The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

306 LIFE OF SIR ROWLAND HILL. [1855-9
assisting officers in 13'
payment of insurance fees. In
"
this manner the association in question, The Post
Office Widows' and Orphans' Fund Society," was
placed on a firm footing.
As, however, the demands thus made on these
various funds were not sufficient, in the scale laid down,
to absorb the whole, a portion of the void order fund
was employed in rescuing from difficulties another
society in the London Office, called the " Letter-
"
Carriers' Burial Fund the ; rights and claims of which
became -perplexed and uncertain on the amalgamation
of the two sets of letter-carriers ; with only one of
which the society had been connected. These measures
had the effect of exchanging past contributions into
payments for life insurance ; and thus gave to every
contributor the full benefit of his former sacrifices.
The fund still being by no means exhausted, authority
was obtained to apply the remainder towards aiding
members of the service throughout the United
Kingdom to insure their lives, by using it in part
payment of the premiums ; and, even from the best
established insurance offices, a considerable reduc-
tion of fees was obtained, in consideration of the
large
hands.
amount of business thus thrown into their
By the end of 1857 the total amount insured for was
^28o,ooo.t As might be expected, the greatest
* " Before 1871 the money accruing from unclaimed money orders had, for many
years, been used in aiding officers of the department to insure their lives ; but in
that year the Lords of the Treasury gave directions for the discontinuance of the
practice (except in regard to then existing recipients of the aid), and for the payment
of this money into the Exchequer. In obedience to this order, the accumu-
lated capital, together with the interest thereon (amounting to .20,707), was paid
into the Exchequer. The actual amount of unclaimed money orders for 1871 was
^3.390-" "Twenty-fifth Report," p. 65. ED.
t "Fourth Report,' p. 33.