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A STATE PARCEL POST. 3 39
of ironclads or the construction of torpadoes. Them would be
nothing mom occult in the carrying of a parcel than in the
stamping and sorting and delivery of lottom. Thorn would
certainly be somo variations of traffic to be providod against,
especially about Christmas timo; but it would not bo compnratively
W O ~ O than tho pressure of Christmas cards or v&ntines
upon the Post O5ce. If necessary, it might bo
met by a temporary increase of charges during Christmw
week. In respect of the third point, the parcel post is as
favourably situated as the letter post. Nobody knows nor
cares what is done with the boilers of H.11.’~ ship Pi?>n forc
when cruising in Turkish waters; but everybody would know
and care, each in his own case, if iifudie’s parco1 of novels was
unpunctual, or tho new dress gono astray, or tho pot of Devonshiro
cream gonc bad, or tho author’s life-long labour-his
cherished manusc~ipt-irretrievably lost. Tho officials of tho
Dead and Missing Parcel Departlncnt mould noed strong
nerves and placid dispositions to stand tho constant strcam of
indignation which mould fall upon thetn. Thcre could be no
undetected laxity in the parcel department.
In respect, howevcr, of the fourth point of State manngoment
there might be room for more doubt. The immenso
success of the Post Office is much dependent upon the fact
that, in respect of letters, the Postmaster-General has little
capital expenditure under his charge. The railwtty companies
fortunately own and manage all the more olaborate instruments
of carriage, aud do tho work of the Post OfEco by contract.
The whole of the horse conveyanco of the mails is also
done by contract, or at least ought SO to Le done. All tho
minor post offices, too, are placed in private premises. Only
the large buildings at St. Martin’s-le-Grand, and tho principal
offices in the London districts and somo of t,ho larger provincial
towns, are actually owned by the Government for postal
purposes. Beyond this property they only om the letter
bags, the stamps, the pillar boxes, and so forth-property in
value quite inconsiderable. With the telegraph branch it is different
; whether wisely or otherwise (and I incline to think otherwise),
the Post OBice actually own the posts and wires,
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