Chapter XLIV: Appendix: M

[See p. 347.]

_Proposed Reduction in the Postage on Newspapers
and other Printed Matter._

Of the importance of distributing our cheap and excellent newspapers and other periodicals and serials over the whole face of the country there can be but one opinion amongst enlightened men. The aim of this memorandum is to show to what extent, and by what means, this great end can be attained, without undue sacrifice of other equally great interests.

With respect to the allegations made as to the cheaper conveyance of such matter in other countries, it is important to remark that no argument can be safely drawn from them, even when they are found literally correct, without careful examination into all the appertaining circumstances.[273]

And here it may be observed, that forty years ago our own journals, though laden with heavy duties, viz., the stamp duty and those on advertisements and paper, were constantly spoken of as carried free. An anomaly the more remarkable because if addressed anywhere beyond the narrow limits of what was termed the "free delivery," every newspaper bore a postal charge. It scarcely need be said that to the "freedom" of those earlier days, no one, least of all the applicants in this case, would wish to return.[274]

It must, therefore, be inquired as respect the countries referred to--

1st. Whether the postage be in addition to a stamp duty.

2nd. Whether the post office undertakes house-to-house delivery, and that free of charge.

3rd. What are the restrictions as to weight, as to writing or other marks, and as to time and place of posting. Whether, in short, the cheap transmission be not made under regulations which would not be tolerated here.

4th. Whether the governments concerned have not either the free use of the railways for the conveyance of mails, or at least their use on very much lower terms than are conceded here.

5th. Whether lowness of postage on printed matter be not obtained at the cost of high postage on letters.

6th. What in the countries referred to is the fiscal result of the postal system? whether, as here, the production of a large net revenue (whose diminution would have to be made good by some other impost); whether, as in various other countries, a bare self-support, or, as in the United States, a deficiency to be supplied from the general taxation.

7th. Whether, in fine, there be not some circumstance, or set of circumstances, which vitiates the example.

It is at least highly probable that when the various examples held up have been subjected to the proposed scrutiny, their validity will shrink into very small dimensions.

Without, however, laying too much stress either way on foreign example, it is manifestly important to consider the present question in relation to other home interests; in recognising the claims of newspapers we must not forget those of letters; the less so as the former are already by far the more favoured class of the two, the allowance of weight of a newspaper being eight-fold that of a letter. It must be borne in mind, therefore, that in case of any surplus in revenue, equality, if not priority of claim, whether for increased weight, increased facilities, or other advantage, may be fairly set up in favour of letters; further, that this claim is prodigiously strengthened by the fact that it is to letters alone (almost exclusively to home letters) that the Post Office is indebted for its net revenue.

Returning, however, for the moment to the separate question of newspapers, it must be remarked that any lowering of that unit of charge which has hitherto been strictly maintained is open to so many objections as to demand that the change, if made, should be made with extreme caution.

1st. The postal conveyance of printed matter--especially of newspapers, since these admit of no delay--is, even at the present rates, under existing circumstances, unremunerative, a fact which becomes very intelligible when the eight-fold allowance of weight is considered, and which of itself overthrows the expectation held out by some that the fiscal loss by reduction would be compensated by increase in the number of packets sent.

2nd. The proposed reduction, if made simply, would inevitably lead to increased demands on the part of the railway companies, and that upon two grounds, (_a_) augmented weight of the mails, and (_b_) alleged interference with their parcel traffic. All this will be found to have followed the reduction to the present rates.

3rd. The temptation to use printed matter as a cover, or fraudulent substitute for written letters, which even now is unduly strong, would, without safeguards far beyond any yet known, be enormously strengthened.

4th. As the power of mechanically exchanging bags _en route_ is, as mentioned by the Postmaster-General in the House of Commons, but limited, augmentation in weight may, by rendering stoppage necessary, retard the progress of the mails.

Under the first of the above heads it must be added that the sound commercial principle on which the Post Office should be conducted--the full establishment of which was kept steadily in view, and towards which a nearer and nearer approach was made so long as I held the office of secretary--is that each part of the business should be at least self-supporting; every deviation from this principle not only producing direct injury to fiscal results, but becoming prolific as an example. Further, that deviation as respects printed matter is the more objectionable because, as the Post Office has there no monopoly of conveyance, the inevitable result is to saddle it with whatever has to be conveyed at a loss, while aught that is profitable is sure to pass into other hands.

In relation to the third head, that concerning temptation to fraud, it may be remarked that, if the change can be so made as to render fraud under its operation impracticable, objection on this score will of course be removed; and, further, that if the modification necessary for securing this can be made at the same time to reduce labour at the Post Office as regards this special duty, ground for reduction in charge may be established.

Thus then we come to a consideration of means; and, first, it is assumed that the application under review relates only to the _primary_ distribution of newspapers, &c., viz., that from the hands of the publishers or of the vendors; and it is for that alone that just provision seems practicable or is here attempted.

Now it is well known that such distribution in towns, as now performed by news vendors themselves, is very inexpensive, partly because the cost of railway conveyance is less to them than to the Post Office, partly because the delivery is generally performed by boys, but _mainly because the newspapers are not individually addressed_, each copy of a particular paper serving as well for one individual as another. The first and perhaps only desideratum, therefore, is a means for performing the same duty, viz., the distribution of papers not individually addressed at small cost in the rural districts.

Now the need of individual addresses may be superseded in the country by use of the means found available in towns: in other words, if lists similar to those which doubtless guide the boys in the town delivery be put into the hands of the Post Office rural messengers, the latter will be able to perform the duty of distribution with as little difficulty as the former.

Supposing this plan to be adopted, it becomes practicable to save labour in the Post Office to a much greater extent than at first sight appears.

At present, newspapers posted for rural districts have to be assorted from a mass of papers for all parts of the United Kingdom, and, indeed, of the world. Such as are for a distance have to undergo a like operation at one or more offices on their way to that where, by a final assortment, they are arranged according to the walks of the several messengers. Lastly, of course, each paper has to be delivered according to its particular address.

Now, upon the proposed plan, the publishers or the news vendors of the metropolis, or other centre, instead of folding, addressing, and posting the journals intended for the rural districts, would, as is now done to a great extent--naturally send them in bulk, in the parcels containing journals for the post towns; an arrangement which would relieve the Post Office, not only of the first assortment, but also of the duty of conveyance; thereby avoiding at once increased difficulty as to exchange of bags, and also interference or quasi interference, with parcel-traffic, unless in the acceptable way of augmentation; and the provincial news vendors, on receiving these parcels, would, while themselves dealing with the journals intended for town-delivery, and for such of the rural districts as they might prefer to serve, convey the remainder, still unfolded and unaddressed, to the local post office (which they would have previously supplied with corresponding lists, variable, say once a month), thus superseding the intermediate assortments; and, lastly, the postmasters would only have to arrange the journals, by number and kind, according to the rounds of the messengers; thus reducing the trouble of even the final assortment to a minimum.

Still further to lessen trouble to the Post Office, as likewise for just security, it would be well to require that payment for the month should be made in advance, viz., on delivery of the lists. It would also be necessary to rule that the sum to be so paid should in no case be below a certain amount.

And thus, by an actual reduction in Post Office labour, unattended with any counterbalancing disadvantage, the desired reduction in postage would be warranted.

It is obvious that papers thus dealt with would present no temptation to fraud, since the absence of particular address would altogether prevent their being used as substitutes for letters.

On the plan set forth above, if taken as a whole, I think it would be safe and justifiable to reduce the charge for what I have called the primary distribution of newspapers, &c., to one halfpenny the four ounces, that is to say to one-half the present rate.

Security against fraud generally, it may be pointed out, would be immeasurably increased if the proposed boon were accompanied with the entire abolition of the impressed stamp, the use of which, besides maintaining a constant temptation to dishonesty, demands, on the part of the Post Office and the public, the observance of a highly complicated set of rules, involving so much trouble that they are constantly violated with impunity.

This change, however, would have to be accompanied with the issue of a three-halfpenny adhesive stamp[275] (a measure actually contemplated some years ago) to supply the place of the impressed stamp of the same value now used by newspapers which, like the _Times_ or _Illustrated London News_ occasionally range in weight between four and six ounces. The use of the new stamp might very properly be extended to all other printed matter of like weight.

Before touching on further possibilities as respects newspapers, I return to the subject of letters, in relation to which much additional improvement is desirable. This might be arranged under the following heads:--

(_a_) Increase in the number of deliveries; at least in the large
towns.

(_b_) The extension of periodic (not necessarily daily) delivery
to every house, however remote, as in France, Prussia, and
Switzerland; an improvement important, not only to commercial
interests and social intercourse, but to jurisprudence,
legislation, and political action.

(_c_) The establishment on one or two of the great routes--say
after a trial for a short distance--of a mode of conveyance far
more rapid than any yet employed, but delayed on account of its
great expense, viz., tubular conveyance; by the use of which, in
the opinion of the eminent engineers, Mr. C. H. Gregory and Mr.
E. A. Cowper (as set forth by them in a report to myself dated
October, 1859), a speed of from 120 to 150 miles an hour might
be attained, though at a total annual cost (interest of capital
inclusive) of about £800 per mile, from which, however, there would
be a set-off of probably about two-thirds for present expenses
saved. The use of such conveyance so far as Crewe on the one hand
and Dover on the other, would bring Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow and
Paris wholly within the reach of the London night mail, at the
same time, of course, greatly lessening the effective distance to
all places beyond. It would also, for reasons not necessary to be
stated here, both facilitate the frequent despatch of mails, and
aid greatly in the prompt distribution of newspapers to places
directly or indirectly served; would, for instance, make it
practicable to place the London morning newspapers on the breakfast
tables of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

(_d_) Increase in the standard of weight, say, from half an ounce
to an ounce, a change which would reduce the postage of heavy
letters by about a half, besides avoiding much weighing of letters
and vexatious overcharge for excess of weight.

(_e_) A reduced rate of postage, on certain conditions, for
circulars. In most towns there is a time in every day at which the
work in the post office is light, as also a delivery at which the
amount of letters, &c., might be considerably increased without
inconvenience, and circulars so posted as best to suit these
opportunities, provided always they came in sufficient numbers and
were taken to the head office, might reasonably be dealt with on
lower terms, perhaps at half the present rate.

A plan in accordance with what is here set forth was drawn up by my
son, Mr. Pearson Hill, and laid before the Secretary of the Post
Office some time ago, but, as I understand, awaits decision. His
plan is limited to local distribution; but, should it be adopted
and prove successful, I should be ready to suggest means for giving
it general effect.

Now beneficial concessions in the case both of letters and newspapers would be greatly facilitated by the establishment of more equitable and more equable arrangements than the present between the Post Office and the railway companies. Opportunity for this is likely soon to arise through inevitable demand for the extension to railway traffic of that abolition of tax on locomotion which is now imminent in respect of other modes of conveyance, a concession which may fairly be accompanied with the legal enactment of the tariff of charges, and other modifications in the laws affecting the Post Office proposed in paragraphs 23 and 24 of my Report on Railways, dated 7th May, 1867, which forms part of the Report of the Royal Commission on Railways laid before Parliament in the same year.

Perhaps, also, means may be devised for such further improvement of the apparatus used in exchanging bags as to remove the present objection to increased weight.

Supposing these two important advantages to be secured, the Post Office would then be able, without injustice to other interests, to receive the newspapers (of course still in bulk and unaddressed, though assorted according to districts and accompanied with respective lists) directly from the metropolitan or other central publishers or vendors, and to forward them, without further intervention, to their ultimate destination; thus, in effect, reducing still further the charge for their distribution throughout the country.

As reduction in labour, not only to the Post Office but also to senders, will obviously attend every reduction in number of packets, perhaps two or more publishers or vendors may, under either of the above arrangements, send combined packets, lists, &c., a course which will not in any way impede or modify distribution.

The operation of the plans recommended in this paper would, I believe, open the way to additional advantages which it would now be premature to mention.

ROWLAND HILL.

June 12, 1869.