The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-11 00:00:00

E BRITISH PRESS.

of a clerk (ac we do not think that any should be spored front the
present Sale Office), and probably a small increase of the salaries
of the clerks in the Sale Office, on account of additional attend-
ance."

Now a shop in Hunter's-equare could not be procured
under a rent of 1001. a year, and the clerk's salary could
not be fixed at much below 1.501.; but the Commissioners
must have considered the subject very slightly, if they
conceive that this would include the whole expense. In
the first place, a sufficient stock of stamps of every de-
scription must be supplied to this branch of the Sale Office;
but if the clerk is not to reside there, this stock of stamps
must be left every night on the single lock. In this state
of insecurity, no sureties would hold themselves respon-
sible, should any amount of' stamps be stolen. To provide
against this danger, the clerk must reside; there must con-
sequently be proper accommodation ; a shop or Sale Office
will then not be sufficient; there must be a sleeping-
, room and sitting-room, which must be furnished ; and,
as the clerk cannot sweep his own room, or light his
own fires, nor perform various other offices that are neces-
sary, a charwoman becomes indispensable. There must,
of course. be an allowance of coals and candles; for in
Edinburgh the use of them will be required for three
parts of the year. In addition to these apartments, there
must, of course, be a coal-cellar; and as candles, brooms,
brushes, and other requisites for the charwoman, cannot
be kept in the bedroom, there must be some spare room
approptiated to this purpose. Here, then, we have an
office to be fitted up, and a house furnished; an allowance
of coals and candles, and a charwoman, all for one clerk,
which will be an expense of not less than Soo/. a year.
But even when this expense is incurred, it would be insuf-
ficient, for there being only one clerk, he could not be ab-
sent fur any period, however short, during the office hours,
there being no person to supply his place, without locking
up the office for security .Curing his absences The great
inconvenience of this is obvious,-and would eery soon be
felt. Neither could los- be absent of an evening without
danger, as be could have no person on the premises; and
to leave a stock of Stamps, to the amount of many. thou-
Rand pounds, thus exposed, would be a risk, against the
consequence of which no sureties would indemnify. Thus
all this expense would be incurred to support a plan which
puts the am curity of the stock most imprudently to hazard,
independently of all the inconveniences which it brings in
its train. And all this for the purpose of superseding the
two appointments by which the public are already infinitely
better accommodated, and all this attendant expense and
ill consequence avoided.
The second plan proposed is—
" Teat the allowance given to those who purchase stamps in
large quan•ities by schedule C. of the 44th of the late King, be ex-
tended to purchasers at the Head Office, at Elinburgh."
But this plan is liable to still greater objections than the
former. The object to he attained by enabling the public
to obtain stamps from Mr. Cameron, in the Old, and Mr.
Hatton, in the New Town, was, as has been already stated,
to remedy the inconvenience so long complained of, occa-
sioned by the Stamp Office closing so early, and to put an
end to the improper practice of the Sale Office Clerks of
taking stamps home to their own houses, and retailing
them at a high per centage ; but this plan would not re-
medy either of these evils—its only effect would be to in-
duce a few of the booksellers to purchase a small quantity
of rece;pt stamps, which they would retail again with a
profit of 91. per cent. But in Edinburgh, where Bankers
pay et. per cent. for money deposited for however short a
period, and 4/. per cent. if exceeding six months, no per-
sons can be expected to keep a complete stock of law stamps,
for which they must pay ready money, at the risk of losing
taste, on the pr..carious slow sale of high price stamps,
than they would gain by the 14 per cent. profit on those of
smaller amount. The public of Edinburgh would still
be restricted to the &amp-office hours, or be subjected
to the additional price charged by the Clerks, if they
had occasion to put chase them after three o'clock, when
the office closes.

It now remains to develop the real cause of all this stre-
nuous opposition which is manifested on the part of the
head officers in Edinburgh to the creation of these two ap-
pointments. The retail sale of stamps at the bead office
amounts, as stated, on the average, to 130,000!. annually;
ihe receipt of cash is consequently about SUN. per day; it
is on this daily receipt, placed out at three pounds per cent.
interest, that the great profit is made; but these two ap-
pointments, whatever accommodation they may give to the
public of Edinburgh, tend greatly to diminish the private
source of emolument, becauae that daily receipt is lessened
by one-half; and though Messrs Hamm and Cameron
account to the Head Distabutor, still the cash is nut paid
in regularly, day by day, and the interest does not, there-
fore, accrue upon it so early nor so constantly as before.
And as this profit of the interest was not exclusively re-
ceived by the Ilead Distributor, the Comptroller, also, who
kept the interest cash-book, with his whole system of du-
plicate accounts, found these appointments interfere with
the accustomed regularity with which this profitable part
of the system had been conducted.
The Clerks in the sale Office also lost one great share of
I profit. The selling stamps at home after office hours was
wholly done away by these appointments. The Commis..
sinners of Inquiry profess to state the salary and emoluments
of each Clerk in the different departments, when detailing
their respective duties ; hut it is somewhat remarkable, that
with respect to the Clerks in the Sale Office, this source of
emolument is not noticed, but is adverted to under the mar-
gined head of "Holidays observed, and hours of at tentlance,"
a topic with which it is quite disconnected. It is important,
however, that it should not escape the attention of your
Lordships, as it is one of those prominent abuses which led
to the appointments under discussion.
Their inquiries appear to have been made by the Com-
missioners in those channels in which the nature and ex-
tent of this extortionate practice might have been disco-
vered ; but, es is the case throughout, the parties them-
selves are alone examined, and their communication alone

is reported.
The lint clerk states that he is sometimes applied to for stamps
on holidays, or after office hours, and that he has often come from
his own house to the office and supplied the demand, without any
remuneration, but more generally he charges something for his
trouble, in consequence of the party not applying during the olless
hours of business. The additional charge he makes is according Is
the amount of the stamp wanted, from Is. 2d. to 2s. He has never
taken more than the last-mentioned sum, however high the stamp.
For a stamp of the denomination of Sis. he charges It, and so in
proportion for those of a larger amount.
" We shall afterwards submit what occurs to us as the proper
means of remedying this incorrect practice, after we have nealecd
tire late appointment of Sub-Distributors in Edinburgh."
Your Lordships, however, will not fail to observe, that
the Commissioners do not submit any mode of remedying
this practice, which they thus admit to be improper, and
is hich deserves to be characterized by a much stronger
epithet ; since both Mr. Hepburne and Mr. Pender
sanction this practice, which, as well as the receipt of in..
tercet on the public money, makes part of the system. But
not only is no remedy suggested, but then two appoint..
menta, which did remedy it, they labour to set aside; by
which means this improper practice would be suffered thus
to continue, and the public of Edinburgh remain subjected
to the payment of such extrei charge as the clerks may
choose to impose, for the means of accommodation, which
they are thus permitted to monopolize.
Now, with respect to this statement, width is given by
the first clerk, it ss not correct. It is capable of proof,
that 5/. per cent. was charged os the value of stamps sold
at his own house after office hours, and which of course
made it his interest to keep the Sale Office open as short a
time as possible. A very considerable profit was also made
on the sale of bill stamps, arising from the extra charge on
the paper.
" The third clerk (Mr. Neils) has never been applied to for any
stamps, except during office boors."
This assertion is so notoriously contrary to the fact, that
the slightest inquiry would have proved it to be quite un-
warranted, and have shown how liable these Commissioners
were to be imposed on, by taking as the ground of their Re-
port the information of the party interested in withholding the
truth. This third clerk, litr.Neile, in addition to hissituation
as clerk in the Sale Office, keeps& shop for the sale of shoes
in the high-street; and even up to the time I was last at
Edinburgh, there was always an oval board over the door
with the following
inscription— Law Stamps of all
kinds." Whether it was removed after the means hail been
established by the Board of procuring stamps, both in the
Old and New Town, or whether it was only removed pend-
ing the Commission of Inquiry, I don't know ; but that
the' stamps were regularly sold then, and at a high per
tentage, is so notorious, that It is somewhat surprising that
he should venture his assertion, and expect it would find a