POST OFFICE.] ENGLAND ic post- See as a ent cle- ent. rigin of post See. ncreaso corre- pond- mce rom 839 to 876. polis were abolished. Further Acts in the same direction followed, leading to the gradual extinction, by due compen sation of the persons interested, of the old system, the maintenance of the roads being vested in " turnpike trusts and highway boards," empowered to levy local rates. The revenue of these boards, outside the metropolis, amounted to 2,302,869 in 1870, and had risen to over three millions sterling in 1876. VIII. Post and Telegraphs. - It is one of the main arguments of the advocates of the purchase of all the railways by the state, that vast under takings, in which the whole nation is deeply interested, ought not to be left to private enterprise, aiming at gain chiefly , and that such concerns not only can be, but mostly are, better managed by the Government. The argument rests on the post-office. On all sides it is admitted that the creation and maintenance of the post-office as it now exists, burthened with an immense amount of work besides the mere carrying of correspondence, is a striking instance of the successful interference of Government in commercial affairs ; while it is difficult to imagine how the same result could have been achieved by private persons. So general is this belief that all the states not only of Europe, but of the civilized world, have made the English post-office their model, closely imitating its whole organization. In it-j present form, the post-office is an entirely modern creation, though the first regular arrangements for despatch ing letters to all parts of the kingdom date back to the year 1635, when the "letter office for England and Scotland" was established. But the system thus inaugurated, also based upon a Government monopoly, existing as such to the present time, remained long practically a private enter prise, the right of conveying letters and packets being let by contract to privileged individuals, whose sole aim was to make the greatest profit out of the undertaking. The first radical reform of the system, which laid the foundation of the present organization, was made by the Act 1 Viet. c. 32, confirmed July 12, 1837, which repealed all the old enactments relating to the post-office in favour of au entirely new legislation. This important Act was followed by another, 2 and 3 Viet. c. 52, confirmed August 17, 1839, which established a uniform rate of postage of one penny on inland letters, repealing at the same time the old and much abused system of "franking" letters, exercised by members of parliament and others since 1660. The Act came into operation on the 10th of January 1840. The vast increase in correspondence following upon the new organization is shown in the subjoined table, which gives the estimated number of letters in 1839 and 1840, and the ascertained number in quinquennial periods from 1841 to 1870, and for each of the six years from 1871 to 1876 in England and in the United Kingdom, together with the average number of the tatters to each person, according to the returns of the postmaster-general : Tears and Periods. Total in England anil Wales. Average Number to eaeli Person. Total in United Kingdom. Average Number to each Person Estimated No. of letters, 1*;)9 . , franks, 1839 . letters. 1840 . Aver ge of 5 vears, 1S41 15 .. . ,, 1846-50. . 1851-55 . . ,, 1800-60.. . ,. 1861-65 .. . ., 1866-70.. . Year 1871 CO.OOO 000 5,172.000 132.000.000 179,000000 259 000 000 330.000.000 427,000.000 534,000.000 664.000,000 721,000000 >:< n 18 J9 31 82 76,000.000 6,563,000 169,000,000 227,000,000 327,000.000 410,000,000 523,000,000 648,000,000 800,000,000 867.000.000 ) rt i" 7 8 12 15 18 22 26 ,, 1872 737.000 000 32 885,000,000 28 1873 756,000,000 32 907,000,000 29 1874 1875 804,053,100 846,852,400 33 35 967,503,300 1 008 392,100 30 31 1876 S56, 042,400 35 1 018 955 200 31 The following table gives the number of letters, the number of post cards, and the number of book-packets and post- newspapers, distributed by the post-office in each of the ca " ls > three divisions of the United Kingdom in the year 1876 : news- Divisions. dumber of Letters. Number of Post Cards Number of Book Packets and Newspapers. England and Wales Ireland 856,042,400 71,792,100 ^8,412,100 4,883,500 241,866,100 24 146 600 Scotland 91,120,700 9,640,100 32,778,100 United Kingdom ... 1,018,955,200 92,935,700 298,790,800 papers. The average number of letters for each individual of the Letters population in the year 1876 was 35 in England and Wales, and po- 26 in Scotland, and 13 in Ireland. pidation. The estimated number of newspapers delivered in 1876 was 125,065,800. Halfpenny postal cards came into use from the 1st of October 1870, and foreign post-cards were first issued in 1875, under the International Postal Treaty of Bern, to which the adhesion of the British Government was given on the 30th September 1874. Money Orders. With the increase of the work of the Money- post-office, and the success with which it was performed, orders more and more duties were laid upon it by the Government, ^p" 1 The first of these was the money-order system, under which 137(5.77, persons were enabled to hand the money in at one post- office for payment at another office. After the system had been tried from the year 1839 in the United Kingdom, it was extended to the colonies in 1856, and to foreign countries .in 1869. The following table gives the total number and amount of money orders, inland, colonial, and foreign, issued by the post-office in each of the years, ending December 31, from 1871 to 1875, and in the financial year ended March 31, 1877 : Tears. Total cf Inland, Colonial, and ioieign Orders. Increase per cent in Number Increase, per cent, in Amount. Number, Amount. 1871 ... . 12,253,528 14,242,612 15,432,245 16,221,503 16,819,874 18,179,922
22.573,547 25,019 683 26,802,264 27,507,672 27,688,255 28,702,375
- to co m co co
.... 11 01
- a
ju 3j 7 , 1872 1873 1874 175 Year ended 31st MaicU 1877 The enormous increase in the money-order business of Money- the post-office since its establishment in 1839 is shown in orders the subjoined table, which gives the amount of money ail( : 1 P. orders issued in England and in the United Kingdom, and the number issued to each 100 of the population : England and Wales United Kingdom. Number Number ci Money of Money Years and Periods. Amount. Orders issued to Amount Orders issued to each 100 eacb 100 of popu of popu lation. lation.
1^)9
240,063
09
313.1 24
07
1840
802,827
3-1
960,975
4,211,885
12 3
4,937,256"
8-9
1846-50 ....
6,668,684
19-4
7,954,533
14 7
1851-55
8,488.175
23 -1)
9,941 316
189
1856-60
10,898,412
292
12.737,504
23-6
1861-65....
14,021,757
32-9
16,39 -.31 , I
27-1
1866-70....
16,484,950
37-2
19,319707
312
1871
18,566,317
45-1
21,799,583
38-2
1872
20,375.179
61-6
24,013,747
43 9
1873
21,629.750
55
25,600,069
47-1
1874 ...
22,246^625
57-3
26.296.441
49-0
is : 5
22,397,716
58-6
26,497,918
50-3
Tear ended Mar. 81, 1877
23,166,935
62-7
27,516,698
