The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

APPENDIX M. 487
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 newsvendors 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 dis-
tribution 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Now the need of individual addresses may be superseded in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