The Life of Sir Rowland Hill and the

62 LIFE OF SIR ROWLAND HILL. [1847
To heedlessness in appointment was unfortunately
added laxity in discipline :
" September ^oth. At the postmaster, who gets ^15 a year
as compensation for [his loss of] late-letter fees has remitted till lately
only 7.?. or Ss. a year [for such fees] ; but on a stir being made the
remittances at once advanced to as much per week : the explanation
given is that he omitted to demand the fee, not that he fraudulently
appropriated it ; and on this ground he has escaped dismissal, I
think very improperly ;
but I have not been consulted in either case,
and know the facts only from conversation with the Postmaster-
General."
About the same time I was engaged in devising
means for a partial introduction of the plan of district
offices in the London delivery, but was led to abandon
the attempt, in some measure, by
the inconveniences
attending a partial arrangement, and yet more by fear
of serious disorder likely to arise from the imperfect
manner in which I knew, by past experience, the
necessary instructions would be carried into effect,
unless I could myself superintend their execution ; and
thus it was that several years had to elapse before this
great improvement could be made.
Soon after arriving at this conclusion I attempted to
remove a strange anomaly which was producing a
certain amount of trouble in the office, leading occa-
sionally even to delay in the despatch of the mails.
This was that while letters brought to the chief office
after 7 P.M. were not received for that night's mail
without an additional fee of sixpence, late newspapers
were received up to that hour on *
payment of a half-
penny :
" October 5th. To-day I consulted Bokenhamf on the expediency
* "The origin of this strange anomaly is this : Many years ago the newspaper
fees were the perquisite of certain officers, and they therefore took newspapers in
as late as possible." Sir R. Hill's Journal. ED.
t The head of the Sorting Department.