The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

1847] A POST OFFICE BILL. 6l
legislative enactment. In a bill sent up from the Post
Office to the Treasury for introduction into Parliament,
I had advised the insertion of clauses authorizing the
Treasury to relax or abolish the rule fixing a maximum
to the weight of a letter, but at the same time
establishing restrictions as, for instance, prepayment
of postage on all heavy letters to prevent abuse of the
new rule by the public. The solicitor of the Post
Office, however, so drew the bill as to supersede the
Treasury exercise of this power by a clause making the
abolition absolute, and at the same time omitting the
proposed safeguards. As the bill was never submitted
to my examination in a complete form, it became law
with this defect. Fortunately, the practical con-
sequences were not very serious, the public probably
remaining for the most part quite unaware of its new
liberty or, rather, licence. Some wag, however, getting
hold of the fact, turned it to account for his amusement,
posting in Ireland a bundle of old clothes, directed to
London, which being of course refused by the ad-
dressee, as the postage demanded was no less than
^4. i is., had to be carried back according to rule to the
place of despatch ;
the double conveyance being neces-
sarily made gratis, as the sender naturally took care not
to be known. I need not say that at the first oppor-
tunity the Act was amended.
A very far more serious evil was reported to me
shortly afterwards; namely, that a clerk in the Money
Order Office in Manchester had been detected in
several frauds. My informant attributed the loss
of letters, &c., mainly to the absence of investigation
as to character, arising out of the system of patronage.
He added that he pointed out this as the chief cause
of the evil to Lord Lowther soon after his appoint-
ment.