CHAPTER I | The Postal Establishment supported directly by the State—Prior to 1635 | 3 | | Methods of postal communication in vogue before the establishment of the Post Office. The first Postmaster-General and his duties. Alternative systems. The posts in Elizabeth's reign. Appointment of a Foreign Postmaster-General. Rivalry between the two Postmasters-General. Witherings as Foreign Postmaster-General. | | CHAPTER II | The Postal Establishment a Source of Revenue to the State—1635-1711 | 13 | | Condition of the postal establishment at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Witherings' project adopted. Disturbance produced in the Post Office by the struggle between the two Houses of Parliament. Rival claimants for the office of Postmaster-General. The Civil War and its effects upon the Post Office. The Post Office during the Commonwealth. Farming of the Post Office. Complaints about the delivery of letters after the Restoration. Condition of the postal establishment at the close of the seventeenth century. Dockwra's London Penny Post. Extension of the foreign postal service. Conditions in Ireland, Scotland, and the American Colonies. | | CHAPTER III | The Postal Establishment an Instrument of Taxation—1711-1840 | 34 | | The Post Office Act of 1711. The Post Office as a whole ceases to be farmed. Allen undertakes the farm of the bye and cross posts. Improvements in postal communications during the first half of the eighteenth century. Controversy over the delivery of letters. Competition from post coaches. Establishment of mail coaches by Palmer. Abuses in the Post Office and their reform. Opening and detention of letters. Franking of newspapers in certain cases and other privileges abolished. The Newspaper and Dead Letter Offices. Registration of letters. Money Order Office. Changes in the London Penny Post. Consolidation of different branches of the Post Office in London. Dublin and Edinburgh Penny Posts. Question of Sunday posts. Conditions under which mail coaches were supplied. Conveyance of mails by railways. Condition of the postal establishment during the first half of the nineteenth century. Irish Post Office and postal rates. Scotch Post Office. Sir Rowland Hill's plan. Investigation of postal affairs by a committee. Report of committee. Adoption of inland penny postage. | | CHAPTER IV | The Postal Establishment an Instrument of Popular Communication—Since 1840 | 63 | | Reductions in rates of postage, inland, colonial and foreign; and resultant increase in postal matter. Insurance and registration of letters. Failure of attempt to introduce compulsory prepayment of postage. Perforated postage stamps. Free and guaranteed delivery of letters in rural districts. Express or special delivery of letters. Newspaper postage rates. Book or Halfpenny Post. Pattern and Sample Post. Use of postcards. Parcel Post. Question of "cash on delivery." Postal notes. Their effect upon the number of money orders. Savings banks. Assurance and annuity privileges. Reform in these offices by Mr. Fawcett. Methods of conveyance of the mails. Condition of postal employees. Sunday labour. Dissatisfaction of employees with committee of 1858. Mr. Fawcett's reforms in 1881 and 1882. Mr. Raikes' concessions in 1888, 1890, and 1891. Appointment of Tweedmouth Committee in 1895 gives little satisfaction to the men. Appointment of a departmental committee. Grievances of the men. Report of committee accepted only in part by the Postmaster-General. Continued demand of the men for a select committee. Concessions granted to the men by Mr. Buxton, the Postmaster-General. Select committee appointed. Their report adopted by Mr. Buxton. Continued dissatisfaction among the men. | | CHAPTER V | The Travellers' Post and Post Horses | 89 | | Horses provided by the postmasters. Complaints concerning the letting of horses. Monopoly in letting horses granted to the postmasters. Reforms during Witherings' administration. Fees charged. Postmasters' monopoly abridged. Licences required and duties levied. These duties let out to farm. Licences and fees re-adjusted. | | CHAPTER VI | Roads and Speed | 97 | | Post roads in the sixteenth century. Speed at which mails were carried in the sixteenth century. Abuses during first part of the seventeenth century. New roads opened. Roads in Ireland and Scotland. First cross post road established in 1698. Improvement in speed. Delays in connection with Irish packet boats. Increased speed obtained from use of railways. | | CHAPTER VII | Sailing Packets and Foreign Connections | 109 | | Establishment of first regular sailing packets. Sailing packets in the seventeenth century. Difficulty with the Irish Office. Postal communications with the continent during the sixteenth century. Witherings improves the foreign service. Agreements with foreign postmasters-general. Expressions of dissatisfaction. Treaties with France. King William's interest in the Harwich sailing packets. Effect of the war with France. Postal communications with France improved. Dummer's West Indian packet boats. Other lines. Increase in number of sailing packets. Steam packets introduced by the Post Office. They are badly managed and prove a financial loss. Report against government ownership of the steam packets. Ship letter money. Question of carriage of goods. Trouble with custom's department adjusted. Methods of furnishing supplies for the packet boats. Abuses in the sailing packet service reformed. Expenses. Sailing packets transferred to the Admiralty. Committee reports against principle of government ownership of packet boats and payment of excessive sums to contractors. Abandonment of principle of government ownership. General view of packet services in existence at middle of the nineteenth century. Contracts with steamship companies. Controversy with the companies. General view of the packet service in 1907 with principles adopted in concluding contracts. Expenses of sailing packets. | | CHAPTER VIII | Rates and Finance | 135 | Foreign rates, 1626. First inland rates, 1635. Rates prescribed by Council of State, 1652. Rates collected by the Farmers of the Posts. First rates established by act of Parliament, 1657. Slightly amended, 1660. Separate rates for Scotland, 1660. Scotch rates, 1695. Rates to and within Jamaica. In American Colonies, 1698. Increased rates, inland, colonial and foreign, 1711. Controversy over rates on enclosures. Slight reductions in rates, 1765. Increases in 1784, 1796, 1801. In Ireland, 1803. For United Kingdom a further increase, 1805. Culminating point of high rates, 1812. Changes in Irish rates, 1810, 1813, 1814. Rates on "ships' letters," 1814. Irish rates to be collected in British currency, 1827. Reduction in rates between England and France, 1836. Consolidating act of 1837. Rates by contractors' packet boats, 1837. Rates charged according to weight in certain cases, 1839. Inland penny postage adopted and basis of rate-charging changed to weight, 1840. Franking privilege, 1652. Abused. Attempt to curtail the use of franks only partially successful. Curtailment so far as members of Parliament are concerned. Estimated loss from franking. Enquiry into question of franking. Further attempts to control the abuse prove fruitless. Extension of franking privilege especially on newspapers. Abolition of franking privilege, 1840. Reductions in letter, newspaper, and book post rates. Re-directed letter and registration fees. Inland parcel post established. Postcards introduced. Concessions of 1884 and Jubilee concessions. Foreign and colonial rates reduced. Reductions in money order and postal note rates. Telegraph money order rates.
Finances of the Post Office before the seventeenth century. From beginning of seventeenth century to Witherings' reforms. From 1635 to 1711. During the remainder of the eighteenth century. Finances of Scotch and Irish Posts. Of the London Penny Post. From bye and cross post letters. Finances of the Post Office from the beginning of the nineteenth century to 1840. Since the introduction of inland penny postage. | | CHAPTER IX | The Question of Monopoly | 189 | | Rival methods available for the conveyance of letters. Government's monopolistic proclamation the result of an attempt to discover treasonable correspondence. Competition diminishes under Witherings' efficient management. House of Commons declares itself favourable to competition. Changes its attitude when in control of the posts. Monopoly of government enforced more rigorously. Carriers' posts largely curtailed. London's illegal Half-penny Post. Attempts to evade the payment of postage very numerous during the first half of the nineteenth century. Different methods of evasion outlined. | | CHAPTER X | The Telegraph System as a Branch of the Postal Department | 202 | | The telegraph companies under private management. Proposals for government ownership and Mr. Scudamore's report. Conditions under which the telegraph companies were acquired. Public telegraph business of the railways. Cost of acquisition. Rates charged by the government. Reduction in rates in 1885. Guarantee obligations reduced. Underground lines constructed. Telegraphic relations with the continent. Position of the government with reference to the wireless telegraph companies. Attempts to place the government telegraphs on a paying basis do not prove a success. Financial aspect of the question. Reasons given for the lack of financial success. | | CHAPTER XI | The Post Office and the Telephone Companies | 219 | | Telephones introduced into England. Judicial decision in favour of the department. Restricted licences granted the companies. Feeble attempt on the part of the department to establish exchanges. Difficulties encountered by the companies. Popular discontent with the policy of the department leads to granting of unrestricted licences. Way-leave difficulties restrict efficiency of the companies. Agreement with National Telephone Company and acquisition of the trunk lines by the department. Demand for competition from some municipalities leads to granting of licences to a few cities and towns. The department itself establishes a competing exchange in London. History of the exchanges owned and operated by the municipalities. Struggle between the London County Council and the company's exchange in London. Relation between the company's and the department's London exchanges. Agreement with the company for the purchase of its exchanges in 1911. Financial aspect of the department's system. | | CHAPTER XII APPENDIX | Expenditure and Revenue Tables | 243 | | Bibliography | 253 | | Index | 259 |
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