Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-14
BRITISH POSTAL IDEAS.
The Plan for Penny Postage Through
out the Whole Empire.

out Ahc w hOAc GmPhEcs
Thomas L. James in Frank Leslie's Weekly.
There are two living Englishmen, ]. Hen
mixer Heaton, member Of parliament fol
Liverpool, each of whom furnishes an ex.
| cellent illustration of the man OF affairs
striving honestly to serve the public Both
OF these men are Identified with postal re-
form, subject of interest to every person
because the post Office is peculiarly q do
nestle institution and comes home closer tc
the people than any other department of the
government.
For several years Mr.. Heaton has been
urging the British government to adopt a
system of imperial penny postage. that il to
say. he would make the empire single postal
district, when penny stamp would frank
letter, not merely from street to street, or
country to country, but from one end of the
queens oominions to the other-from Cal
eutta 10 vancouver, from Edinburgh to Sgd
ney. This scheme is interesting 70 the peo-
pie of this country, because MIR. Heatop
mas lately included in il the United States
Some OF his English critics have objected to
TINS part or the program. They say that by
admitting a foreign country to the benefits
OF the reform its value and efficacy are
aHected as a means OF binding the various
parts or the empire together. Mr.. Heaton
answers that this contention is a fallacy;
that as each country keeps it's own postage
IL would be open to our government To
maintain the present rate even after II
had been reduced for the British empire
me reform, ne contends. would certainly
gratify the large number Of emigrants from
the British Isles who have come to this
country. especially the Irish, who are num-
nered by the millions and who carry on a
ard friends in the mother country. Every
year 100000 persons in the United States
send over a sum of $500, 900 in small posta
orders to their friends in the united king
dom.
Mr. Heaton modestly says that this is
not his scheme" It is simply the nat
ural extension Of Rowland Hili's plan of
t penny postage and Is made necessary by
estimates he has made he has shown that
a penny postage rate to the very ends nj
the earth. would Weld a proit to the Brit
Ism government. He urges that the oueen's
empire is not a compact mass Of states. but
a large number Of communities scattered
over both hemtspheres. and includes some
, ssn or the human race. He COM
pares II to the Dutch and Spanish empires.
which fell to pieces for want Of a cohesive
force. Cheap postal and teleeraphic com
munieatt2n will bind the members OF these
terests OF the colonies will be benefited nv
a reduction Of the present rate, which r. a
tax on the merchant Mr. Heaton saws he
an unoerstand the state charging a tax of
pence on ton OF coal actually sold lint
ne cannot understand tax ~ 6 pence in
the snape or hostage on the letter as lend.
ing to tnat business transaction He h.
neyes mat the state should encourae e nv a
moderate contribution those opera t,ons %
commerce. In the initial stage which ,,,tt'
msteiv furnish work. to English wortsrr
enc TINS hannat the entire cor,nnn,.
EVERY wear 35n noO emigrants leave m. pst
tsh Isles to develop the coIon,a, e,,n,re
Ine,r WORKS rne,,'t In the CREATION Of nav
markets for British goods. Each ami,r, ~
leaves heh'nd hin, several frie,ds k.an,v
interested In his welfare All these naoc,e
would feel the benefit Of the penny nosta,
About eight wears seo Mr. Heaton s+ar+.s
our WIN nrogram NJ sixty senarata nost.,
.e1orms no has won more than hale NJ
,nem. "n,ch fs sowing great d,al when Z.
W rerner"hered That there arc erraved
AGAINST him oil the fc-cne ~ sto,,s r,g,,sh
o''"'aIsm. He SAYS that h,a sea-oh to,. a.,
formation amoro these 'Tite R,rp,r,as-
ms been pc EXCITING as an OTTER h,,nt II
answer To 'nconvenient questions ".ba W.T.
ister would dive into the depth ~ o@pctoI
ignorance. come I'M unde- cover ~ ON
obscure phrase. wri~ole With amh,p,,,t;a.
snap Nercefv at tr'nine fnoccuracios ava
generally conduct himself IKE an iniurad
err hnnted creature instead Of stating can
dfdfy oil he knew" S"n
MI. Heaton IS also tho champior Of cbean
feiesranhv. He has often arpued against
the nonop0lv OF cable communities tion NOS.
sessed nv the English companies whose
system Is So arranged that no Competing
line can be built.