The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-07-15

! excursion. They were marched to the Park, and
from thence to Lafayette Hall, where they were dis
! missed.
Postal Reform-When Shall We Have 1t
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
II seems very evident that our Post Office to the
| people by far the most important branch Of the
govelnmel its destined to remain 10 q slough Of
despond, till the people take the subjest earnestly
In hand, and demand OF Congress that the whole
department be overloaded and placed on q different
footing. We care not how it Ia done 90 it ia done
at all; but we despair Of anything being done by
| the department itself under the management that
It Is at present. It is the old story over and over
again: all reforms and improvements mast originate
with the people. In England, country that has
had regular post offics system for over two hun
dred years, there has lot been one single improve
ment OF any magnitude whatever that has not besn
commenced outside Of the Post Office Department;
and then the only records that fnd Of action on
the part of the officials has been the bitterest and
strongest opposition to all progress and advance.
ment. They never had penny post or local deli
very in London till the reign Of Charles H., and
then it was started by private individual. As
soon az he found the scheme remuuerative, the
government arrested him and crushed HE business,
when the public wants required just what ne had
started but what the postal authorities had never
thought Of establishing uil they found him making
profit by 1t. hundred years after this the mails
were only transported about three miles an hour,
and by the most una .fe and uncertain conveyancas.
Then Q man was found for the emergency; bat
but what was e--postmastergeneral, or only an
assistant perhaps mere post Office clark? No.
not either; but the manager of country theatre.
The proposition for this improvement of the mail
service one would scarcely suppose required any
great genius, as it only consisted in taking
the mails from post boys, post men, and pos
horses, and transferring them to ths stages SO that
the mails should have the swiftest conveyance the
country afforded. One would suppose SUCH an 90
vious Improvement would have met with the mos.
direct encourageme Mt and support from every
But no the Post Office officials and their tools in
Parliament, gave it the most fiery and vehement
opposition. One honorable member" said, the
whole value of the proposed Improvement was based
on " an impoesibiity, namely, that the Bath mail
could be brought to London In eighteen hours'
An official" impossibty, without doubt; but that
same mail between Bath and London (about one
hundred miles) is now carried In two hours. But
Mr.. Palmer 3 Improvement Of transporting the mail
in stage coaches, alter many years. official opposi
ton, adopted and continued till the steam horse
ran the stages of the track. Mr. Palmers merits were
acknowledged in q grant from the treasury by
special act Of Parliament Of $3.50 600, aud an an
nuity of SIS 900 year for life.
The next great improvement in the British postal
service was tbs memorable one Of penny postage,
so trium phaptly carried through by Mr.. Rowland
Hill. Mr.. Hill was only wsllinformed English
gentleman, and not Post Office official. OF course
bis scheme was opposed. II was opposed In the
Post Office Department and opposed In Parliame Mt.
But, on the other hand it had supporters 10 PArlia
ment, and supporters out Of Paria nent. The peo-
pie demanded it, and after some four years hard
fighting the Penny Postage act passed, in the
autumn Of 1889. And what has been the results
We all we'll know that the result has been the most
perfect efficient, active and profitable post office sys
tenn In the world The correspondence OF the country
has increased from less than eighty millions OF let
tiers, in 1889, to four hundred and fortyshree mil
lions (443 600 000) in 1854. Though the rates OF
postage were lowered to just about one seventh of
what they were before the penny rate, the gross
receipts have increased more than two millions OF
dollars beyond what they we're before. and now give
a clear profit to the government OF $5,976000, al
most six millions OF dollars. For twenty years
previous to 1S35-the date Of Mr.. Rowland HuFs
firs, pamphles-the post office receipts had con-
star ty fallen OH and since me penny postage com
receipts have more than doubled. Here We zee the
contrast between the British system and ours The
British public write and seLd by mail ovsr four
hundred millions of letters IN year, while our
population only send y little over hundred mil
lions. Our post office facilities are costly,
unsafe and irregular; and as naturL consequence,
burden on the government. Theirs Is cheap, Ell
cacious, rapid and cafe; and per consequence, o
source Of large profit TO the treasury. And wherein
lies this vast difference There isno mystery ABOUT
It; 1t 10 all very plan. Every town and city ia
Great Britain has subpost Offices and receiving
houses letter carriers and mail deliveries from four
to ten times q day; the mails are rapid, safe and
punctual; the system OF money orders in use enables
every one to remit money With perfect safety, aud
local distribution OF letters In the English towns is
not ten times but often hundred times as great as
in the American cities. We have not single
post office except the old Dutch Church,
in Nassau street. on New York island, tract
Of land fifteen miles long, and containing
| about three quarters OF o million OF people;
| nor single reliable place where letters Gao be
mailed TIE city Of Norwich, 10 England, with less
than 100 600 people, has 70 local sub p ,st onices
| and receiving houses Philadelphia, with 40 3ut
nall million, has not one. Manchester, WIN
5000 people, has i07 sub post Offices Baltimore,
| with 10000. not one. London has over 450 sub
post ofbces, but in Boston, New York, and New
| Orleers, there Ia not one. In London there are
about 400 letter carriers holding permanent APP
poini meru, under the post office; In Msnches-
ter, l16. There ara in Great Britain about
9,c00 letter carriers, while 10 TIE United States
there is not one single carrier, except those en-
| ployed by the public, in a few large cities,
| and paid extra for sil their services. In
| Eugsnd the delivery Of letters ia free e.
every one: here there Is lot q responsible csrrier,
persons here In N " York send eeverA mules every
d.y 10 mail and obtain Their letters How much
lcrgvr il this state of taugs to be epdursdl A
reti,on has lately been sent 70 the Postmaster