Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-01-19
Or Balm Sgg.
Cn.., Postage aud Free Delivery.

In a former article, we alluded to the meal
eulable advantage which would arise out OF
the entire abolition of the Thanking privilege,
aud the absolute necessity Of "a great reduce
ton OF it.in order to prevent-a return tohigh-
er rates Of postage, as the revenue Of the De-
partment. at present, falls so much short Of
It's expenditures. We wish, now, to present
somc further considerations and suggestions,
showing the feasibility and expedieney of even
still greater reduction in the rates, and yet
causing the Department to net handsome
profit out Of the operation, besides securing
the free aelipeyy of letters from the post offices
in all the cities and large towns, to the place
Of business or residence of those to whom
they are addressed. as is the case in Great
Britain; where one penny, or two cents, on
each half ounce, if pre- paid, and four cents il
not. for all distances, covers all expenses of
transportation, including delivery. and yet
yields large net annual surplusto the treas
ury.
The vast convenience which would accrue
to the public, in the large cities especially,
from the adoption of such a system in this
country, may be readily conceived. The great
advantages which would arise from frequent
and prompt delivery of letters. even in place
no larger than Worcester, can hardly be over
estimated. The triumphant success of the
experiment, both pecuniarly and as public
accommodation, in England, for the last if
49,, .S..-. 3; a., ;-raf,,4ob la aronrnaDt in lie
favor. Ii is even found cheaper to distribute
the letters in this way, than todispose of them
according to the present system. In other
words. it would be more profitable to the gov
eminent peeuniarily (tosay nothing of the in
calculablo benefit tothe people, to send letters
ii this way, TO the addresses of individuals,
than to keep them on hand till called for. In
matter Of help, there would be merely SUBJ
sitution Of carriers for clerks.
The working of this syssem can be easily
illustrated. by instancing first, as an example,
the city of Ediburgh, in Scotland, whose pop
ulation is about the same as that OF Boston,
leo, 900. The following facts, gathered from
the pamphlet of MIR. Pliny Miles, on the SUBJ
ject of Postal Reform, we take from the Bos-
ton Journal, which recommends, with great
earnestness, the adoption Of the same system
here -
Eiinburg has one central post office, and
twenty six receiving houses, where letters
q deposited. There are seventy-four "letter
carriers who not only collect the deposited
letters" eight times per day, but distribute 10
the cltizeus all letters, local and foreign, four
times per day. The consequence is that where
letters are distributed several times, and an
opportunity is afforded to get answers to them
on the same day, the nnmberis vastly increas-
ed. Hence the number OF letters in Edin-
bursh in 1854 was forty. eight to each inhabi-
tant, while the average number in England
was sixteen, and in the United States i've TO
each innabitant.
In London the free delivery extends twelve
miles III all directions. making an area of
sevemty-hy miles in circuit. In circle Of
three miles nearest the post Office are ten de-
liyeEies per day, and in the extreme outer cir
Gle three per day. To carry Oh this grand
system requires 1885 "letter carriers and
498 .receising HOUSES. If the same system
was in operation here, the Boston Office would
embrace not only the cities of Roxbury, Cam
bridge Charlestowu and Lynn, cut the towns
of q lincy, Waltha.n, and all places nearer. -
The effect would be that persons residing in
any OF these cities and towns could commu-
nicale with each other through the post Office
several times each day, ms tead of once III two
OF three days, as now. 1t takes as long to get
ali answer to a letter sent to any of our sur
rounding cities or villages, as tides to receive
one from New York. In London, on the
contrary, If a tradesman il the centre Of the
city wishes to communicate with his family
several miles out, he can do so every one or
two hours during the day. Under such sys-
tenn here, letters left at one of the "receiving
houses in Lynn, Quincy, Waltham, or any
other town, before i've o'clock, p. NJ, would
be delivered anywhere in the district the anne
evening
Liverpool, with 375,955 inhabitants, has
SO receiving houses" and 80 "letter curriers'"
Manchester, GLASGOW and Dublin have SINH.
lar arrangements, which produce similar re-
suits.
One cannot help noting, here, the surpris-
ing increase in the number of letters which
pass through the British post offices, arising
out Of the free delivery and cheap postage
policy; it being in the proportion of forty
eight TO five in Scotland, and sixteen to FIVE
In England, compared with what they are in
this country, where there is SO much greater
diffusion Of intelligence, and SO much larger
number who can read and write, than in
Great Britain, and where there is every other
reason in the world why there should be
more general practice Of letter writing. by far,
than in any other country. And this will
assuredly be the case, as soon as we have the
same facilities and conveniences offered us by
gov. rnment, that are afforded the subjects of
monarchy.
Another much needed change in our postal
system, is that Of charging extra, or double,
forletters not pre- paid, instead of the present
law Of compulsory prepayment. Iu that
way. alone, gret addition might be made
to the treasury. beside the accommodation
which would thereby be affored. The de-
struction of letters, Of which there would
naturally be large number during the year.
dropped an by those who inadvertently forget
the postage. is not only an act OF bar6arity,
but totally opposed to pecuniary policy. How
many would rather pay ten times the amount
Of postage, than have them thus served.
The pamphlet of Mr.. Pliny Miles. who has
served some time as Clerk in the Department
at Washington, and resided several years in
London, and well posted himself in regard to
the operation of the two systems, the British
and the American, contains facts and argu-
,nants wall worthy M ivereal cor grafton and