POST-OFFICE. (Hansard, 6 April 1837)

Mr. Wallace
rose to propose the following resolution:—" That it is the opinion of this House, that the general post letter receiving-boxes, at the branch offices throughout this metropolis, should be kept open for letters being put therein at any time convenient for the people, between seven o'clock p. M. and twelve at night, as is the case at the General Post-office in St. Martin's-le-Grand, and every post-office in the kingdom; and especially that the receiving bags for general post letters, in the Houses of Lords and Commons, be also kept open until twelve at night, thus making the time of the franking privilege all over London the same as at St. Martin's-le-Grand, and in all other towns." He observed, that this resolution affected the convenience of two classes of persons—the public at large, and the Members of that House. The plan he proposed would cost the country nothing, while it would very much promote the general convenience. It was probably well known, that all the post-office boxes at the receiving-houses, 810 Through out the metropolis, were closed at seven o'clock in the evening, as was also the box connected with the Houses of Parliament. Now, he happened to know, from personal observation, that from the hours of seven to twelve a great many letters were put into the post-office in country-towns; but in London, people were prevented from doing this. While in all other places the post-office boxes were kept open for twenty-four hours, in London they were not open more than eleven hours in the day. He had been frequently deprived of his privilege as a Member of Parliament, by the early closing of the box and on making a representation to the General Post-office, he was desired to send his letters thither after the hour of seven in the evening. On Monday last he did so, but he found that the letters arrived at their destination a day later than usual, and on the back of them was marked, "Put in too late." He did not see why the boxes should not be open for the reception of letters until eleven or twelve o'clock at night.

§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer
admitted, that it was within the province and duty of that House to look into and control every department, and especially so important a branch of the public service as the Post-office, with the view of regulating, diminishing, or altering the rate of duty charged on letters, and correcting any abuses which might be found to exist in the general management of the establishment. But, at the same time, he put it to the hon. Member for Greenock himself, whether it would not be misapplying the functions of Parliament and the time of the House, to undertake the task of determining the hours and other circumstances attending the opening and shutting of letter-boxes throughout the metropolis. It might be all very well to convey some suggestion on the subject to the recognised authorities at the Post-office, but it "was altogether inexpedient that the House should be called on at once, without inquiry and without knowing all the circumstances of the case, to adopt any general resolution on the matter. A great deal of those small matters of administration depended on minute local and other circumstances, which it was impossible for hon. Members duly to consider. The Post-office was responsible for its arrangements, and although something might be done with 811 respect to the second part of the motion as to the receiving bags for the Houses of Parliament, which, however, would necessarily increase the number of clerks for inspecting franks, he really did not think any case had been made out, as to the first part of the resolution, for the interference of the House.

§ Mr. Hume
regretted the unwillingness evinced at the Post-office to carry into effect such recommendations as the present: unless the House took the matter up, it was in vain to offer any suggestions to that department. No man deprecated more than he did any species of interference with the details of a public office, but he could not see why, for instance, all the general receiving offices should not be opened of a Sunday, or why he and every other person in the same district should be obliged to send a servant with their letters to St. Martin's-le-grand, when the general accommodation might so easily be met by leaving the slips open during the whole of that day. Much less inconvenience would have been suffered had the Bill for regulating the Post-office, which the right hon. Gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced last Session, been carried into effect. There would then have been a proper publicly recognised head to that department, who would take care that all the details were duly attended to; but at present the public business was sometimes altogether kept at a stand still, while the Postmaster-General was hunting or otherwise amusing himself. He did not mean to undervalue the services of Lord Conyngham, but it was quite necessary that the head of the post-office should be a permanently resident officer.

§ Sir R. Peel
took that opportunity of asking the right hon. Gentleman, or any other connected with Government, what were the regulations under which Parliamentary papers were sent by post? The general impression was, that Members were entitled to send a- Parliamentary paper, and provided it were of a limited weight great advantage might arise from it. [Mr. Hume. There is no limitation]. In that case there was the possibility of very great abuse. Suppose every Member exercised the privilege of sending reports, some of which weighed from eight pounds to ten pounds, it must obviously interfere with the arrangements of the Post-office. He could easily conceive great public advantage attending the circulation of their 812 Parliamentary papers, but it always appeared to him that some precise regulations should be laid down as to the exercise of the privilege; for if eight or ten Members availed themselves of it, having a right to insist that the papers should be conveyed by the mail on the same day on which they enclosed them, the whole arrangements of the Post office must be materially interfered with. He did not think that Members of that House were aware of their rights in that respect, [Mr.Hume, Yes, they are:] Was it, then, a fact that any and every Member might send by post? [Mr. Hume: Fifty or sixty books of reports.] Then if each Member had such a right it might occasion the most serious inconvenience, and there ought to be some limitation of the right, or the velocity with which the Post-office communications in this country were conducted might be materially interfered with. With respect to the proposition of the hon. Member for Greenock, he thought there would be great danger to the security of letters if it were laid down as the universal rule in consequence of an order of that House, that every Post-office in the metropolis should be kept open between ten and twelve at night, without Some concomitant restrictions, for skilful thieves would contrive when there were no passengers in the streets successfully to abstract the letters. The object which the hon. Gentleman had in view would be much better answered by calling the attention of the executive officer to the subject, who would have the opportunity of considering what precautions should accompany the plan.

§ Mr. Labouchere
had always considered it imperative as fur as possible to transmit Parliamentary papers on the same day, although sometimes it was a matter of no small difficulty, and, from their enormous weight, interposed in all cases the most serious delay in the general arrangements of the establishment. When it was impracticable to dispatch them by the regular mails the same day, they were invariably sent off the next evening, or by the first steam packets. With respect to the opening of the general post receiving boxes on Sunday he had communicated some days ago with Colonel Maberly, who at once agreed to adopt the suggestion, and for the future they should be kept open in the same manner as the two penny-post letter-offices, As to the other parts of the 813 motion it would he thought be better to leave them with the head of the executive department. However difficult it was to attend to all the details, and although Colonel Maberly was already greatly overworked, having scarcely a moment to spare beyond the immediate routine of the day, for on him the whole duty of the onerous establishment rested, yet Colonel Maberly was in every respect most anxious to meet the wishes of the public, and it was no fault of his if the Post-office was not conducted in the most efficient and satisfactory manner.

§ Sir Andrew Agnew
deprecated opening the general post letter boxes on the Sunday. Hon. Members might be much better occupied than in writing letters on the Sunday. But if the present system were found inconvenient, and some change were desirable, he would much prefer extending the privilege of Members sending off twenty letters on the Monday, to opening the offices on the Sunday.

§ Mr. Labouchere
said, the Post-office Commissioners had recommended that letters arriving in London on Sunday morning, instead of waiting, as at present, till the Monday evening, should be sent out by the mails which left town on Sunday, towards their destination in the country.

Mr. Wallace
observed, that with reference to Sunday deliveries in the town of Cheltenham, there were two deliveries on Sundays. Again, the Speaker of the House of Commons got his letters on Sunday. But, in Dublin, there existed this strange anomaly, that the letters from "us aliens" were delivered on Sundays, but letters from the interior of Ireland were not. The hon. Member stated that it was his intention to withdraw his motion.