The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-09 00:00:00

GENERAL POST-()FFICE.

Our remarks upon the state of the General Post-
office have already produced an official inquiry into '
the condition of that establishment. The Postmas-
ter-General has appointed a " Commission" to inves-
tigate " the working of the Circulation Department,"
and the Commissioners hive notified to the officers
of that department that they are ready to receive
from them any suggestions in writing, or any
delegates who may be deputed by any class or sec-
tion for the purpose of direct conference. So far,
SO good. The Commission can hardly fail of hearing
a certain amount of troth, but wo beg to say that
au inquiry thus instituted and thus conducted will
certainly not satisfy the desires of the public or the
real exigencies of the case.
To begin with, we are not so much as informed
even of the names of the Commissioners. We only
know that they are the nominees of the Post-office
authorities—of the Postmaster-General or some of
his colleagues—it may be of Sir Rowland Hill him-
self. Nobody could accept as satisfactory the report
of such a Commission. We dare say the Commis-
sioners may be upright and intelligent men, but, if
anything like finality is to attend their proceedings,
distrust will attach to them from the very outset.
Establishments are not to be judged of by them-
selves. When such institutions are thought to require
reform they are scrutinised from without. The
Commissioners charged with the inquiry receive
their appointments and their instructions from
superior and independent authority, and conduct
their duties in a public uncompromising spirit. We
cannot, of course, assume that the Postmaster-Gene-
ral's Commission may not be composed of competent
sr impartial members, but we see very distinctly
that it cannot command public confidence. It is
appointed by the chief officers of the very department
suspected of inefficiency ; it will shape its proceed-
ings according to directions given by the same
authorities; to the same authorities it will make
its report, and the whole matter will begin and end
within the walls of the establishment. This is
not the kind of inquiry now needed. If the Post-
master-General chooses to institute this preliminary
scrutiny for his own private information, well and
good ; but the questions which have been publicly
raised can only be settled by a more public and in-
dependent tribunal.
We must next observo that the scope of the in-
quiry as now stated is by no means so comprehen-
sive as it should be. Our report charged the Post-
office with general insufficiency when judged by
the needs of the day, and alleged that this insuffici-
ency was due to the double effect of a parsimonious
ex pen diture—viz., defective accommodation and
underpaid service. As a consequence of thepressure
thus produced, we showed that the department was
under constant temptation to shirk or neglect its
duties, and in particular that newspapers had been
gradually deprived of the advantages of the pest,
until at last they were threatened with the total
loss of their ancient character and privileges. Now
it is perfectly obvious that these imputations can-
not be met by the mere receipt of evidence on " the
relative positions and duties" of certain Post-office
servants. Such evidence, however fearlessly given,
or however impartially recorded, can at best but en-
lighten the authorities on the discontents prevailing
among the officers in their employ. Thperieenitsyptloenbtye
,toanbde done besides.
but learntthere
itsh
alsoat d i rine cut
ei ohn
fdtroonielle)ei;iublic has its own concern in the matter, as
well as the staff of the establishment. The Post-
officeservants want a reconsideration of their duties
and their salaries ; the public is calling for such an
aiministration of the Post-office as shall make it the
best, cheapest, most convenient, and most available
medium for the diffusion of intelligence. The Com-
missioners just appointed may possibly do something
towards satisfying the letter-carriers, but they will
assuredly do nothing towards satisfying the
country.
We must once more place this subject in its
true light before the public, for the questions in-
volved are of a very singular character. The Post-
office is not charged with corruption, malversation,
or waste. It is not even accused of mismanage-
ment in the ordinary sense of the term, for it
would perhaps be impossible to give the public
better service on the same principles or out of the
penny postage system has rendered the
same means. What we say is, that the introduc•
lion of the
accommodation at the command of the establish.
ment utterly inefficient, and that the desire of
saving a large surplus for the national revenue has
prevented such an employment of the resources of