Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-04-07
POSTAL REFORMS.

Sir Rowland Hill, the author of the great postal
reform in England, has just retired from the Office
Of Secretary Of the General Post Office, ON account
Of failing health The signal services rendered by
this eminent man to the cause of progress in
the department with which his name is so honor
ably connected entitle him to rank among the
benefactors of his race; for the system which he
originated in Great Britain has not been restricted
in its benefits to that country alone, but, having
been generally adopted by the civilized Govern
ments Of Europe, has spread its blessings over q
wide area and communicated them to the people
of oil countries which have Governments sufi
GENTLY enlightened to appreciate its advantages.
II Is source of equal shame and regret to our
own that this system, in spite Of its demonstrated
success, and in spite of the earnest instances of
the present Postmaster General to procure for it
more general adoption in the United States, has
thus far only partially won its way to the favorable
consideration of the National Legislature Some
good progress indeed, has beer lately made in the
right direction, but much still remains to be done,
by way of filing up the deficiencies that exist in
our postal system.
The retirement Of Sir Rowland Hill from the
office he has SO long held is made by writer for
the Brooklyn (New York; Daily Union the occa-
sion of briefly reviewing the services he has rem
dered to the cause of postal reform, not only
in England, but, as we have already intimated,
throughout the civilized world. From this writer's
statements condense brief narrative of the steps
by which, Sir Rowland reduced this ref rm from the
shape of theory into successful practice
After four years of study in collecting and ar
ranging the statistics and facts pertaining to the
subject, he published, in the year 1887 pamph-
let on !" Post Office Reform" in which his new
system was fully developed, in scientific manner,
sustained by calculations and arguments. Fortu-
nately for him and for his country, he found few
members of Parliament with sufficient capacity to
understand his system, and sufficient public spirit
to stand by its theoretical principles when it was
demonstrated that they rested on stable basis of
facts. The result was that in August, 1888, the
committee Of the House of Commons to which the
whole subject had been referred re, orted fully in
favor of his plan, and at the next session more
than two thousand petitions we're sent in for the
" new postage" In July, 1889, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer introduced the bill into the House
Of Commons, where it was earnestly debated, and
finally passed by majority of 102. In the House
Of Lords it received the support of the practical
Duke of Wellington, and the bill became law on
the 18th of August, 1889. At the beginning of
the year 1910 the new system went into full ope-
ration under the superintendance of its author
It's success, we need not say, was most com plete,
and the public gratitude WIS signalized in 1874 by
a testimonial fund of above 900 presented to
Mr. Hill by general subscription. In l846 he was
appointed Secretary to the Post Office, and re-
ceived the honor Of knighthood from the Queen.
In the hope that the advantages Of the system
in all its parts, demonstrated by the experience
of the British people and Government, may win
for certain recommendations of Postmaster Gene
raj BLAIR (to which we have previously adverted)
that attention they entitled to receive, we cite
from the memoranda of the writer to whom we
have referred the following statements:
Mr.. Hills psn very complete aud consistent in all
its parts and be proved each of bis main points with mah
smatcal demonstration. For instance he showed by
variety Of calculations all leading to one resut that the
actual cost to the Government depended very little the
distance and that the actual difference Of expense be-
tween over lODgeet the
shortest was less than one mill of our money
By his plan, the of the Post Office consisted
in and wss measured by the increase in the number Of
tes and accordingly the greatest energy Of the Depart
men has always been directed to this oect-of pro-
noting the public accommodation every way 30 az to
obtain the greatest possible amount Of correspondence
30 complete was the system, that the only changes which
have been made in twenty FIVE years have all been 10 this
one drection-o increasing the public convenience 30 az
to secure the greatest increase of letters For this OBJ
ject the mas greatly accelerated daily mails were
extended to great number Of places two more mails
day were put on the main convenient plans were
adopted for mailing late letters for email additional
charge and what perhaps has done more than all other
devices Of public nvenence the free delivery of let
ters which begun in the London district with three
deliveries daily, and went until there are ten deli
day al London and the work done 40 en-.
ergetcaly that letters mailed in the morning in any part
Of the town to be delivered before noon in any
other part of the town however distant And now this
free delivery extended to every considerable town the
king tom and to many Of the hsmets around each The
great convenience of certain and prompt delivery both
Of mail and local letters three four times day gives an
mpulse to business and induces prodsous increase of
correspondence Nine-ntbs Of all the letters in the king
dom are now delivered in this way
THE money -order business, which has reached an
amount OF about US 900 yearly, not exceed
ING TO- not only pays large profit but adds to the gene
raj income by the number Of letters il produces Lately
system Of deposits OF small sums for safe keeping has
been introduced which has superseded of The savings
banks OF the kingdom. All these and many other benefits
are rendered possible by the chespness Of rate the
simplicity oil the STEM and the perfect rQor of admiDs
traton In ts plan and working is most perfect spec
mon OF governmental machinery, aud in the unmx ed bene
hcence OF Its operation IL TO the divine az
vernment in character Of thing of human
witnessed elsewhere on earth