New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-06
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.
AFFAIRS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

..pon TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT oP TIKI TRIBUNE.
IospoN, Jan. 27.--Mr. Graves, M. p. fol
,,,erpOol and considerable authority in commercial
,,err has been giving the Liverpool Chamber OF Com
..,ree his views things in general and among other
an, Postal Telegraph He thinks the Government schem,
eess and that much Of the is due to the de
,.t,On and organizing mind of Mr.. scudamore He re
,s 20 zee Mr. Seudamore and his organizing mind
have incurred the OF portion of the Press and
=, the Chambers of Commerce Of Manchester and Hull
-r delaying kilograms few hours during tue crisis OF
n. recent strike" This slight rregularity in the work
s o, Mr. scudamore's organizing mind appears Mr..
Graves not blameworthy but praiseworthy. That Mr..
sdamore may have rendered himself liable to statu-
,o,y ponalties "a years imprisonmeno Mr. Graves ad
,s bus he considers that Mr. scudanore acted under
rne sense OF duty in breaking the law. Lawyers who
maece at the Old Bailey ought 10 be grateful TO MI
a,es for this new Of criminal Jurisprudence, IL
NAV come 10 be famous the doctrine OF moral in
niiy was in America years However, 1t ap-
n.ars that Mr. does not eonne his approval OF
te censorship kilograms 10 this one act He re-
s that in AZ least one department OF State may be
,una q man who is not afraid OF responsibility. He
would nevertheless relieve him Of responsibility. He
hints # would be well to consider whether power to
op kilograms should not he given by law to the Post
mas,er-General. hardly think Mr. Graves will per
,sae Parliament adopt his view and establish legal
censorship But you how far II is possible TO drift
when yon have once got the telegraph in Government
hands
since the writing OF the above paragraph the ofheia
answer of the Postmaster General to the Manchester
Chamber OF Commerce has appeared IN the fifty first
annual report Of the Directors They say:
Tie impoupding OF telegram bv leading Official Of
Che PoOce. and it's subsequent dispatch with his cor
recOns and additions Gale" forth IemOnstrance from
your directors contained in the following resolution:
tbe dea Of private kilograms caused by one OF the
scas of the department. IL hereby records it's deliberate
srOn that the said official has committed breach 81
ne law and has set dangerous example 20 snbordi-
mates and which involves serious consequences to the
liberty OF the subject
The answer is not only curious but instructive. THE
hit:
GENERAL PosT-OFFICE. London, jan 20. 1871.
SIR am directed by the Postmaster-Ge TO ae,
know ledge the resolution of the MANCHESTER Chamber or
Commerce complaining OF the delay Of kilograms by the
sres 70 call your attention 20 the fact that the
department had TO deal not only with an organic "a
opposition within itself but also with intention 20 put
Tie public 10 the greatest possible inconvenience a.
OF coercion When 1t was found that the machn-
cry Of the department used against the objects Tor
which IL established, the necessity arose for nme-
oate action IN the interest OF the public ana the detal
openly and without any attempt at ooncealment But
ae sSSears to Mr. Monse so clear and precise and
The importance Of retaining public confidence IN the in
81 s Sas os se6' 6 H1Seh unable ns to Ss 30
ocial sanction 70 proceedings which nevertheless ne
SSsc dnSy Mr. Monse desires me to add that he has
directed order 70 ne issued calling the attention OF the
SSrment 10 the acts of Parliament defining the duties
OP@t-Oflce telegraph officers with respect 10 the trans
mason OF telegraphic messages, and requiring strict
lam, SIR your O0edient, humble servant, F. HILL
The Secretary, Manchester Chamber OF Commerce.
nat letter will not bear q moments examination, and
NM MOnse has nothing better TO say IN Parliament II
vii 20 hard with him. What it really means is that the
vi hut
hedsres not say Practically 1t to that
tlegTams ARE to be opened, butthe Department will
neither sanction the act dismiss the offender. In
sentence MI Monsen speaks of the necessity for detsn
hg the telegram the interest Of the public. In the
peIt he admit that this necessity was dead against
The act Of Pa nent. Because it was, and because Of
the importan, retaining public confidence In the n-
volatility Of telsgrams through the PostOce, he
Il unable give his official" sanction 10 an act which he
nevertheless applauds dictated exclusively by sense
o. public The truth lie, the Postmaster General
means to sustain Mr. scudamore, far he can with
The public and at any cost, with the Department, and
specially with the telegraph niggers," who would
row lnsubordinate if they supposed there was any
higher authority in the universe than Nj scudamore
We hear by cable that the mail contract with the
Guon line has renewed for another two years. and
pere viii be, suppose, renewed outcry by the part
hns Cunard line against the sowness OF the Guon
hips and the frequent delays in the delivery Of the
b faster than the Guion, but 1t does not
blow that they give us earlier mails In
london. / have pointed out over and over again
hat the arrangements at Queenstown are such miracle
Gelunsness frequently to postpone the delivery OF
Tie American mails in London for "a and sometimes Tor
ehours The days of starting for NewYork being what
sy are there not much 10 choose between the Guon
and Cunard lines Both leave on Wednesdays. II they
cono,reach Queenstown before II Friday Of the
f6IbEing week we don't get mail in London till
Monday and we get that day If the steamer does
not reach Queenstown till Sunday morning. 1t is. there
fore perfectly possible for steamer which Is two days
dover than another TO distribute her mails In London on
The same morning and the results show that this is what
happens The Cunarders latterly used TO miss the
Friday morning train from Queenstown oftener than
they caught It, kept record of four months during
which they caught it but twice. think. We did not get
our mails from the Cunarders till Monday, and got
hem from the Guion Monday, rule. Still,
Nat is state OF the mail service by creditabe
10 the POst-Ofhce authorities either side, and some
hing ought TO be done 10 improve it. Mr. Creswell
ssms TO be on excellent terms with M scudamore.
Why will he not ask the attention Of Mr.. scudamores
vganizing mind 70 the Queenstown businessi
mentioned in recent letter the arrival of an Innan
aamer as an illustration Of the delay that Occurs-the
CITY Of Baltimore believe said City Of EewYork by
Ristske) The same thing has happened every week
shce. The Wyoming landed her mails at Queenstown,
Pnday jan s. Cpm. They were distributed in London
Monday morning, Jan. g. The Minnesota landed her
mails at Queenstown, Sunday, Jan. II, at
Pm They were distributed in London, Tues
day. Jan. l6. The Idaho landed her mails
Al Queenstown, Sunday, Jan. 81, at p. IN. They
st distributed in London Tuesday, Jan % these two
inter being cases where the Guion steamers failed TO
eeua mail on Monday. though not wholly by their
i-ut The City Of London landed her mails at Queens
"sn, Tuesday Jan. %, at 2.2O p. IN. They were dis
uourd In London, Thursday, Jan. Is. In all these
ass the mails from 10 days the road from
Vaeens'own to LsndOn-a journey Of some IS hours.
& speaking practically, and the time Of distribution