The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-06-11 00:00:00

Etc tourbage Olbserter

SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1887.

THE POST-OFFICE.

THE Postmaster- General's lot is not a happy
one. He is constantly pressed by the clam-
ouring public and their representatives in
Parliament to afford every possible facility
for the cheap and speedy transit of corres-
pondence and other postal packets, and at
ti.nes he is the recipient of many unreason-
able requests. If anything goes wrong
er, ugh want of the most perfect and con-
stant oversight in any part of the postal,
ey order, or telegraphic departments
ure;er his control he is the recipient of a
current of complaint, not to say abuse. This
net withstanding he works on zealously for
the public scr.iee, anxious, be he appointed
by a Liberal or a Conservative Premier, to
establish a reputation as a statesman of re-
source, tact, organising ability, and business
capacity. A max of the world whose ener-
gies are devoted to the great public does not
always expect appreciation, let alone thanks,
at the time, but if he be worthy of his high
trust, he aims at deserving both. And to do
them justice, our postmasters have all striven
to amend the service according to their light,
and not without success. But the political
chief at St. Martin's-le-grand has but at
best a brief tenure of office, and Must, in a
measure, be at the mercy of the permanent
heads of departments, who will not, natal.-
all v, view all his attempts at reform with a
kindly 'eye, especially when he has the
audacity to venture upon reforming them.
These gentlemen must, however, if need
arise. be taught by their masters that they
will have to submit to any new regulation
that may Le necessary in the public interest.
If they have used the experience long asso-
ciation with their duties has given them
faithfully, and all for the good of their
several departments and the postal system
generally, they have nothing to fear from
the periodical over-haulings of a new Post-
master-General, and can enter without out-
rage to their dignity or injury to their posi-
tions into the promotion of any well-advised
schemes of reform he may be able to pro-
pose. But, to pass on. Beside& pleasing
the public and exerting himself to work
amicably with the chief permanent officials,
upon whose co-operation so much of his own
labour depend for effectuality, the Post-
master-General has the whole immense staff
t control and conciliate; and they are, if a
worthy, hardworking, and generally reliable
body, also at times bad to manage and given
greatly to grumbling, with or without cause.
The questions of duty and its hours of dura-
tion and of the rates of salary in the various
divisions are constantly causing friction and
heartburning, and the Head Postmaster
needs some of the tactical qualifications of a
military general to maintain the discipline
of his great army of assistants, and keep
them cheerfully and contentedly at work.
But the bigeat bugbear of all those that the
chief of the Post Office finds in his path of
progress is his fellow minister, the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer, who looks to him to
make a substantial addition to the Treasury
receipts out of the business of carrying her
Majesty's mails. What he might do but for
this necessity for securing profit on every
transaction of the gigantic national post-
office shop is ever before him. He could
heed the cry of any over-worked or under-
paid clerk. He might listen to the demands
of the public that this or that mail might be
accelerated at considerable cost; that the
other postal service might be made has ex-
pensive, though sacrifice should be entailed
by the concession. Here is the key-note of
:he PoAtmastcr-General's difficulties. He
could do much better for the public were he
not compelled to regard the Post-office as a
stairce from fshich State revenue is largely
derivable. So long as this is the case, Mr.
Henniker Heaton and others may take up
Cie grievances of serynnts of St. Martin's-le-
and in vain; first-class and lower division
el, rks may brood on over what they are
con vineed are injustices, with little hope of
relief; Mr. Bradlaugh may bring indictment
after indictment against anomalies in the
postal system; the public may petition
fruitlessly for any fresh advantage of material
value ;and the Postmaster-General himself,
be he never so anxious to mend matters, will
find all his endeavours stop short of success.
We contend that the only proper and satis-
factory principle is that the Post-office
should apply its profits, artor fairly re-
munerating all the necessary officials for
their devotion to duty, to the expansion of
its plans for promoting the public con-
venience. The Chancellor of the Exchequer
should be sent elsewhere to btain additions
to the creditor side of his Budget, in order
that the Postmaster-General might cheapea
his charges wherever there is inequality or
comparative ext u-tion, and offer to the home
pn bile and inhabit eits.of the Colonies ad•
vantages not only equivalent to those held
out by foreign Governments, but worthy of
a profitable concern of the magnitude of our
British postal service.

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