The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-15 00:00:00

211 E LETT.ER,CARIZTERS AND THE
POST-OFFICE.

Yesterday evening a pablic meeting of the letter-
carriers employed in the London district was hold
in St. Martin's-hall, for the purpose of explaining
the nature of the grievances under which they at
present labour.

+
Mr. John Bennett took the chair soon after
eight o'clock, at which hour the ball, platform, and
galleries were densely crowded with letter-carriers
in uniform, and sorters employed at the General or
District Post-offices.

'Mr. BENNETT, after a few prefatory remarks,
said they were 'met to ltear the complaints of the
letter-carriers, and he was sure there must be great
truth at the bottom of all their allegations, or
2,000 or 3,000 well-conducted men would not
bo found so unanimous in demanding redress.
When the whole body were seen thus united in
their appeal to reason and to the public, he was cer-
tain there must be something wrong in the way they
were administered. He hoped that night they
would state their grievances with temper, and he
felt sure they would do so with truth. It was im-
possible for them not to feel their wrongs, but he
trusted they would abstain, as far as possible, from
all violent expressions of dissatisfaction, and con-
fine themselves only to such facts as were abso-
solutely necessary to be stated in order to be re-
formed. There was no denying that within the last
15 or 20 years the Post-office had improved im-
mensely in the discharge of its public duties; but
latterly, most unfortunately, it had been regarded
too much as a system of taxation, and bitter dis-
content had been engendered by. the continued
attempts to wring more work from what he might
term the starvation pay of the subordinates em-
ployed to carry out the system. (Hear, hear.)
They had memorialised over and over again, but in
vain ; and now that the press had taken up the
matter they were determined to appeal to the pub-
lic at large. The masterly articles which had
appeared on, the subject of the Post-office disorga-
nisation in the Times had been echoed and copied
by the press of this country throughout the length
and breadth of the land. (Cheers.) The country
had thus been thoroughly awakened to the impor-
tance or the subject, and the matter would not now,

he trusted, be let drop till the entire system at St.
Martin's-le-Grand had been regenerated. The com-
mission lately employed by the Government had
never had the confidence of the Post-office employes,
and had. not even treated their memorials with the
common courtesy of acknowledgment. Now, how-
ever, within the last few days, the commission had
been reconstituted, and he believed that they would
be found to be sincere in their efforts to ameliorate
the condition of the subordinates at the General
Post-office, though their first request to the men had
been to send in a statement of their complaints, bat
not to hold a public meeting at St. Martin's-
hall. But the letter-carriers declined to take that
course. They felt that they had incurred the respon-
sibility of calling that meeting, and they had too
much self-respect to shrink from the duty they owed
to the public when they put themselves before it,
and therefore the meeting had taken place. Re-
trenchment was the order of the day at the Post-
office, and while he thought no remuneration was
too high to reward Sir Rowland Hill for the great
benefits he had conferred upon the public and the
world, he was still of opinion that economy might
be safely ventured on in regard to the salary of the
Postmaster-General, who, while drawing his high
pay, could nevertheless be off to Hong Kong, or
anywhere else, without the least detriment to the
service, as far as lettersearrying or the duties of the
Post-office were concerned. (Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. COOPER, in moving the first resolution, briefly
recapitulated the grievances of the extra midday
duties. They were at first imposed upon already
overworked men, who undertook them for the sake
of the ffs. a week which was then allowed. Gradually,
however, as the principle of the work was established,
the extra money was withdrawn, and the labour
was increased, though the men received nothing
whatever for its lierformance.
Mr. SHAW, who followed this speaker, said he
felt compelled, with the utmost deference, to differ
with what had fallen from their chairman in the
opinion which he had expressed that the Commission
which was then sitting would permanently amelio-
rate their condition. The letter-carriers, and he be-
lieved also the sorters, had no faith whatever in the
Commission. (Hears) It would only have the effect
of softening their hardships for a time, but they
were sure, sooner or later, to see them reimposed.
(Cheers.) What they wanted was to have their just
complaints attended to, and the causes of discontent
done away with at once and for ever. He complained
bitterly of the system of promotion by merit, which
he believed to be nothing more nor less than a gross
system of favouritism. (Cheers.) Boys were placed
high over the heads of men who had grown old in the
service, and who had large families to support.
(Continued cheers.) It was not to the men thus pro-
moted he objected, as he wished to avoid anything
personal to them ; it was the system against which
they one and all wished to be protected. (Cheers.)
These were not imaginary grievances which had
been raised, as the Postmaster-General had stated
in his last report, by the aid of the press. They
were true cases of everyday injustice, under which
all of them writhed. (Cheers.) It had been boldly
stated in the last general report for 1859 that there
11 m the Post-office "quite agree with that
was difficulty in selecting fit objects for promotion.
save the characters of the men who were
'otter-
so chosen
Dwtidetnotti:y
(gear, hear.) As regarded wages, the
earficss had not new actually enough to live
on and keep their families. It could not be done on
;h7.hadere were they to look
n warned by the
as it would
be certain to tempt the men. 'Mould it noi: he far
secretaryfl 08r3.m oron 19s.
a o
t r rthoe send week,a
public money in letter;,
better to place them en such a scale of remuneration
as 1„,,0',,;1.1. et, least remove the weight with which
this temptation note came upon them. Was it un-
reasonable that they should ask, after 15 years' con-
tinitotts Mervieei to be entitled to a pay of £2 a weak,
and that would. be the utmost to which they could
rise ? (Cheers.) Another reform which he most
earnestly trusted would be attempted and carried
out would be some change in the present system of
driving and goading the men through their heavy
work. He believed all the slaveries he had had read
of were not worse than the slavery system which
went on unknown to the public from year to year in
St. Martin's-le-Grand. He had been told he would
be
" marked" for speaking out on these matters, but
unless they were all united and co-operated in this
matter nothing would be done, There was more
required khan POO sympathy i Orileq catNl livos4