The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-08-25
THE PRIDE OF ENGLAND.
The British Postal System and Its
Extraordinary Development.
The Postal Savings Banks, the Telegraph
and the New Parcels Express-A Few
Words as to Political Corruption.


is the postoflice system, and the English peo-
pie very properly feel that to this depart
ment of their government they may with
safety invite the scrutiny and challenge the
admiration of the world. What a develop
ment it has had. In 1868 its revenues were
conferred on James, Duke OF York, to be en-
joyed by him and his male heirs in perpet-
uity. When James, twenty years afterward,
assembled the throne, the annual profits of
the postoffice amounted to 100000. A hun
bred years later they reached 81, 100000. By
a happy fortune these revenues lapsed from
the private purse of royalty into the hands
OF the state and the public exchequer is now
annually replenished from this source to the
tune of about 5000, OOO Considering the
magnitude of the profits the uniformed
might rush to the conclusion that a heavy
rate of charges was imposed; but the fact is
that no other nation does the work so cheap
ly; two cents will carry letter not exceed
ing one ounce in weight to any part of the
United Kingdom and an additional cent is
all that is exacted for misslve weighing
two ounces The British postal service has
DSCh uDJIN u6SCTlDcu as Lu6 ndllOn WOTh-
ing for ITSELF" and the business
of letter carrying, as your readers
are doubtless aware, is only part of it's OPP
erations. Some years ago it purchased a mo-
nopoly of the public telegraphic business of
the country. This was fine stroke of enter
prise, putting money into the pocket of the
government at the same time that it has re-
duced the outlay for the senders of dis
patches. A message of twenty words can
now be sent to any place in the United King
dom for twenty-five cents, and ere long it
will be possible to use the wire for one-half
that sum. Another advantage accruing from
this change is that telegraph stations have
multiplied to such an extent that now almost
every village possesses one whether having
railroad connections or not, while in the
large towns you can find them in all di-
rections within a distance of a few squares
from one another, In fact, these conveniences
are co-existent throughout the length and
breadth of the land with every full-hedged
postoffice. So also are
POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS.
To encourage thrift among the working
classes, the government offers itself as the
custodian of their spare funds and guarantees
~ per cent. interest on what is deposited
As small sum as twenty-five cents will be
received, and an arrangement exists by which
in the purchase of stamps as low as even two
cents may be placed on deposit. No person is
allowed, however, to put more than $3.50 a
year into these banks, or to have in
them at any one time a sum exceeding $780,
and depositors can draw out at any time by
giving three days notice. The extent to
which this postal savings system is appre-
ciated by the industrious poor can be in
ferred from the fact that at the close of the
last postal year there were 1858, 976 accounts
remaining open, on which there was due to
depositors nearly $4,000 900. The great
and growing popularity of the postal tele-
graph is shown by figures equally conclusive,
foT the number of messages transmitted dur
ing the year was 81, 092, 026, an increase over
the preceding twelve months of TAG 1855. The
statistics of the mail service for the year are
as follows: Number of letters delivered,
1880, 636, 200; number of postal cards, IA,
DIG, 200; number of book packets and circulars,
2SS, 206, 400; number of newspapers, 140, $50
600. OF these there were received at the re-
turned letter Office 5,651, 443 letters, 500, Ga
post cards, 1888, 800 book packets and Az
97S newspapers, Among the letters returned
there were 26293 which bore no address,
and of this number 1, 6O4 contained cash, etc.
amounting to 10000 the whole of which,
however, with the exception of
about $3.50, has already been returned
to the senders. The nearly 1900 GOO, 600
letters sent annually in the United Kingdom,
distributed among the population, makes an
average of forty for every man, woman and
child, but the Irishman, it is found, sends
nDlU letter for Srntpbman'c
while the Scotchman writes three as against
the Englishman's four. Comparing the
epistolary propensities of the people of this
country with those of other nations, we dis
cover that while England has an average of
forty letters per head for the whole popula-
ton, the United States comes next with
twenty-one France with sixteen, Germany
with thirteen, Italy with six, and Spain with
five.
THE PARCELS POST.
Not content with the wide field previously
occupied, the English postoffice has just
taken possession of a big piece of new terri
tory. With the opening of this month it
inaugurated a system by means of which it
will soon have a monopoly of the light
carrying business of the country. I refer
of course, to the parcels post, with the main
facts of which your readers are no doubt al
ready acquainted. Packages not exceeding
seven pounds in weight, and not measuring
more than six feet in length and girth, are
carried to all parts of the land, the maxi
mum charge being twenty-five cents
and the minimum six cents This
new arm of the postal service will,
doubtless, like the other branches, bring in
a large revenue, and the benefits it will con-
fer on the public are simply incalculable. To
wholesale dealers it may at first work some
little hardship for retailers are sure to avail
themselves of the opportunity afforded for
the cheap and rapid transmission of certain
classes of goods to reduce their stock. But
this is a matter which will soon balance it
SELF and meanwhile, sensible people will be
consoled by the reflection that what benefits
the smaller dealers cannot fail to bring adj
vantages to the masses who buy from them