The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-25
THE BRITISH POSr OFFJCE
How the English Combine Post Once I'll.
graphs. savings Banks, md Life Insur....


LONDON, Aug. 1.-THE British Postal Ma
partmcnt cnrrics tho mails. issues moncv o.
ders. transmits kilograms. takes care Of Tho
savings Of the pooilr. insurcs lives. and grants
onnuiiics. Tho first two Items are the only one.
figuring In tho Post OfTlco accounts. and ,ba
tclegraIhs mako a distinct account but nh ar.
under the control of the Postmaster General
and the business Of each Is transacted M tbs
ordinary Post Offices. For tho year end;na
March 81. 1871 the total postal revenue. in
round numbers. was s8o,Oo0Oo0 tmail service
and money order business only. and the total
expenditures t2ooOoOlO showing That one.
third Of the gross receipts was clear profit
Our American Legislators have not yet learned
the secret " making the Post ONCE yield "A rev.
enue. yet the rates Of postage and charges for
money orders aro rather higher than in Eng.
land Letter postage Is two cents for onch
ounce or fraction Of an ounce newspaper post
age il one cent for each paper no matter wbo,
the weight and post cards sell at n little morc
than one cent each single post card cost,
three farthngs. six stout cards are sold ~,
eight cents. and six lighter cards for scren
cents. II newspapers are not posted Within
eight days Of time Of publication they are lasls
to book postage nj the rate Of one cent FOR o,crv
two ounces or fraction Of two ounces
Book packets may not weigh moro than era
pounds, unless sent 10y or to some Government
Office. This keeps tho carrying Of printed
matter somcwhnt within the intention " "a
law. and cfrcctuay prevents the loading of,ae
mails with great packages Of newspaper. A
| losing rates to the Government. In The United
States local papers have long boon delivered
| free within the county whore published. There
Is no such exemption hero. In 1876 there wora
delivered within the United Kingdom oyer
lois 900 letters. being an average Of thirty
lpttprs a aupb In
Wales the average number received per head &
the population was thiry-nvo. in scotland
twenty-six, and I'm ireland only thirteen. In
the fiscal year ending June 80. 1877 there were
carried in the United States mails 7OO000Oo0
letters. A trading and manufacturing country
like England naturally has greater use for tho
mails than the United States where the people
are lar less universally engaged In those pur,
suits. Tho difference Is certainly not due to n
more general education here, Tor exnctly the
reverse ID the fact. There WAS a remarkable
increase In the number OF letters sent in 1870.
upon the adoption Of penny postage. The num-
Der at once bounded up 1872 per cent. above that
Of the previous year. and the following year
Every year since there has been an Increase
lar greater than the increase Of the population.
Isl isio. '' NUMBER Is now 'lA times Tvs great as IN
The delivery Of mail matter Is nmos. wholly
by carriers. even in the rural districts. Where
the country is sparsey settled the carriers ara
nt pot, required To- e any c9nsidera6le distance
leave letters nj understood places near Tho
n,ay 9t postmen is meagrec enough, but
aycrsc to rotation in office or change Of pub
lie servants Of any kind. and q man who is
place Tor life Il he wishes to do so. Indeed'
It often, enough happens that changes are
not made when tnsy are really needed. Tho
work Ia hard and the hours are long yet tho
greater part Of the poslmen do not receive more
than 81 q week. incui ling their uniforms. while
II only reached after many years Of service,
There is an additional item Of their pay which
mas time the postman. like many other people
with whom you deal. expects, a. honus-a
family in his district. From this doubtful Gus,
tom the day following Cr-tmas Ia called Box
usual Christmas box. which is commonly in
money, and in amount from sixpencc to hvo
shilllngs Very few receive an aggrcga,e q
Pr9nahy no country IN thu. world has rnpid
and frequent postal service rs this. About
hall the towns of England and Wales have two
mails daily from LONDON, mud the other hall
have three or more. Eighty seven towns havo
mails. Il have six mails have seven mails. and
3 have eight mails daily from London.
London and its envrons mr." divided into eight
postal districts, That part within three miles
q the General Post ONCE has eleven deliveries
incndos The Bank II England has twelve Tha
Inst delivery begins about +. VI. The postal
convcniences Of London nre most excellent.
Pillar boxes for the posting of letters ar" in
sight alnios Il everywhere. and minor district Of.
nos Tor ne sale OF STAMPS aud issuing 4
streets A GOOD number Of these minor IN =
are also telegraph Offices and receive sovings.
town" delivery, and without this Is The sub
urban -drl very with six deliveries daily.
In 1870 all the telegraph lines in tho king
dom. eNrort strictly private wires wore trans
"rrcd 20 the state. and the sending 81 kilograms
n now as completely a MONOPOLY # tho OiUy-
rrumnnt as the carrying of the malls. The r.
SUIT was IN every way beneficial. Previous -
The transfer rates were higher than in tia
United states now the Gus" is reversed. Sin.s
$50 ~" number Of messages has increased ~
moro Than loo per cent. The net revenue oftha
ir.-rapA service To- the Government for tao
last seven yours has averaged $50 O3O weary
and there Is steady i'm 'reas" from ycnrto wear.
More than one-third Of the whole number 4
kilograms are sent from London. Thorhar.s
ior ucsIlins e" 0il parts Of the king om. Sc
cents for the first twenty words iuames ami al-
drrss's not charged for. and cents for oa
additional five words or part thereof. Pre-.
t"l,grnms have special rates Between p. u.
0ud = \. VI. the charge for these is p rcnis flr
each loo words or part II loo words. anlsi
cents for -"veuiy-ilyr words during the rrs- n
the day stamps are used 10 payment ofcharg,s
ON lrl"grnms, II the oillc" 70 which the trIr.
within lhe limits ~ Oh, town delivery ii nUts
h"Pd o,hlgr, then TIE delivery if free within
mosscnEcrs for ordnnry service ar, nlways
BOYS under lt years of age. Their uay il A..
eorilng To IA" number of mr~sugrs ,irlivorrd
but docs not average nioyr Sab a wenk. uni.
intn nrlu!,d' They lli"wi-n expect Christ.
ih,so rarry nlmdnn, +" ,' ,Er,nnnS t,i'' nnii
wages are much too low however,.
n"n,y 'tier l9g any -nm lrss than, $3.50
tan slO. the rhar.sn is ,'.nf-: AMI ESQ iuqy no
Int for q "ents; It Is nlmiug ithat thoro il
loss on inc smallor orders auda srhome is on
in' 'u INTRODUCE a lpsnl noto for certain
iiNed sums of smnll amount which would much
DIMINISH lh''ost of thrtransaotion. Tho money
fiscal year ending March 81 1877. over l. SOD.
..,ei,-9 rIirrS were sent, ropresrntng the sum 81
The brush Post onl'e has been n g. ST.,
savings bank for som" eighteen years nl (
Il r.lf