The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-07-31 00:00:00

THE POST OFFICE.

The annual report isf the Postmaster General just
published, shows that The number of letters delivered
in the 'United Kingdom in 1868 was in round numbers
808,118,000, an increase of 429 per cent, over the
number in 1867. This gives an average of 26 letters to
each person, 149 to each honer ; iu Endand 3) letters
to each person, in Scotland 24, in Ireland 10.
The number of book packets, newepapers, and
pattern packets delis ered by post in the United King-
dom in 1868 advanced to 105,845,000, an increase of
349 per cent, over the number in the previous year.
The depositers in the Post Office Savings Banks at
the end of the year 1868 were 965,154, an increase of
121 per cent. over the preceding year, 131 per cent.
in England. 3 6 per cent, in Se, tland, 8 7 per cent. in
Ireland. The balance due to depositors £11,666,655
showed an increase of 196 per cent, 392 per cent. in
England, 19/ per cent. in Scotland, 33 per cent. in
Ireland. The total number of depositors in Post
Office ravings backs and the old RaVillL`g banks
2 336,654. or one to every 13 persons, showed an in-
crease of 97,307.
The number of policies effected with the Govern-
ment through the Post Office increased from 1,485 at
the close of 1867 to 1,789 at the close of 1868 ; the
amount insured from £111,437 to £134,824. The num-
ber of immediate annuities from 551 to 874 ; the
amount from £12,393 a year to £18,789. The number
of deferred annuities from 137 to 160 ; and the amount
from £2,574 to £2,971. On the other hand, the amount
for which money orders were issued fell from £19,282,109
in 1867 to £19,079,162 in 1868, a decrease of about one
percent, due to the distribution of the parliamentary
grant for education by the Privy Council Office being
no longer made by means of money orders. Only
£115,827 of this grant was thus distributed in 1868, as
against £502,960 in 1867.
In-1868, letters coming from France by the night
mails were for the first time delivered in London at
half-past seven in the morning instead of at nine.
During the four busiest hours of the day half-hourly
collections began to be made from eixty additional re-
ceiving houses and pillar boxes in the City. Padding-
ton was placed on the same footing as other parts of
the metropolis in regard to the frequency of its col-
lections and deliveries. Direct communication was
established between some of the district post offices and
others, instead of the letters being massed at one
central point and thence distributed; thus still further
extending the advantages of the district postal system.
No less than 13,833 letters were posted during the
year without any address, and of these 13,833 letters
281 were found to contain money to the amount of
£6,375.
In the last annual report it was stated that the Post
Office, which had already undertaken the distribution
of forms of applications for dog licenses, was about to
undertake the distribution of the licenses themselves.
This it has now done for some months, and the ar-
rangement has worked admirably. During the first
quarter of the present year 381.476 licences were issued
by the Post Office; 340,613 in England and Wales, and
40,863 in Scotland.
As regards a reduction of postage upon newspapers
and other printed matter, respecting which there was
a debate in the House of Commons only the ether day,
"It will be my duty (the Marquis of Hartington says)
carefully to consider the question before the next meet-
ing of Parliament."