§ Mr. Crokerwished to take this opportunity of calling attention to the case of the suburbs of the metropolis, as connected with the Post-office Regulations. The suburbs of the metropolis had become such great towns, that his Majesty's Government considered it necessary they should have Representatives in that House; and he was sure the Post-office department was well disposed to afford every advantage that could be given to so large a body of persons as the inhabitants of the metropolitan suburbs. Now, almost all who heard him were aware that persons living in the neighbourhood of 1233 great towns, nearly in every instance, re-received their letters upon the payment of one penny in addition to the postage. In the neighbourhood of London, however, for no other reason that he knew of, but that there were means of doing it with more facility than in other towns, the inhabitants of the suburbs had to pay twopence, instead of a penny—just double the sum paid by persons residing in the neighbourhood of Liverpool, or other large towns. But this was not the worst. Although the inhabitants of the metropolitan suburbs paid double as much, they received their letters later by many hours than persons residing in the neighbourhood of other towns. In many country towns all the letters were delivered immediately after the arrival of the post; but the inhabitants of the metropolitan suburbs did not receive their letters for three hours after the delivery within the limits of the General Post. If the letters were delivered at Hyde-park-corner at nine o'clock, he could see no good reason why they should be detained until twelve when directed a furlong beyond Hyde-park-corner. As the inhabitants of the suburbs of London paid twice as much as others for the delivery of their letters, he thought they ought to receive them sooner. At all events, he conceived the subject was sufficiently important to call attention to it; and he begged to ask the Secretary for the Treasury, whether, in the Bill which had lately passed the House, any remedy had been provided for the evils of which he complained?
§ Mr. Spring Riceapprehended that, if the evils described by the right hon. Gentleman were capable of being remedied, it might be done by Post-office regulations, without any Bill. The right hon. Gentleman had only done justice to the Post-office department, and to the noble Duke at its head, when he stated, that there was every disposition in that quarter to accommodate the public; and on that disposition he thought the House and the public might securely rest. The suggestions of the right hon. Gentleman, he admitted, were well deserving of consideration. The difficulty was as to the question of time. The question between a penny and twopence was comparatively nothing. The second sorting of letters rendered the letters directed without the range of the General Post later in the delivery; and he believed that it would be impossible, by any arrangement, that the letters which went beyond the limits of the General Post should be 1234 delivered as early as those within those limits. He would take care, however, that the subject should be mentioned in the proper quarter.