The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-05-06

ago; since then my informant has been obliged to
DO his own le;ter-carryiug.
The following is an extract from the law passed
on this subject by the last legislature
SECTION /. That Section -o7 OF the Civil Code Re, and the
S' rs 467. y ia.sr-sand iet;ers shan be transmitted by
mail unless previously s'amred-and i shA. 1e rala"ia. 'T any
individual 90 convey any letters from port % port provided.
however that in case ~ a deficiency ot stamps the Postmaster
and In mars such letter 59- sr I'D and subscribe his name taere,s,
and such letters shall be transmitted in due course Of mail
Any person conveying any letter or letters IN contrayent!Ca OF
this Section shall be liable % q fine az no; less than five nor
more than fifty dollars. TO be recovered before any Police or
District Justice, al The suit of the PosemasterG General, OF any
Postal Agent Throughout The Kingdom, one half Of which fine
ilS., . &c Pl''' 70 any person informing % tn '--"'1 % ''
From this We learn that it is a penal offence TO.
convey uustamped letters from port to port. No one
could complain Of this protection towards an efficient
Post Office, nor would any one be tempted % send
letters outside Of the same. But how does the case
stand Not only must the le~tter-writer, at great ex-
pense and much consequent vexation. be his own
Post, but must stamp the letters conveyed by his
own domestic 1t is really too much to be our own
Postmaster for six days in the week, or five without
Sunday, at our own expense, and pay q tax OF a
stamp upon each letter into the bargain. This Is
not exactly the system pursued in other countries,
whose example might be followed with benefit on
some occasions. 1t has been found that an efficient
Post Office will pay its expenses, while the slip-shoi
style Of Post is n continual expense, as no one feels
i~ndisposeI to treat it with contempt and evade its
regulations by seeking more reliable conveyance
through private hands.
One more point and | have done for this time.
Why is it that here. as well as in many other parts
Of the world, the Postmaster communicates with the
outer public through a window pane: Why have
they not Offices for business, with counters, such IS
bankers aud other business people have | in
cline to the belief that it is a remnant, OF the old
usages, which required secresy within the Post Office
10y the Postmaster. In Paris, the obvious advan-
tages Of the counter arrangement have lately led to
its adoption, As well - in Liverpool; nor do | des-
pair Of improvements in our own Post Office. Off
cials are not expected to see further than the public
as TO what may benefit US all around; l would only
suggest that they keep up with it and not fall too far
behind. OUTRE PAIL.
four correspondent seems to have lost sight of the
fact that Government officials must obey the laws
made and provided for the departments over which
laws, rules and regulations rs laid down in the stat
utes. If they do not work well it is not the fault of
the Office holders, but Of the lawmakers. The rem
edy lies with the next legislative body. 1t Is now
patent to all that many laws enacted during the late
session were hurried through in a loose, slip shod
manner, and their enforcement has been found to be
very impoiitic. Since the ~incumbency of the pres
ent Postmaster err General, certainly no fault can be
found with the administration of the duties Of his
office. No doubt his predecessor lacked many quail
fcations necessary to the proper government of the
office. and many Irregularities require time for cor
rection.l