considered as evidence of querulousness on my
part."[37]
So long as this twofold authority continued, it was impracticable for
the Postmaster-General, unless endowed with a more exact memory for
details than can be reasonably expected in a Cabinet Minister, to avoid
inconsistency in his own proceedings. Thus after having obtained his
acceptance of an advantageous offer from the Brighton Railway Company,
I learnt to my amazement that the offer had been refused. On inquiring
into the matter, I found out that this was the result of counter advice
of which I knew nothing.
It has been seen that errors thus arising found their way into
Parliamentary returns; they even affected legislative enactment. In
a bill sent up from the Post Office to the Treasury for introduction
into Parliament, I had advised the insertion of clauses authorizing
the Treasury to relax or abolish the rule fixing a maximum to the
weight of a letter, but at the same time establishing restrictions--as,
for instance, prepayment of postage on all heavy letters--to prevent
abuse of the new rule by the public. The solicitor of the Post Office,
however, so drew the bill as to supersede the Treasury exercise of
this power by a clause making the abolition absolute, and at the same
time omitting the proposed safeguards. As the bill was never submitted
to my examination in a complete form, it became law with this defect.
Fortunately, the practical consequences were not very serious, the
public probably remaining for the most part quite unaware of its new
liberty or, rather, licence. Some wag, however, getting hold of the
fact, turned it to account for his amusement, posting in Ireland a
bundle of old clothes, directed to London, which being of course
refused by the addressee, as the postage demanded was no less than
£4. 11_s._, had to be carried back according to rule to the place of
despatch; the double conveyance being necessarily made gratis, as the
sender naturally took care not to be known. I need not say that at the
first opportunity the Act was amended.
A very far more serious evil was reported to me shortly afterwards;
namely, that a clerk in the Money Order Office in Manchester had
been detected in several frauds. My informant attributed the loss of
letters, &c., mainly to the absence of investigation as to character,
arising out of the system of patronage. He added that he pointed out
this as the chief cause of the evil to Lord Lowther soon after his
appointment.
To heedlessness in appointment was unfortunately added laxity in
discipline:--
"_September 30th._--At ---- the postmaster, who gets £15 a year as
compensation for [his loss of] late-letter fees has remitted till
lately only 7_s._ or 8_s._ a year [for such fees]; but on a stir
being made the remittances at once advanced to as much per week:
the explanation given is that he omitted to demand the fee, not
that he fraudulently appropriated it; and on this ground he has
escaped dismissal, I think very improperly; but I have not been
consulted in either case, and know the facts only from conversation
with the Postmaster-General."
About the same time I was engaged in devising means for a partial
introduction of the plan of district offices in the London delivery,
but was led to abandon the attempt, in some measure, by the
inconveniences attending a partial arrangement, and yet more by fear
of serious disorder likely to arise from the imperfect manner in
which I knew, by past experience, the necessary instructions would be
carried into effect, unless I could myself superintend their execution;
and thus it was that several years had to elapse before this great
improvement could be made.
Soon after arriving at this conclusion I attempted to remove a strange
anomaly which was producing a certain amount of trouble in the office,
leading occasionally even to delay in the despatch of the mails.
This was that while letters brought to the chief office after 7 P.M.
were not received for that night's mail without an additional fee of
sixpence, late newspapers were received up to that hour on payment of a
halfpenny:--[38]
"_October 5th._--To-day I consulted Bokenham[39] on the expediency
of advancing the fee [on newspapers] at seven o'clock, but
he strongly advises against it, on the ground of its certain
unpopularity with the press."
So difficult is it to recall concession, however mischievous and
absurd. In the end, however, a compromise was adopted which, while it
greatly relieved the department, proved satisfactory to the newspaper
publishers. I abstain from further narration of mere obstructions,
not for want of matter, but because enough has been done to show the
difficulties, annoyances, and delays ever crossing the path of my
improvements; the like of which must, I fear, be expected by all whose
zeal for reform leads them to intrude amidst men of routine.
A trouble of another kind, however, began now to show itself, which
later on produced serious consequences. Applications for increase of
salary, backed by the recommendation of Colonel Maberly, were referred
to me for consideration, the circumstances being such that, without
unscrupulous disregard of the public interest, I could do nothing
but advise their rejection. I found that in one instance, instead
of the applicants being simply informed of the Postmaster-General's
decision, which was in conformity with my opinion, they had also been
told--contrary to official rule--of our conflicting recommendations.
The consequence was a renewal of the application, accompanied with a
letter of thanks to Colonel Maberly, and an appeal from my judgment as
being opposed to that of "the Secretary." I could not but foresee that
if, without any opportunity of recommending merited concession, I were
to be held up as a bar to concessions recommended by others, I should,
in course of time, find myself in a position very unfavourable alike to
the maintenance of my just authority and the progress of good measures.
After noticing the above facts, my Journal proceeds as follows:--
"_October 16th._--I tried to avoid this collision of opinion,
representing to the Postmaster-General the probable result when
the papers were first referred to me; but his reply was that his
opinion coincided with my own, but that he could not act in direct
opposition to Maberly's earnest advice without support from me,
consequently I had no escape; luckily the Treasury, as well as the
Postmaster-General, take my view of the question."
Accordingly, I wrote a somewhat severe minute on the subject, and this
was approved by the Postmaster-General. I must add that my foreboding
was, on both points, justified by the sequel, the usual course being,
for a long time, that the duty of rejecting such applications fell
almost exclusively upon me, while the popularity that arose when an
application was granted was almost engrossed by Colonel Maberly. The
natural, nay, inevitable result was that great difficulties were raised
in the way of the improvements that I attempted to make.
Under all these circumstances, it is little to be wondered at that,
on looking back on the progress made during the first year since my
appointment at the Post Office, I was much dissatisfied with what I
found, nor could I feel surprised that symptoms of discontent began to
appear in the public, which, knowing nothing of impediments, naturally
expected the fulfilment of those expectations which my admission to
office had raised.
Among the improvements that I effected this year, the following is, I
conceive, of great importance:--
Exorbitant claims having been advanced and admitted for compensation in
respect of abolished fees, perquisites, &c., I made arrangements for
such returns as to the current amount of those irregular emoluments as
would keep these claims thenceforth within due bounds. The efficiency
of this plan will be evident when it is considered that, though at the
period of abolition claimants would naturally seek to make this amount
appear as large as possible, yet, in ordinary times, when the receipt
of large fees might act as a bar to demand for augmented salary, the
interest would lie in the opposite direction. All, therefore, that was
necessary was to get the ordinary estimate on indisputable record. This
had been provided for before I left the Treasury, but, in the interim,
the plan had been abandoned.
Finding that any attempt to establish a parcel post, which I had
formerly suggested, would raise more opposition in the railway
companies than I thought it prudent just then to encounter, I suggested
the establishment of a book post, pointing out how much such a measure
would promote education, and how acceptable it would be to the public.
The Postmaster-General expressed apprehensions of the department being
overloaded on magazine days, and I had to point out the means by which
all such difficulties could be surmounted. Vehement objections came
from the usual quarter, but these were overruled.
Before closing the account of the year, I must mention two attempts at
improvements which have met with no success.
Upon an application from Colonel Maberly's extra clerks for an increase
of salary, I proposed instead a regular system of promotion, whereby
all vacancies in the establishment should be filled by selection
from the extra clerks instead of from without, an arrangement which
would have obtained the collateral advantage of submitting every
candidate for regular clerkship to a probation in the extra corps. The
Postmaster-General seemed favourable to the principle, which, indeed,
had been occasionally recognised in practice, but unfortunately I never
succeeded in obtaining its adoption as a rule, the real obstacle being,
no doubt, that it would have acted as an impediment to patronage.
My second abortive measure I regarded as of great importance, nor
has my opinion of it undergone any change; though how far it may be
applicable to the circumstances of the present day is another question.
Wishing to procure for the Post Office the unrestricted use of all
the railway trains, and that at a moderate fixed rate, I suggested
that Government, as a means of procuring the ready acquiescence of
the railway companies, should include in a bill then preparing for
Parliament a provision in their favour, which seemed to me to be in
strict accordance with justice, and with the true interests of the
public. In my Report[40] on this subject, I first showed that in
order to enable the Post Office effectually to serve the public, it
was necessary that the department should make far greater use of the
railways. Under the existing law, owing to uncertainty as to the rate
of payment, the excessive awards frequently made, and other causes,
this was impracticable. I therefore proposed that an attempt should be
made to obtain an Act empowering the Railway Commissioners, at that
time an organised Board, with the present Lord Belper at its head, to
take the following steps:--
1st. To issue a general tariff of charges for the conveyance of mails,
such tariff to be constructed so as to afford the companies a moderate
profit.
2nd. To decide all questions which might arise between the Post Office
and any railway company.
3rd. To issue a general tariff of maximum fares for passengers and
charges for goods, minerals, &c., to be demanded of the public; and
4th. To revise such general tariffs from time to time.
By way of compensation to the companies, and with a view also to the
advantage of the public, I proposed, "subject to such regulations
as Parliament may impose for securing fairness towards all parties
interested, to adopt a territorial division of the surface of the
kingdom, reserving, as open to new companies, any district in which
the public interests would be served by the construction of new and
independent lines, but assigning to each existing company"--on certain
specified conditions--"so much of the district on each side of its
line as can be most advantageously served by such company; a provision
being made that, if at any time the Railway Commissioners should be of
opinion that the public interests require that a railway of a given
description should be made within such assigned territory, it shall
be competent to the Commissioners to call upon the company to which
the district is so assigned to construct the line, with the consent
of Parliament; and if the company refuse or neglect so to do within a
given time, to offer the line to the public at large."
I further proposed that these arrangements should apply compulsorily to
all companies hereafter to be formed, but that "each existing company
should have the option, within a certain period, to accept the same
conditions, or to continue in its present condition."
The following advantages, among others, would, I expected, result from
the proposed arrangements:--
1. It would secure the cheap conveyance of the mails, and greatly
promote the extension and perfection of the system of Post Office
distribution.
2. It would secure the establishment of moderate fares, without
resorting to competition, which it is now generally admitted would be
as injurious to the public as to the companies.
3. It would secure the completion of the railway system at the least
expenditure of capital, and in a manner most conducive to economy in
working.
4. It would repress rash and unprincipled speculation; and
5. It would relieve Parliament from the drudgery of investigating
hastily-devised and useless projects.
As regards the interests of the companies, I pointed out that--
1. It would relieve them from the ruinous expenditure now necessary to
defend their property from aggression.
2. It would enable them to take advantage of the cheapness of labour
or materials, and abundance of capital, gradually to extend the
ramifications of their lines to all places capable of affording a
remunerative traffic.
And, finally, it would greatly benefit both the public and the
companies, by enabling the directors and other officers to devote their
time and energy (now mainly absorbed in Parliamentary contests) to the
internal management of their affairs, thus conducing to economy, and to
the comfort and safety of their passengers.
All these important results, I was of opinion, would be obtained
without any sacrifice on the part of the public or of the companies.
In a Report, the primary object of which was to facilitate the use of
railways by the Post Office, it may appear out of place to deal with
the questions of charges for passengers and goods, railway extension,
&c., but I found one part of the subject so linked with every other as
to render separate treatment impracticable.
Had this plan been adopted when originally proposed (more than
twenty[41] years ago), the following results, I firmly believe, would
have been obtained:--
1st. The postal system would have been enormously improved.
2nd. The conveyance of passengers and goods would have been
considerably cheapened.
3rd. The railway system would have been far more extended than it now
is.
4th. A vast waste of capital would have been avoided. And,
5th. Railway property, instead of being almost a byword for depression
and insecurity, would, under tolerable management, have been placed on
a firm basis.
Unhappily, the advantage which would have been gained by the adoption
of my plan is now for ever lost. The contests it might have prevented
during the last twenty years have done their disastrous work; but the
future remains, and I believe it still possible to amend our railway
system and even to adopt a plan more comprehensive than the one just
described. My views on the subject appear in a separate Report, which
I made as a member of the Commission on Railways appointed in the year
1865, the substance of which, I may remark, will be found in a summary
appended thereto.[42]
I have now brought the year 1847, the first which I passed at the Post
Office, to a general close. I have yet to speak of proceedings relative
to one improvement, which, however, was not carried into effect until
the following year. I narrate this at some length, not only because
of its importance, but also because it serves well as a specimen of
my course of proceeding during the long period which I passed in the
anomalous position to which I had been appointed.
The Postmaster-General having requested me to examine the state
of the Money Order Department, with a view to its improvement and
extension, I succeeded in devising a plan which, while it effected many
improvements, provided for a very large extension, and that without
increasing the number of accounts with the chief office. I learnt now
that a plan which I proposed when at the Treasury would have simplified
operations exceedingly, but that its adoption, though earnestly
pressed by Mr. Jackson (then at the head of the department), had been
successfully resisted; and that, though some part of this plan had been
superseded by other improvements, much yet remained which Mr. Jackson
thought would be highly useful.
In my consequent preparations I was impeded frequently for hours,
sometimes for days, by the want of necessary papers, the registration
and arrangement being so defective that, according to the registering
clerk, his death would leave the office in absolute perplexity. When
the papers came they were sometimes exceedingly imperfect, the
omission being in one instance that of a very important report; and
of course fresh delays occurred while these omissions were supplied.
Again, when, in reference to a proposed measure of economy, I called
upon the head of the department and his immediate subordinate to
support my views by expressing in writing opinions which they had given
in conversation, they excused themselves by pleading that they should
thereby incur serious displeasure.
The omitted report was one made some time before by Mr. Jackson,
recommending an improvement calculated to save the department between
£2,000 and £3,000 per annum. Taking up this rejected measure, I was
enabled, after long elaboration, to procure its adoption, and in a few
months more its beneficial results were placed beyond question; the
head of the department reporting that the accounts were more complete
and the checks more efficient, and that the annual saving was even
greater than had been reckoned upon, amounting to nearly £3,500.
In the meantime, however, these various obstructions, combined with the
fact that both in public estimation and by Colonel Maberly's distinct
renunciation I was now solely responsible for the right administration
of this special department, led me to take a decided step. I
accordingly wrote a minute, proposing that all minutes and instructions
regarding the Money Order Department of England and Wales should
proceed exclusively from myself; that all reports from the department
should be addressed to me; in short, that the secretarial control of
that department should thenceforth be entirely in my hands.
In consequence of this, the Postmaster-General wrote a minute on
the subject, which, however, being modified by the Chancellor of the
Exchequer,[43] to whom it was shown in draft, still left things in
an unsatisfactory state. Upon my pointing out the insufficiency of
the measure, Lord Clanricarde proposed that I should myself see the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. While awaiting this interview, which took
place about a fortnight later, I felt so much doubt as to the result,
and consequently as to my ability to retain office, that I deemed it
my duty to explain to my private secretary and my only clerk that they
might have to look out for other appointments.
When at length I saw the Chancellor of the Exchequer difficulties
seemed to vanish. He had no objection to the Money Order Department
being placed under my exclusive management, having merely disapproved
of the mode in which it was proposed that the change should be
effected. He at once recognised the danger of divided responsibility,
and, in short, undertook to arrange the whole matter with the
Postmaster-General. Four days later the Postmaster-General informed
me that he had decided to place the Money Order Department entirely
under my management, but that he wished to consider further as to the
mode. He thought of speaking to Maberly, with a view, if possible, of
doing the thing quietly. My new powers were called into requisition
the same day by a little symptom of insubordination in the Money Order
Department. Confident of authority, I now felt justified in giving
such warning to the offender[44] as produced instant submission, with
abundance of promise for the future.
The difficulty, however, was not yet solved, for I presently found
that the Postmaster-General, instead of himself drawing the minute
transferring the secretarial authority over the Money Order Department
to me, had remitted the task to Colonel Maberly. The result was such
an instrument as would have both crippled my authority and lowered me
in the eyes of each of the some twenty officers to whom the minute
was to be communicated.[45] Unfortunately this minute, without any
opportunity being allowed for objection, had been confirmed, not only
by the Postmaster-General but also by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
The course I took was to draw up a new minute, in the name, not of
Colonel Maberly, but of the Postmaster-General himself, substantially
the same as regarded the powers that were given me, but free from all
offensive expression and unnecessary restriction. This I submitted to
the Postmaster-General, urging its adoption; but, though he admitted
the objectionable character of some parts of Colonel Maberly's minute,
I saw that he was disappointed and annoyed at my application.
In my renewed difficulty, I perceived that I must further consider my
ground:--
"_December 17th, 1847._--Called on Mr. Cobden; described my
position at the Post Office, and asked his advice as to the course
I should adopt; more especially seeking his opinion as to whether I
should be justified in public opinion in resigning my appointment,
if circumstances should induce me so to act. He thinks that,
except on some great and simple question, I should not be justified
in resigning, as, though harassed by the obstacles thrown in my way
by Maberly, I have nevertheless been able to introduce important
improvements; his advice, therefore, is patience. He recommends
that I should see other M.P.'s, and represent to them Maberly's
conduct, with a view of forming a party in the House; ... but I
replied that I considered such a course would be justly viewed
as a breach of confidence, though I felt at liberty to consult
my personal friends, among whom I counted himself. He proffered
assistance in any way, and promised to take an opportunity of
speaking to the Chancellor of the Exchequer as to the necessity of
extending my powers."
The same day, having learnt that a circular to postmasters and others,
to give effect to the new money-order arrangements, was in the
printer's hands, I sent my private secretary to apply for a suspension
of proceedings until the Postmaster-General's further pleasure should
be known. This brought the Postmaster-General's private secretary
with a copy of the circular, in which, as I expected, I found an
unnecessary and offensive restriction.[46] All the officers to whom it
was addressed were informed that, while they were to obey me in matters
connected with the Money Order Department, they were not to obey me
on any other subject. My subordinates were thus called on to watch my
proceedings, while a disposition on my part was implied to do that
which, from the first, I had most scrupulously avoided. I also learnt
that copies had already been sent to Dublin and Edinburgh. I insisted
on their recall. Mr. Cornwall, after conferring with Colonel Maberly,
promised the withdrawal of the objectionable clause, hoping that I
would then raise no further obstacle to the issue of the circular. I
was obliged, however, still to object to this, as the circular would
give effect to the minute against which I had protested, and thus
pledge me to duties without awarding me the necessary power.
The result of Mr. Cornwall's application was communicated to me in
a private letter from the Postmaster-General, by which I learnt
that, though he intended to draw a fresh minute in place of Colonel
Maberly's, he had found nothing to object to in the circular, and
consequently had directed its issue without further delay. He added
that his own view was confirmed by that of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, of whose opinion he sent me a memorandum. By this, however,
I perceived that the nature of my objection had been misunderstood,
probably by both.
My Journal proceeds as follows:--
"On inquiry I found that the circular about to be despatched
retained the objectionable clause. It was not, I think, asking too
much to be heard before any irretrievable step was taken."
However, the Postmaster-General's intention was soon fulfilled; and the
new minute (written in his own hand) differed in no material point from
the draft which I had prepared. I had also some little satisfaction in
finding that, though the circular had now been issued, yet, in the new
minute, all authority for the offensive part of it had been removed.
Anxiety as to my true position relative to the Money Order Department
being now sufficiently relieved I advanced in good spirits, and at once
entered on my new duties.
"_December 23rd._--The newspapers are reporting the new
arrangement, each after its own fashion. The _Times_ and
_Chronicle_ have useful notices on the subject; the _Morning Post_
tells the world that I have been _promoted_ to the superintendence
of the Money Order Office, but carefully quotes the circular to
show that my authority is confined thereto."
Unfortunately, in coming for the first time close to any department one
always has to learn abuses:--
"_January 8th, 1848._[47]--It is distressing to find that forgeries
and other frauds connected with money orders are frequent.... I
have already had to deal with six or eight cases of this kind."
The subjoined is a striking instance of the economy that may be
produced in large operations by even a small change. I found that
although the old money-order forms were supplied at a very low rate
(about ten for a penny), yet, by reducing the size, I could save about
£700 per annum; and this notwithstanding an improvement in the form,
which the Comptroller of the Stationery Office alleged would involve an
_additional_ expense of nearly £1500 a-year. To remove this objection,
however, I had to resort to a mechanical device derived from former
experience in constructing my printing machine.[48] This saving was
soon afterwards followed by a larger one, consequent on reduction in
the size of the "letter of advice" and the abolition of what were
called duplicate advices. Both these economical measures had the
collateral advantage of diminishing labour in the chief office, while
the total annual saving in stationery alone, even on the consumption at
that time, was thus raised to about £2500.[49]
Not less important was it to obtain prompt and complete accounts. One
desideratum was a complete registration of papers, the necessity for
which happened to be exemplified in the midst of my arrangements on
the subject by the discovery, in the desk of the late chief clerk at
a town in Yorkshire, of more than forty unanswered letters from the
chief office, some of them already six months old. Money-order accounts
in the London office, too, I found in great disorder; arrears so long
as, in the opinion of the head of the department, would require for
bringing them up a force of thirty-five men for four years; in other
words, an outlay of at least £10,000, with a doubt whether even then
the outstanding money orders could be correctly ascertained. To avoid
so great an outlay, I suggested an Act of Parliament protecting the
department, after due notice, from _legal_ claims on orders issued
before 1847. This course was in the end adopted, though the practice
was still to discharge any claim which appeared to be just; nor do I
remember that the restriction ever led to complaint.
At the same time there was prospect of great economy:--
"_February 16th, 1848._--Jackson now thinks that other improvements
now in progress will enable the Money Order Office to undertake all
the additional work likely to arise in the next two or three years,
including the extension of the system throughout England and Wales,
without any increased force. If so, the effective saving will be
enormous."
It may be added that this expectation was confirmed by the event.
"_March 8th, 1848._--The Postmaster-General, in speaking of the
many improvements which I have effected, remarked the singular
absence of all complaints from the public, though some [of the
improvements] are more or less restrictive."
Among the means formerly taken to account for the existence of a
revenue under what it regarded as the ruinous system of penny postage,
the Post Office had uniformly maintained that a large profit was
obtained in the Money Order Department. A return now made to Parliament
showed that, so far from this being the case, the expenditure of the
previous year, the last before that department came under my control,
exceeded the receipts by about £10,000.
A summary of the improvements effected thus far in this department
will be found in a letter addressed by me to the Postmaster-General on
January 3rd, 1849, which is given in the Appendix.
Some incidents of the years 1847 and 1848, which for convenience I have
hitherto omitted, are yet worthy of record:--
_Carelessness in Remittance._
"_May 27th, 1847._--Mr. Ramsey (missing-letter clerk) brought me
a packet containing whole bank-notes to the amount of £1500, so
carelessly made up that they had all slipped out; and to add to the
carelessness the packet was imperfectly addressed to some country
house in Herefordshire, no post town being named. It had found its
way, after much delay, into the post office at Ross, and had been
sent to London by the postmistress. Instances of such carelessness
are not infrequent."
I may add that, some years afterwards, there was sent to the office for
the book-post a large sum in bank-notes, the ends of the packet being
left open, according to book post rule, so as to expose the contents.
It is much to be wished that all persons inclined to such carelessness
would pause to think how grievous is the temptation to which the
humbler servants of the Post Office are thereby exposed.
_Attempted Robbery._
"_July 7th, 1847._--There was a serious attempt this morning
(fortunately unsuccessful) to rob a letter-carrier who was taking
out a large number of bankers' parcels for delivery. It is said in
the office that they contained nearly half-a-million of money."
The circumstances of this extraordinary proceeding are thus described
in the "Annual Register":--
_From the "Annual Register" for 1847. Chronicle, p. 82._
"July 7. MURDEROUS ATTACK ON A LETTER-CARRIER.
"A most atrocious attack was made upon one of the letter deliverers
employed by the General Post Office, named Bradley. He is one of
those whose particular duty it is to make the early delivery at
the different bankers and merchants in Lombard Street of what
are called the 'registered letters.' He had received his bag of
letters as usual from the chief office, St. Martin's-le-Grand, at
eight o'clock, and was proceeding through Mitre Court, which leads
from Wood Street to Milk Street. After passing through the gate,
which at night closes the entrance to the court in Wood Street,
he noticed two or three men in the passage, one of whom suddenly
locked the gate; and when Bradley had nearly reached the iron posts
in the middle of the court he was struck a violent blow with a
life-preserver, which stunned him for a moment; he nevertheless
called out for assistance, keeping his bag of letters firmly
grasped in his hand and under his arm. The villains, alarmed by
his cries, rapidly made off into Milk Street, leaving behind them
their deadly weapon. Bradley was severely injured about the head,
and being an old man, was, in consideration of his resistance to
this attack, _allowed to retire on full pay_. A reward of £300 was
offered for the detection of the perpetrators; but as Bradley could
give no description of them, and no other person had observed them,
the police did not get any clue to their detection."
I am glad to learn (1867) that this faithful veteran is still living.
_Singular Frauds._
In the early days of money-order transactions, it was the lenient
custom of the office, in cases where an order had been paid to a
forged signature, still to pay it to the right party. This dangerous
indulgence did not fail to become known to the knavish class, who made
profitable use of the opportunity. Thus two persons, perhaps lodging
at the same house, would purposely arrange that an order obtained in
favour of one should fall into the hands of the other; and when the
latter, by forging the signature of the former, had obtained payment,
the former, applying in his own name, and showing that the signature
given was not his, was able to obtain payment a second time. To put
a stop to this systematic fraud, which had become a thing of daily
practice, it became necessary so to modify the existing law as to
provide that when an order had once been paid, even though to the
wrong person, no _legal claim_ should remain against the Post Office.
In accordance with the old practice, the order was still paid where
it appeared that the blame rested with the Post Office itself. This
new rule, though regarded by many as a great stretch of power, not
only put an immediate stop to the fraud against which it was directed,
but produced so little complaint from any quarter as to make it
clear that the previous indulgence had been almost as superfluous
as it was dangerous. Nevertheless the exceptional authority of the
Postmaster-General was soon afterwards put in requisition in the
following case:--
In a large provincial town a person applied in haste at the post
office, stating that on his way thither he seemed to have dropped an
order which he was bringing for payment; at the same time giving in
his name, and begging that no order might be paid to that name until
his return, as he would go back to his house to examine whether he
might perchance have left it there. Some time after his departure,
however, a second person came to the window, saying that Mr. ---- had
recovered the order, having in fact left it at home, and had sent him
with it to obtain payment, he himself being unexpectedly detained.
The clerk, satisfied with this plausible statement, fitting in so
well with antecedent circumstances, delivered the money accordingly,
but was startled a few minutes later by the reappearance of the first
claimant, with the declaration that, as he had not been able to find
the order at home, it must of course have been lost, and a request that
nothing might be done until a new order was obtained. Upon the clerk's
reporting what had meanwhile occurred, and mentioning the new rule, the
applicant, after some remarks not particularly flattering to postal
sagacity, announced his intention to appeal in the highest quarter.
The decision there made was that in so extraordinary a case the strict
rule should not be fully maintained, but that the department must,
nevertheless, be secured from loss. This was thrown in equal shares on
the two parties immediately concerned, each having shown negligence,
the one in losing the order, the other in paying it against injunction.
_Esquires in Low Life._
An angry letter was received at the General Office relative to alleged
misconduct in an officer at the Charing Cross office, who had refused
to pay a money order, because of irregularity in the signature of the
payee. The complainant reported that the ground of objection was that
when he gave his signature he appended the term Esq., adding, "The
silly fellow does not know that in a certain rank of life every one
signs himself Esq."
_Complaints._
It is curious, and would at first sight seem inexplicable, that
acceleration of the mails, though effected solely for the public
benefit, often too at great cost, and always with much trouble, led in
some instances to angry complaint. Perhaps the most whimsical instance
of this was that of a lady in a northern town, at which the night mail
from London had previously arrived somewhat too late for the last
delivery of the day, so that the letters could not be distributed until
the following morning, whereas by this acceleration they were delivered
the same evening. The allegation was that, whereas complainant used
always to get her letters early in the morning, she never received them
now till late at night.
_Joseph Ady._
Among miscellaneous incidents of the year 1848 the following may be
mentioned. The office and the public had long been troubled with a
restless adventurer named Joseph Ady, a man who maintained the language
and dress of a Quaker, but who, I apprehend, was no real member of
the Society of Friends. This person was for ever posting a number
of letters to inform individuals that he knew of something to their
advantage, which, for a stated fee, he was ready to mention. As all
these letters were unpaid, and many consequently rejected, Mr. Ady was
called on to pay no small amount of postage; but, by representations of
his poverty, age, and feeble health, and promises to offend no more, he
had again and again obtained very lenient treatment; while no sooner
was he out of one scrape than, by a return to his former practice, he
plunged into a new one. On one occasion, having been let off lightly
on condition of his entering into a formal written engagement not to
repeat the offence, he showed the inveteracy of his habit by inserting
after his signature words to the following effect:--
"If Mr. Peacock [the solicitor to the Post Office] is any relation
to the Mr. Peacock who, about twenty years ago, lived at [such a
place], I can, on receiving the usual fee of twenty-one shillings,
tell him something to his advantage."
Presently afterwards he resorted to a new device. This was to post his
letters, really unstamped, but each one bearing the mark as of a stamp
removed, so as to furnish ground for an asseveration, of course ready
at hand, that a stamp had really been affixed to each. It is needless
to say that so shallow a pretext was of no avail, and a conviction was
obtained against him which threw him into prison, and though, by his
usual wiles, he soon contrived to obtain release, he seemed at length
to feel himself beaten, gave up his singular trade, and, indeed, soon
afterwards died.
_Communication by Telegraph._
The following entry records as a wonder what would now be regarded as a
very trivial incident:--
"_April 4th, 1848._--The payment of a money order has been
countermanded from Manchester by electric telegraph."[50]
_Chartist Movement._
The Chartist movement of the year 1848 affected the Post Office as well
as other public departments:--
"_April 6th._--Went to the Mansion House to be sworn in a special
constable with all the other officials. Serious apprehensions are
entertained of an attack from the Chartists on Monday next, when
they hold a great meeting on Kennington Common, and intend to
march in procession to the Houses of Parliament to present their
petition. Arms are being provided for the Post Office, which is
being put into a state of defence, in common with other Government
offices."
At Colonel Maberly's suggestion, I placed my own clerks, and those of
the Money Order Office, in all about two hundred and thirty, under his
command; thus making a total force of upwards of thirteen hundred men.
"_April 8th._--Iron bars are being put to the lower windows, and
special precautions taken against fire. Goldsmiths' Hall, and other
buildings which command the entrances to the Post Office, will be
occupied with our people. These preparations, and the excitement
they produce, are a sad hindrance to business."
"_April 10th._--In coming to the office accompanied the Chartist
procession down Holborn Hill, crossing it without difficulty at the
bottom. The lower windows and doors of the office are defended by
bars of iron and planks. Upwards of thirteen hundred of our people,
a large portion of whom are well armed, are divided into small
parties, each with its officer, and written instructions have been
issued for their guidance. The excitement is too great for much
work to be done. About one o'clock the Postmaster-General told me
that Fergus O'Connor was arrested, but this afterwards proved to be
a mistake. Another report, which for a while received credit, spoke
of the disaffection of the Guards, but about two o'clock certain
information arrived to the effect that the meeting had quietly
dispersed, and that the threatened processions were abandoned. Soon
after four I left, but the clerks and others were detained till
the mails had been despatched. On my return home I noticed much
excitement in the streets, and nearly all the shops were closed."
APPENDIX TO CHAPTER XVI.
GENERAL PROGRESS.
Having narrated the transfer of the Money Order Department to my
superintendence, I now proceed to more general transactions, and for
their description give the following letter to Mr. Baring:--
"General Post Office, January 24th, 1848.
"MY DEAR SIR,--I think the enclosed will interest you. You will
not fail to remark the effect of the do-nothing policy of 1842,
and of all, except the latter part, of 1843. The great increase
in subsequent years is owing mainly to the extension of the rural
distribution, which goes on with such rapidity that in the last
year we brought more than one thousand places within the range of
the Post Office system. No one would _now_ question the policy of
the measure which you proposed, except, perhaps, on the ground that
it did not go far enough.
"The increased facilities afforded of late years are proving far
more profitable than even I had anticipated.
"The revenue of the past year will probably be about £2,220,000
gross, and £1,030,000 net. The gross revenue is as large as it
was in 1834, and within 5 per cent. of what it was in 1837. The
current year will probably give an amount equal to 1837, thus
realising my anticipations of gross revenue. The net revenue will
be about £200,000 less than I calculated; but in my opinion the
expenses have been needlessly increased to that extent. The same
gross revenue as in 1837 was, according to my calculation, to be
the result of a five-fold increase of letters; it will have been
brought about by a 4-2/3-fold increase.
"Faithfully yours,
"ROWLAND HILL."
ENCLOSURE.
ESTIMATE of the NUMBER of CHARGEABLE LETTERS delivered in the
UNITED KINGDOM in each year from 1839 to 1847.[51]
+-------+-----------+-------------------------+
| | | Annual Increase |
| | +-----------+-------------+
| | | | Per-centage |
| Year. | Number of | Number of | reckoned on |
| | Letters. | Letters. | the No. for |
| | | | 1839. |
+-------+-----------+-----------+-------------+
| | Millions. | Millions. | Per cent. |
| 1839 | 76[52] | ... | ... |
| 1840 | 169 | 93 | 123 |
| 1841 | 196-1/2 | 27-1/2 | 36 |
| 1842 | 208-1/2 | 12 | 16 |
| 1843 | 220-1/2 | 12 | 16 |
| 1844 | 242 | 21-1/2 | 28 |
| 1845 | 271 | 29-1/2 | 39 |
| 1846 | 299-1/2 | 28 | 37 |
| 1847 | 322 | 22-1/2 | 30 |
+-------+-----------+-----------+-------------+
"_January 28th._--Received a very gratifying note from Mr. Baring
in reply to the above, in which, though not quite concurring in my
comparison of net revenue, he says, 'There is still a great store
of undeveloped letter-writing in the country, and I am sanguine
enough to believe your estimate as to number will be wrong by being
much under the mark.' He adds, with characteristic frankness, 'What
has surprised me most is the quiet way in which the people here
take to the prepayment and stamping. I was always much afraid of
that part of the plan, and am glad to find myself wrong.'"
The following are further extracts from Mr. Baring's letter:--
"As I am writing to you I cannot help mentioning what was told
me at Weymouth this year, which shows how, in trifles even, your
scheme has been a benefit.
"I was at Weymouth when I was Chancellor of the Exchequer,
and busy with you about the reduction [of postage], and used,
with my children, to frequent a shell-shop and gossip with the
shopkeeper--a man of some intelligence in his way. I was at
Weymouth again this summer, and having gone to my shell friend,
after a little talk, 'Oh, Sir!' he said, 'I must tell you that the
penny postage that you were busy about when you were here last has
been a great benefit to me in my way, which you did not, I dare
say, expect, and I am sure I did not. I now send my shells all over
the country.'"
The following is a curious instance of a real advantage figuring as the
reverse. While the year's improvement did not equal my expectation,
a return called for by Parliament was so given as to make it appear
less than it really was, the progress in gross revenue being in effect
understated by about £100,000. The following is the explanation of this
anomaly:--By the system of prepayment the number of rejected letters
had been so diminished that the deduction made on their account from
the gross postage had been reduced by that sum, a fact suppressed in
the return.[53] I pointed out the error to the Accountant-General, who
at once admitted it, but explained that a corrective entry which he had
made in the return had been removed thence by order.
BOOK POST.
The following entries relate to the Book Post:--
"_January 28th._--Went to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to
endeavour to remove his objections to the book post. He is afraid
apparently of the railway interest, and dislikes the notion of
entering into competition with carriers. I reminded him that we did
not propose to avail ourselves of our monopoly [I should have said
'to extend our monopoly to the conveyance of books'], but merely to
serve the public better than it is now served; that no other system
than that of the Post Office would reach the rural districts; and
pointed out the moral and political importance of enlightening
those districts, &c., &c. We had a stout battle, but in the end he
gave up, suggesting, however, for my consideration, the expediency,
in the first instance at least, of restricting each packet to a
single volume."
This suggestion was adopted. The difficulties being thus removed, the
book post was at length established, the necessary warrant appearing
in the _Gazette_ of February 11th. At first any writing whatsoever
found in a posted book made it subject to letter charge, but this
absolute restriction was soon found to be inconvenient, especially to
collectors of old books. Professor De Morgan, I remember, found it a
little hard that a bar to the use of the book post should arise from
the mere fact that a useful volume contained some such inscription as
the following:--
"Anne price Her Booke
god give her grace therein to Look;"
The rule was accordingly made less stringent; writing, however, being
still restricted to a single page. In the course of years it became
allowable to write anything whatever, save only a letter, and, with the
same restriction, to send any matter, even if written throughout.
I am sorry to remark, however, that meantime advantage was taken of
the new facility for frequent attempt at evasion of postage; letters,
small articles of dress, &c., being slipped in between the leaves of
the books, and, ungallant as the statement may appear, I am bound to
mention that the chief offenders in this way were ladies. Sometimes
the means resorted to evinced no small pains and ingenuity, exercised
for the mere purpose of saving a few pence. Thus, in one instance
which I remember, a hole had been excavated in the thickness of an
old book--leaving not only the binding, but several leaves above and
below, uninjured, and in this hole was concealed a watch. And here I
may remark that, with every desire to give the public all possible
facilities, we were often deterred from so doing by the tricks and
evasions which too frequently followed any relaxation of our rules;
evasions which, even when detected, and when clearly opposed to the
_spirit and intention_ of the regulation, were sometimes defended--and
owing to the unwillingness of Government departments to risk defeat in
a court of justice, successfully defended--on the ground that there
was no infraction of the _letter_ of the regulation. The conscientious
part of the public--happily, so far as my experience shows, the great
majority--is little aware how much it suffers from unscrupulous conduct
such as this.
ECONOMIC MEASURES.
While thus carrying forward extensive and important improvements in
the single department placed under my exclusive superintendence, and
while instituting the book-post system, I found myself, by want of
necessary power, debarred from those more general improvements which
constituted important features in my plan as laid before Parliament. I
had nevertheless abundance of less profitable, though not unprofitable,
occupation in work mostly of a routine character. Here I had steadily
to resist such tendency to unnecessary increase in expenditure as
seemed likely, if unchecked, to render all my economical arrangements
nugatory. I had, at the same time, to seek every opportunity of
retrieving false steps made previously to my appointment;[54] some
of which were still producing serious waste. Of course, many of the
savings effected either way were, individually, of small amount, yet
not only were they important in their total, but also the care thus
exercised tended to introduce that spirit of economy without which no
department can produce its best effects.
_Scales of Salaries._
Sound economy, I need not say, requires that salaries should be
regulated by fixed principles; and as early as January 31st of this
year I had suggested to the Postmaster-General that it would be well
for the Treasury to appoint commissioners who should establish scales
of salaries equally applicable to all the revenue departments, so as at
once to remove mutual jealousy and to prevent unreasonable claims in
one department from arising out of unreasonable concession in another.
Such a Commission was actually appointed about five years afterwards,
and its proceedings will be mentioned in their proper place.
_Former Prodigality._
One past proceeding, strongly exemplifying the necessity for a
regulating principle, is set forth in the following extract from my
Journal. Rectification was an affair of great difficulty:--
"_May 27th._--In preparing for my minute on the mail guards I
have been obliged to read the papers on the subject for the last
eleven years. They show that a scale of wages about two-thirds of
that now in use was proposed by the officers of the department,
and recommended by Colonel Maberly; also that much lower wages
(21_s._ per week) had been paid for seven years to the guards on
the Manchester and Liverpool Railway, and that they were satisfied
therewith; that the Postmaster-General, in opposition to the advice
of his officers, proposed to the Treasury a scale nearly the same,
but slightly higher than that now established, and then appointed
a large number of new guards; that, owing to a blunder of ----'s
[instead of the change being limited to guards on railway, who got
no fees from passengers], the option was offered to all the guards
then in the service to be placed on this scale, as he admits,
without authority from the Treasury; that the Irish guards [who all
worked on mail-coaches], without exception, accepted the offer;
thus adding at once more than £5,000 a year to the expenses; that
an attempt was then made (in effect unsuccessfully) to withdraw
the offer, and that in the course of a few years the expenses in
mail guards were advanced from £10,513 in 1836, to £28,627 in 1841;
that my minute on the subject, written at the Treasury in 1842,
calling for explanations and suspending further advance meanwhile,
was sent to the Postmaster-General in August of that year, and
remained unanswered till September, 1845, and that in the meantime
the Post Office was frequently pressing the Treasury to remove the
suspension.... Towards the end of 1845 the Treasury took off the
suspension, and the arrears (about £2,000) were paid. The Committee
of Investigation, in 1843, called for a copy of my minute, and
of the proceedings consequent thereon, but it was delayed under
various pretexts, and was eventually withheld altogether."
_Letter-Boxes._
One means of economising the time of the letter-carriers, which I
had contemplated from the first, was to induce the public to provide
themselves with letter-boxes to the doors of their houses; and I now
suggested to the Postmaster-General the expediency of addressing a
circular on the subject, in his name, to the inhabitants of London. I
proposed that it should give information as to the cost of change, and
offer Post Office assistance in case of difficulty. At the time the
Postmaster-General concurred in all this, but for some months nothing
was done.
"_March 29th._--The P.M.G. has sent me a private note stating
his apprehension that the circular as to letter-boxes, &c., will
be ridiculed, and proposing to leave out all information as to
prices, &c. As he had previously sanctioned the circular, I suppose
some one must have excited these apprehensions. To me it appears
ridiculous to issue a circular without giving the information which
every one naturally desires; but of course it must be altered."
Letter-boxes, however, have become frequent, though far from being so
general as both economy and public convenience require. Neither the
Postmaster-General nor I imagined that the circular, limited as it was,
could give offence to any one. Nevertheless, it produced some angry
letters,--among others, one from the late Marquis of Londonderry, who
indignantly demanded whether the Postmaster-General actually expected
that he should cut a slit in his mahogany door!
MINOR IMPROVEMENT.
_Railway Notices._
The following minor improvement may perhaps be worth mentioning, as
being, if not particularly beneficial to the department, at least very
economical to that large portion of the public which is interested in
railway extension. Railway notices were at that time served personally
on landholders and occupiers by the solicitors of the companies, at the
rate of one guinea for each notice. The Speaker of the House of Commons
(now Lord Eversley) sent his private secretary, Mr. (now Sir Erskine)
May,[55] to confer with me on the expediency of having the notices
in question served by means of registered letters. To this there was
a very serious obstacle in the fact of the delivery not extending to
every house, so that I had to devise means by which this difficulty
might be overcome. At the end of four months, however, and in fair
time for the notices of the season, a plan which Mr. May and I jointly
concocted having received the sanction of Government, the proposed
regulations were issued; the effect being to reduce the expense of
serving a notice from one guinea to sixpence. I had, in due time, the
satisfaction to learn that the plan, as adopted, worked smoothly,
though it certainly appeared that some solicitors were in no special
haste to avail themselves of the new facility.
"_February 20th, 1849._--Met at my brother Matthew's house, Mr.
Brooks, the Home Missionary at Birmingham, a very intelligent,
active and benevolent man. He tells me that penny postage is
producing excellent effects as regards the poor, inducing large
numbers, even among the adults, to learn to write, and that
their correspondence is increased, he thinks, a hundred-fold.
He thinks requiring prepayment by stamps (the postmasters being
obliged to sell even a single stamp) will not interfere with the
correspondence of the poor, who are rather proud of sticking the
Queen's head on their letters."
FOREIGN EXTENSION.
I must now speak of the progress made during the year in the extension
of postal reform to foreign countries, as also changes in our relations
therewith.
_United States._
"_February 10th, 1848._--The Postmaster-General explained to me
the position of the postal treaty with the United States. Whatever
may have been our conduct at first, I think we are right now, and
the United States Government wrong. Bancroft, the United States
minister, had consented to an arrangement of perfect reciprocity,
viz., on each letter either way twopence to each government for
inland rate, and tenpence to the Government owning the packet, when
the United States Government refused its ratification; and yet,
owing to the absurd secrecy observed on such occasions [by our
official rule], the English, as well as the American papers, throw
all the blame on our Government. Proposed to the Postmaster-General
that I should see Thornley, Brown, and some other M.P.'s interested
in the matter, who had applied to me on the subject, and let them
know how matters stand--to which he assented, and I arranged to
meet them to-morrow morning."
I must observe that such hasty conclusions in the press, and
consequently in the public, are not so infrequent as could be wished;
the Post Office, and perhaps other departments of Government, being
frequently blamed for defects and anomalies which they have no power
to supply or remove. I must confess it has appeared to me that we
Englishmen have a singular disposition, where the question lies between
our neighbours and ourselves, to lay the blame, if possible, on
ourselves.
"_April 15th._--Mr. James Lee of New York came with an introduction
from Mr. Rathbone of Liverpool. Mr. Lee is intimate with the
President, and is anxious to assist in effecting amicable
arrangements as to the postal communication between this country
and the United States. He admits the abstract fairness of our
proposals, but contends that we ought to modify them because,
owing to the angry feeling on the part of the people in the United
States, the Government there cannot concur therein. This struck
me as a strange admission of weakness. I suggested an arrangement
which, though equally favourable to us, would not encounter the
prejudices of the American people; at the same time carefully
guarding myself against its being supposed that I was empowered
to negotiate. He caught eagerly at the suggestion: said that he
should go immediately to the American minister to consult him
thereon, and then see me again. Mr. Lee entirely confirms the
statement of mine, on which much doubt has been thrown, namely,
that the United States Post Office has no provision for the
delivery of letters, and consequently that, notwithstanding their
greater distances, they have no claim to a higher inland rate than
ourselves."
Meantime, progress was making in the United States towards such
measures as, by bringing their home postal system into accordance
with our own, would obviously facilitate international accommodation.
An association was formed at New York apparently for procuring the
adoption of my plan in all its points, and the President (Mr. Polk),
in his message to Congress, recommended that the variable rate,
established about three years before, should be reduced to a uniform
rate of twopence-halfpenny; the same to be prepaid. This I could not
but regard as a very complete acknowledgment of the fairness and
convenience of uniformity, considering the vast extent of the United
States, and that the measure followed a trial of two rates. An entry
in my Journal records that the treaty between the two countries was
settled. The terms, indeed, seemed to me unduly advantageous to
America, but, under all the circumstances, I approved of the concession.
_France._
Good progress was making also in France; the Revolution, so disastrous
in many respects, having at least removed from his office the chief
opponent of postal reform, M. Dubost. On June 21st I learnt from M.
Grasset, my former correspondent, that he had laid before a committee
of the National Assembly, with my friend M. St. Priest as president,
a proposal for a low uniform rate, payable by means of stamps.
Unfortunately he did not propose to make any distinction of charge
between letters prepaid and post-paid. On this modification which he
had made in my plan my correspondent prided himself as the simplest
system in the world. I could not but acknowledge, however, that, even
in spite of his modification, the proposed change would be a vast
improvement on the actual rates. The Report of the committee, drawn up
by "Citizen St. Priest," recommended a considerable reduction in the
charge for postage.
"_August 26th._--The _Times_ of this morning states that the bill
for the establishment of the twopenny rate passed the National
Assembly on the 24th."
By this Act money prepayment was forbidden, but as nothing was gained
by prepayment in stamps, the inducement to use stamps seemed but
weak, so that the economy involved therein was likely to be but small.
Experience showed the error, and the post-paid rate was afterwards
increased, I think, as with us, to a double amount. My friend M. Piron
obligingly sent me a sheet of the new French postage stamps, the
image on which was a female head, symbolical of the French Republic.
The confusion of the revolutionary period seemed to be whimsically
exemplified in the fact that, of the three hundred heads on the sheet,
several were inverted. This packet I received just before the close of
the year. A few days later I have the following entry:--
"_January 13th, 1849._--M. Thayer, the present head of the Post
Office in France, called, as he said, to see the father of their
improved Post Office system; he is new to his duties, and therefore
not very familiar with details, but he seems hopeful. He proposes
to exchange papers connected with the departments. He walked with
crutches, having been shot in the foot in attacking barricades in
June."
M. Thayer, I may remark, informed me that he was of English extraction,
referring me, for confirmation of his statement, to Thayer Street,
Manchester Square.
_Belgium._
Belgium, too, was in movement; and in a minute prepared in reply to
an application from the Government of that country, I was able to
show how accurately the results of penny postage had agreed with my
anticipations. Six months later, viz., in December, 1848, I received
a copy of the Government Bill, which proposed to reduce the various
postage rates to a uniform charge of twopence; retaining, however, the
lower rate of one penny for local letters. It appeared that the whole
number of letters was but nine millions, or about one-ninth part of
that delivered in the London district, the population of which is about
half of that of Belgium. The people of Brussels were pressing for a
penny rate.
When the question came before the Belgian Parliament, the Lower
House, rejecting the rate proposed by Government, adopted our own
rates; these, however, being rejected by the Upper House in favour of
a twopenny rate, the king, upon learning that this modification was
producing great and general dissatisfaction, proposed a compromise,
which was accepted. By his a penny was fixed as the rate for moderate
distances, the rate beyond being twopence. Stamps were to be used, and
a penny to be added in all cases where the letter was not prepaid.