The King's Post Part 12

Another new feature in Post Office development is the use of Stamping Machines for the rapid obliteration of the postage stamps and for the impression of the day's date on letters. Quite recently a machine of the kind has been introduced into the Bristol Post Office. The machine, which is of modern invention, goes by the name of the "Columbia"

Cancelling Machine, and is manufactured by the Columbia Postal Supply Company, of Silver Creek, New York, U.S.A. It is said to be in use in many Post Offices in the large towns of America and other countries. The public will no doubt have noticed the new cancelling marks on the postage stamps, as the die and long horizontal lines are very striking.

The cancelling and date marking operation is performed at the rate of 400 or 500 letters per minute. The motor power of the machine is electricity.

[Ill.u.s.tration: COLUMBIA STAMPING MACHINE.]

CHAPTER XVI.

THE POST OFFICE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY: ITS ANNUAL MEETING AT BRISTOL.--POST OFFICE SPORTS: TERRIBLE MOTOR CYCLE ACCIDENT.--BRISTOL POST OFFICE IN DARKNESS.

The United Kingdom Postal and Telegraph Service Benevolent Society held its Biennial meeting at Bristol, in June, 1903, and a Banquet was given by the Bristol Branch to the members of the Conference.

Such a visit to Bristol occurs only once in about 20 years, so it was regarded as an event of no small importance in the local Post Office community; and it is, perhaps, worthy on that account of record in this publication, which aims to be somewhat historical in character. In the following account of the Banquet there has been withdrawn the seasoning of the "hear, hear," "laughter," "applause," "loud cheers," etc. The reader can add it to his or her liking.

The attendance at the Banquet was large, and the guests closely filled the large central hall of the Royal Hotel, College Green. The High Sheriff, Mr. Weston Stevens, presided, and amongst those present were the Lord Bishop of Bristol, Colonel C.E.H. Hobhouse, M.P., Rev. A.N.

Blatchford, Messrs. J. McMurtrie, S. Humphries, R.C. Tombs, I.S.O.

(Postmaster and Surveyor of Bristol), E. Bennett, J.T. Francombe, J.

Asher, J.C. Gilmore, L.J. Botting (the Bristol Central Secretary), E.C.

Taylor (the Chairman of Conference), and many others.

The speeches were interesting as throwing a light on the Post Office working, and on Post Office benevolence.

When he received the invitation to attend that dinner, Mr. Francombe said, he was at a loss to know why he should be so honoured. He thought that possibly some gentleman engaged in the dead-letter office knew he was a member of the Education Committee of Bristol, and that he might give a hint to the rising generation to write better, and so save him a great deal of trouble. If that was the reason, he certainly would attend to it. Afterwards he said he knew why it was; it was because Sir Francis Freeling was born in Redcliff, where he (Mr. Francombe) happened to be schoolmaster of the parish. Sir Francis worked his way up to high rank in the Postal Service, which was something to be proud of. He hoped members of the Conference would not go away from Bristol without visiting Redcliff Church and seeing the slab to his memory. But his duty was to propose the toast of the Bishop and ministers of religion of that ancient city. They did not know as much about the Bishop as he should like them to know. They in Bristol believed him to be physically, mentally, and spiritually fit to be a leader in the great city. He believed the work of a Bishop was something like that of a policeman--not altogether a happy one. His Lordship attended many functions, gave a fillip to every one of them, and all he said was reported and saved up ready to be cast in his teeth sometimes. If he were of a tender disposition he would say, "I could weep my spirit from mine eyes." But he was not one of that sort. His toast was "Ministers of Religion." He thought it would have been "Ministers of all denominations." There was one denomination in Bristol that had no ministers, and it went on wonderfully well. He referred to the Society of Friends. He was sure His Lordship would agree. They only spoke when _the_ spirit moved them, but a good many spoke when _a_ spirit moved them. Some denominations were better without a minister, and some ministers would be better without denominations. In the city of Bristol there was room enough for all, and they need not spend time in attacking each other, but might do the work G.o.d sent them to do. They had one present that night--a broad-minded gentleman who did his work like the Bishop, and minded his business, and did not interfere with other people--Mr. Blatchford.

They always listened in Bristol with special pleasure to a speech from their friend Mr. Francombe, the Lord Bishop said. He desired to thank Mr. Francombe for the pleasant manner in which he had spoken of him. The clergy and ministers had looked about in the world for the faces that were on the side of right, besides the purely spiritual faces and spiritual work, and he was always thankful to think a great deal of good was done in the country by that great service represented that evening.

Their army of postmen and employes of the Post Office were a very great factor indeed in keeping steady a State like their own. He always said the same of certain other bodies, but of the postmen it seemed to him they were so particularly careful about their business, they learned of necessity to be so sober and so well conducted, or they would lose their place, that he looked upon them and the railway men as two of the greatest civilising influences they had among them, apart from such work as Mr. Blatchford and he were called upon officially to do. He desired to express, on his own part, his extreme grat.i.tude to those gentlemen for another reason--the wonderful accuracy with which they delivered the letters. That gentleman who laughed might once in his life have missed a letter addressed to him, but it did not happen to the Bishop. In the five and a half years he had been in Bristol, with a large correspondence, he was not conscious of having lost one single letter.

He should have been exceedingly glad if a good many had been lost. It so happened he gave the Post Office a good deal of trouble. He lived at a place called the Palace. Now Henry VIII. created a bishop's residence in Bristol, a palace, and it was supposed that a palace must mean something royal. The real fact was, the name was derived not from a king's palace but from that of a shepherd--a most suitable thing for a bishop. Henry VIII., besides creating his residence a palace, created Bristol a city in the same doc.u.ment. The name palace gave a certain amount of trouble, because there were palaces in some cities where other things than bishops were sold. There was a palace where a certain innocuous drink was sold, and letters sometimes went there. There was also a most delightful place of entertainment called the People's Palace in Bristol, and letters sometimes went there. When grave clergymen from a distance came to stay at his house they were occasionally driven up to the doors of the People's Palace, and the cabmen expected that they were going to purchase tickets for the entertainment. A letter came to Bristol addressed "March 25th, Bristol." The Postmaster was puzzled at first.

Then it occurred to him that the a.s.sizes were on, and Justice Day was the judge, and that his wife was Lady Day. He should like to tell them one thing more from history. Admirable as the Post Office was now, a little more than 1,200 years ago, a letter was sent to his predecessor, St. Aldhelm, from Ireland. The only address given was from an anonymous Scot. The letter said, "You have a book which it is only the business of a fortnight to read; I beg you to send it to me." That was all. He did not name the book. The Post Office in those days was so marvellous a thing that, as far as they knew, Aldhelm just took the book, put it in the post, addressed to an anonymous Scot, and he supposed it found its way to him in Ireland. He did not think they could beat that to-day. Few people knew how much the country was saved in taxation by people who had a large correspondence. Their letters were the most agreeable and easy way of paying their taxes. When they came to see the Budget a.n.a.lysed it was surprising what a large amount of taxation was paid in this innocent way. He could not see how it was done. It seemed that the work for which a penny was charged must cost at least a penny. He could only understand it on the principle of the old Irish lady who lost on every single apple she sold, but, by the blessing of G.o.d, sold so many that she got a good living out of it.

He was not surprised, the Rev. A.N. Blatchford said, that the toast should be so heartily received in a city known as the city of churches.

The Church had thrown herself from ancient time into the cause of the people; progress and religion had been indissolubly linked together.

In proposing the toast "The Postal and Telegraph Service," Mr. Sidney Humphries, J.P., present President of the Chamber of Commerce, said that when he was asked to propose the next toast on the list, his thoughts naturally turned to the reason for his being put forward to do this duty, and the only explanation that had occurred to him was that having had the hardihood to be one of a deputation to the Postmaster-General quite recently, on the question of their local postal service, those who had had the arrangement of this function, Mikado like, had lured him to his punishment; but still, being in for it, many interesting thoughts had arisen. The first, as to the foresight of that Worcestershire schoolmaster, Rowland Hill, who, feeling the pinch of expense, made an agreement with his sweetheart to only write once a fortnight, the rates of postage in his early days varying from 2d. to 1s. in accordance with the distance at which they were separated. Fortunately, his thoughts were directed to the penny postage for all distances within the United Kingdom, and although many spoke of him as an over-sanguine dreamer, still events had proved his wisdom, and to-day they had a postal service that dealt with over 3,832 million letters, postcards, and papers per annum, giving 91 per head of the population, as against 940 millions 33 years ago, with the comparatively small number of 30 per head then.

Whilst speaking of the enormous growth of the postal business, they must not lose sight of the wonderful growth of both the telegraph and Savings Bank business. The former, since it was taken over by Government in 1870, had more than justified that step, for in the following year--1871--the number of telegrams sent was 10 millions, whilst last year the number was well over 92 million messages. Then as regards the Savings Bank, they could flatter themselves as to the proof it furnished of the increased wealth of the country, for whilst the total Savings Bank capital in 1869 was 13-1/2 millions, in 1901 it stood at over 140 millions. But whilst all this progress had been made, many helpful suggestions had been made by men of moderate position. Take, for instance, a time so long ago as 1784: the credit of first suggesting the mail coach was made by a Mr. Palmer, who was then the manager of the theatre in their neighbouring city of Bath. This was a great improvement as to speed and safety of delivery when compared with the old postboy; but think of the mail coach when compared with the mail trains that covered now over three millions of miles per annum. But with all this progress there had been many other changes. Think of the notice that was issued to all postal employes in 1832, that none were to vote or advise electors how to vote. This was very different to running a candidate on postal lines, as was to take place at the next election at York. And in considering what for a better term he might call the commercial side of the question, there were instances that ought not to be overlooked in great numbers of devotion to duty--for example, take that of the Scotch mail carrier, who, feeling himself overcome by the gale and snow, hung his mail-bag on a tree so that the letters should not be lost, even if his life were sacrificed. Then this postal system seemed to develop a special shrewdness. One local case had been mentioned by the Bishop as having recently occurred, and there was another in which a pictorial address of Daniel in the lion's den found its rightful owner, who had become talked about by his visit to a menagerie just before. But in case they should all think that at last perfection had been reached, there was another circ.u.mstance that he could relate from his own personal experience. Wanting to send a parcel to Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, he foolishly sent it to his private address, at 40, Portman Square, instead of his official residence, he being Chancellor of Exchequer at the time, and judge of his own astonishment when he received an official announcement, "Cannot be delivered owing to address being unknown." But this did not tell against their Bristol friends, a body of men, he ventured to say, who for smartness and anxiety at all times to meet the various calls made upon them could not be surpa.s.sed, and therefore he called upon them all to drink heartily the toast of the Postal and Telegraph Service, coupling with it the name of their local Postmaster and Surveyor, who was always to the fore in anything that would help forward Bristol or Bristol interests.

[Ill.u.s.tration: POSTMASTER OF BRISTOL.

_(The Author.)_]

In replying, the Postmaster thanked them all for the cordial reception of the toast of the Postal and Telegraph Services, and especially Mr.

Humphries, the proposer, for the kind and considerate and genial way in which he had alluded to his department. In the first place, he wished to extend to the delegates a.s.sembled there--and they came from all parts of the United Kingdom, North, South, East, and West--the right hand of good comradeship. Welcome, delegates to Bristol, thrice welcome, he said. He supposed, in response to this important toast, they would expect that he should say something of the postal system. The Lord Bishop had taken them back some hundreds of years--1200 years back, when Bishop Aldhelm wrote a letter. He must go a little further back than that. His friend, Mr. Humphries, found a parallel in Holy Scripture--Daniel in the lion's den. He found in Holy Writ, the only book of ancient date he had to refer to, that posts and letters were of respectable antiquity. They would find recorded in Kings II. this pa.s.sage in connection with the account of that pathetic incident of the little Israelitish maiden suggesting the means whereby Naaman might be cured--"Go to," said the King of Syria, "I will send a letter to the King of Israel." In the wisdom of Solomon were the words, "My days are like a shadow that pa.s.seth away, and like the post that hasteth by." So they saw in those ancient days it was all hurry for the postman. He would skip a few thousand years and come to 1496. It was recorded that the means of communication in this country were almost non-existent, and news was carried to and fro by means of travelling merchants, pedlars, and pilgrims. In 1637 letter posts were established by Charles I. King Charles stopped in the building that stood on the site of their local St. Martin's-le-Grand, but little could he have thought that the day would come when it would be possible for a man to stand on that spot and speak to a friend and recognise his voice, as far away as Wexford. Sir Francis Freeling had been named. He became secretary to the Post Office.

He served in the Bristol office two or three years before being translated to London to become the a.s.sociate of Palmer, of mail-coach renown. The old city of Bristol had been under a cloud. In the year 1793 they had only one postman, and two or three years later two. Now they had 500. In the last 60 years the letters posted and delivered in Bristol increased from 66 millions to 134 millions in the year. This was an enormous increase, and showed that Bristol was going to forge ahead again. It made them glad that the old city had once again aroused herself. The Post Office had become a giant in the kingdom, but it exercised its power as a kindly giant. They heard the demand for all sorts of reforms, but they felt that Mr. Austen Chamberlain was equal to the occasion.

"The Postal and Telegraph Benevolent Society" was submitted by Lieut.-Colonel Hobhouse, M.P., who said he was not sure that before long they would not have to add to their service, and include the telephonic operators as well. He noticed they depended in their work, and for the relief which they gave to their members, entirely upon the donations of their own members. That was satisfactory, not only to them, but to him as a Member of Parliament, because Members of Parliament seldom came to gatherings of that sort without being requested to make some contribution, direct or indirect, to the funds of the Society, so good as to give them a dinner. He understood the provision of the Society was in addition to the official pension of the Post Office.

In reply, Mr. Botting said they must all feel very much flattered by the terms in which Colonel Hobhouse had referred to their Society. He felt that they might almost suggest to the Government that the questions of old age pensions and the financial position of friendly societies might be handed over to them to deal with. He might remind them of a remark made at the meeting, although having an M.P. present, perhaps he should not refer to it, that their Society got through more work in a day than the House of Commons did in a month. He considered they had at their Conference got through a good day's work. He would not give a long string of statistics, but he must mention that the Society had a membership of 19,600, had been in existence nearly 28 years, and during that time had paid to the nominees of deceased members just upon 300,000, made up chiefly of penny contributions. Such payments had been in many cases all that had stood between the widows and orphans and absolute dest.i.tution. In considering this, they must not forget his friend beside him, whose fertile brain had created the Society. They must all regret to learn of Mr. Asher's retirement from the Service through ill-health, and they would all hope that the release from official work would prove beneficial to him. He (Mr. Botting) hoped that so long as the Society existed the name of Mr. Asher would never be forgotten.

Mr. Asher was received very heartily. He said the proposal that such a society should be formed was regarded as the day dream of a sanguine mind, but it was something to reflect upon, the immense amount of good that had been done in the course of years. More practical help he could not imagine rendering to the fellows in the Service. He trusted that the work of that day's Conference might re-echo and redound to the credit of the Bristol meeting, and he desired, in thanking their Bristol friends, to couple with them the names of Mr. E.C. Taylor and the Reception Committee.

In proposing "The City and County of Bristol," Mr. Edward Bennett said that he had attended a great number of these banquets, and had had on several occasions to propose the toast of the particular town which was for the moment entertaining the Society. For this reason he was, perhaps, looked upon as a special pleader, and when he was praising a provincial city his tongue was thought to be in his cheek, and London was written on his heart. When Stella was told that Dean Swift had composed a poem, not in honour of her, but of Vanessa, she replied, with exquisite feminine amenity, that it was well known that the Dean could be eloquent over a broomstick. If he that night extolled Bristol above her other rivals, it would be said of him that he was a verbose individual, who had called in past years Leeds a beautiful and inspiring city, Liverpool a rising seaport, and Glasgow a town where urbanity and sweet reasonableness prevailed. It might be remembered of him that he had praised the Birmingham man for his childlike humility, and the Edinburgh man for his excessive modesty. It was his first visit to Bristol, and it was presumption on his part to speak on the subject at all. Silence was the better part when a man was situated as he was.

There were some exquisite lines he learnt as a child which conveyed a deep moral lesson to all day trippers:--

There was a young lady of Sweden She went by the slow train to Weedon, When she arrived at Weedon Station she made no observation, But returned by the slow train to Sweden.

That was what he ought to have done. His heart went out to that young lady, and he often had pondered whether it was disgust, astonishment, or admiration which had inspired her silence. There was a special reason why Civil Servants should be drawn to Bristol. Doubtless even the Bristol Chamber of Commerce was acquainted with the process known as "pa.s.sing over"--many persons in that room had perhaps undergone the operation--and those who read the history of Bristol felt a pull at their heart strings when they realised the fact that she also had been "pa.s.sed over" by younger and more pushful rivals. But the capable Civil Servant never admitted the justice of being pa.s.sed over. In many instances he established his case, and he did not rest satisfied until he had retrieved his position, and in time caught up his quondam rivals. That, he took it, was the position of Bristol at the present time. She had relied too much on her ancient name, and had allowed mushroom places like Liverpool and Manchester to steal a march on her.

She was coming to the front again; she had a glorious past, but she was going to have a brilliant future. He coupled with the toast the name of the High Sheriff. If he knew any evil of the High Sheriff he would not mention it that evening. He had still 24 hours to spend in Bristol, and a man could do a lot of evil as well as good in that time.

The High Sheriff made a short speech in reply to the toast.

Other good speeches followed.

The Post Office Cycling and Athletic Clubs have for some years past been in the habit of holding Sports at the County Ground in Bristol. These annual sports, having been held on Sat.u.r.day afternoons, have usually been successful, and have attracted large crowds. In 1903, the sports, held on the 23rd May, attracted no fewer than nine thousand persons, owing to the unusual feature of motor cycle races having been arranged as a novelty--motor cycle racing not having been carried on in Bristol before. There were several compet.i.tors, and London as well as local men, took part in the motor cycle races. Unfortunately, the track, which had been made some sixteen years previously for ordinary cycle compet.i.tions, was not suitable for motor racing at great speed. In one of the heats Bailey, of Bristol, was leading Barnes, of London, a noted motor cyclist, and through some mishap at or soon after the moment of Barnes getting past Bailey, his machine having run rather wide on the track, got out of his command, and dashed into the fringe of sightseers who were lying on the bank to get the best point of view. The result was a fearful carnage, and ten or eleven people were carried away insensible and much injured. In the end, three poor boys died in the Hospital, and fortunately the seven or eight other people who were injured, slowly recovered from their concussions and contusions. At the inquest, the verdict was "Accidental Death."

On the 23rd December, 1903, shortly after five o'clock p.m., the civic supply of electricity in Bristol failed, and shops, business premises, and houses depending upon it for light, were plunged into darkness in all parts of the city. This was soon known to be due to a fire having broken out at Temple Back Generating Station, and the glare in the sky suggested that the outbreak had reached serious proportions. The Bristol Post Office has a full installation of electric light; and the failure could not have occurred at a more inconvenient time, as the pressure incidental to Christmas was being experienced. Fortunately, not only for the Post Office, but also for the general public, the large staff engaged in the interior of the building was able to cope with the extensive work before them practically without interruption, as throughout the whole of the department, gas is still laid on, and, beyond the shifting of one or two desks to within reasonable distance of gas jets, no inconvenience was caused after the burners and fittings--somewhat out of order through non-usage--were put to rights.

The public hall, however, suffered most, as, when thus robbed of the electric light at one of the busiest periods of the evening, only scattered gas jets were available, and they had to be supplemented by lighted candles set at intervals around the semi-circular counter. Some of the candles were in primitive holders, stuck in blocks of wood, and plugged firmly with nails; others were even without these supports. The Counter Officers had, therefore, to work under difficulties; but they got through their manifold duties expeditiously. The greatest inconvenience was occasioned at St. James's Parish Hall, which was being temporarily used as a Post Office. Here, there was no gas service available, and when the electric lights "gave out," the staff had to scurry hither and thither to get illuminants, which took the form of postmen's lamps, table lamps, candles in improvised holders, and such few hurricane lamps as were procurable at the shops, in the general run on them. The electric light was fully restored in the evening of the next day. This fire recalls an occasion when at St. Martin's-le-Grand, the gas supply failed, and the largest Post Office business of the world was placed at a standstill. The officials, however, were equal to the emergency, and cartloads of candles were quickly obtained. The staff of carpenters employed on the building improvised receptacles, and the postal work was proceeded with, candles as they burnt out being replaced by men told off for the purpose. Some time afterwards, it was suggested that the stock of candles left over should be disposed of, but it was then found that these had been devoured by the innumerable rats which infest the old building.

CHAPTER XVII.

QUAINT ADDRESSES AND THE DEAN'S PECULIAR SIGNATURE.--AMUSING INCIDENTS AND THE POSTMAN'S KNOCK.--HUMOROUS APPLICATIONS.

The members of the Bristol Post Office Staff have to display no little perspicacity in elucidating quaint addresses on letters going through the post. To Postman Wade must go the credit of having correctly surmised that the letter addressed simply "25th March, Clifton," to which allusion has already been made, was intended for Lady Day, the wife of the Judge of a.s.size, Mr. Justice Day, then staying in Clifton. A letter addressed to "W.D. & H.O.", without street or town being named, came from a distant county, and was delivered to the firm of Messrs.

W.D. & H.O. Wills & Co., in Bristol, for whom it was found to be intended.

The pictorial ill.u.s.trations herewith demonstrate two instances of letters correctly delivered by the post office officials after the address had been deciphered by their _Sherlock Holmes_.

In the _Bristol Royal Mail_ particulars were given of the peculiar way in which correspondents addressed their envelopes to the Post Office, Bristol. Since that publication was issued, other peculiar instances have occurred. The following are cases of the kind, viz.:--The Head Postmaster (Master's Parlour). The Honourable The Postmaster. Postmaster Number 58 (in answer to query on Form "Postmasters No. 58"). Master, General Post Office, Bristol.

The Dean of Bristol in the preface of his very interesting book "Odds and Ends," writes of the many liberties people take with his surname in their communications, and says that none of their imaginary names are so pleasing to him as his own proper name of Pigou. That his correspondents are not altogether to be blamed may be gathered from the fact that the Dean, in an official letter to the Bristol Post Office, signed his name thus:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Signature]

The signature was submitted to 22 officers who decipher the badly addressed letters at the "Blind" Division, at "Head Quarters," in the General Post Office, London, and their interpretations were as follows, viz.:--J. Rogers, J. Egan, Ryan, J. Lyon, Roper, J. or T. Rogers, J.

Rogers, J. Logan, J. Lyon, J. Logan, J. Pogon, T. Lyon, J. Rogers, J.

Goson, J. Rogers, J. Eason, T. Egan, J. Goyfer, J.G. Offin, J. Lyons, J.

Pyon, J. Pijou.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LETTER CORRECTLY DELIVERED TO DR. W.G. GRACE, AT BRISTOL.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: QUAINT ADDRESS.]

It is only fair to the "Blind Writers" to say, that the address heading of the Dean's letter was withdrawn before the signature was submitted to them. With that clue they would readily have been able to find out the writer's correct name from their books of reference, so that the Dean is not likely to suffer delay of his letters in the Returned Letter Office through peculiarity of signature.