The hydraulic press., 1859-07-02
THE BRITISH POST OFFICE.

| The annual report of the British Pos1
Master General for 1858 is very interesting
document and full of hints that might be
useful in America. The number of post of
fees in the United Kingdom is 1926, and
the whole number Of letters transmitted
through the mail last year was 522, ,sf4 900,
This is an increase of ls4 millions over the
number transmitted the year before. l27,-
365,OOO letters were written in London
alone, being almost one-fourth of the whole
number sent in the United Kingdom. There
were II, l,OOo,O 900 newspapers and 100000
book packets sent by mail during the year.
], ZOO, 900 letters were returned to the writers
from inability to find the persons to whom
they were addressed In America such let
tiers are called ''deadN and annually burned.
The number Of money orders sent through
the post-office was 6,689 1896, and the amount
of money so remitted exceeded $63, 700, 900.
The gross revenue of the whole postal de-
partment for the year 1858 was more than
SIS, 5,OOO,oOO, and the expenses less than So
100000; the clear profit being $6,65l, 1925.
What splendid commentary on the general
management of the department, and espec-
tally on Rowland Hills penny postage sys-
tem The efficiency and pecuniary value of
the British Post Office, are largely promoted
by free letter delivery in towns and cities.
This stimulates correspondence in the popu-
lous centers where the cost of postal accom-
odation is lowest, and of course largely in
creases the net postal revenue. A writer in
the Boston Post, from whose communication
we condense these statistics, argues that if
free local deliveries were established in
America, the correspondence in the cities and
large towns would be greatly stimulated and
made to pay for the postal Accommodations
over the sparsely settled, extensive routes
where few letters are written. The actual
expense to the Post Office of the letters writ
ten in Massachusetts, is an average of about
one cent five mills each, while in Arkansas
the cost is over eighteen cents. The letters
in the North Eastern section Of the Union
Northern and Middle sections taken together
two cents four mills, and the South Western
section almost seven cents each letter. 1t is
quite certain that the multiplication of postal
facilities in the sections where the cores
pondence is greatest and the mail routes
shortest, would evcntully make the United
States Post Office self-sustaining institution
ifnot a source ofrevenue to the Government.
The adoption ofthe money order system here
would probably be productive of more i'm
portant results than in Great Britain, where
it yields a profit of only about $l3O,0O0.
Free local deliveries and the money orders
together, with reduced postage, would make
the United State Post Office what it should
be--the verybe medium for the transmission
of general correspondence and cash remit
tances. 1t would then be able to withdraw
and retain much of the business now so
profitably transacted by private expresses.
AHS OSt OiuCc uc dItlutHI olOulu eltHeI Ut
made superior to every other medium for let
ter transmission, or else the Government
should give up its arbitrary monopoly of the
mail, and leave the business of letter carry
ing free to private enterprise. 1t should not
be too proud to take useful hints from a for
eign country. The registration system has
already been copied from the British Post
Office, why not copy all else that is superior
to our own system, so far as practicable?