The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-12-18

4 The most successful initiation in modern
times off popular and useful measure was
the Penny Postage system, devised by Sir
Rowland Hill 1t is impossible to esti-'
mate the Immense benefits derived from
the facilities Accorded by cheap and ra-
pid means of cpistolary intercommunica-
| ton. Only by negative calculation can
| its usefulness be admitted, and the bare
proposition to return to tho system in use
but thirty years since, ifcarried out, would
upset the most stable government in Europe.
In England the measure has, with some re-
strictions, been extended to telegraphic
messages, and now we have the proposal,
in the same country, to treat a passenger
like letter, and send him TO any part Of
the Kingdom at uniform charge. w.
Raphael Brandon is the author of this new
scheme of railway organization, which ex-
tends to an entire country the facilities ac-
corded by our lines Of cars. In New York
a passenger pays six cents whether he trav-
els six blocks or six miles, and in England
he would disburse q like amount for Eve
miles or five hundred. This IL for o third
class carriage, but If second, class is pre-
ierred, then sixpenny stamp is required,
and one shilling is the total calculated upon
for all the luxuries of first class accommo-
dations ss3 .e saHa 8 t52 i,t
At cursory glance the system appears i'm
practicable as did also the Penny POSTAGE
at its initiation, but on more careful exam
nation there arc arguments that prove
that the project is not 80 visionary as sup
posed. Mr. Brandon, in his pamphlet, thus
argues "that it would pay every body,
shareholders, the public, and the Govern.
ment, besides giving renewed impetus to
industry of all sorts The sum proposed to
be charged for passenger postage looks RI
diculously small. In reality it is not SO
much less than the average fare paid for
the average journeys as might be supposed.
In 1865, in round numbers, $4,000 pas
senger trains ran over II ,000, 900 miles, car
rying 252,000,000 passengers. The traffic
produced e14, 724 500. This gives an ave-
rage of nearly 81 miles and rs passengers
for each train, which is about three and
half Passengers per mile, giving an aver
age for fare at present paid, per average
journey, of lid only. Now, says Mr.. Bran
don, give me universal 3D. fare every
where, and will promise You six times
the traffic, which will give the united rail-
way interest an excess Of "a, 000, 900 of re-
ceipts, with very little, II any, addition to
the expense of carrying an increased num-
Der of passengers. But that is merely sup
posing each person paid but 3D.. It is calcu-
lated, however, that Of the increased num-
Der of travellers, one-seventh would ride
first class at 1s., and two-seyenths second
class at I'd. This wonld raise the annual
return to ESQ 100000 for passenger traffic,
instead of e14, 75O,0 900 as at present.
Does some one say that analogy between
passenger and carrying letter is false, be-
cause letter is but half an ounce, and O.
passenger is really q weighty hundreds
weight2 Which is, by far, themost expen-
sive part of the postal system--the transit
of q letter, or its delivery9 Its delivery.
Granted, then, that the transit Of pasesr,-
ger is something more expensive than that
of letter, the passenger saves the most
costly part of the postal outlay, because he
delivers himself; the balance 10, therefore,
on the passengers side, for the additional
expense of transit is nothing to the saving
in distribution and delivery."-N y Hv.
camille Journal. e'N3ei M'a -