Page:The Post Office of Fifty Years Ago.djvu/95

Rh "If a postman were to deliver the whole of his letters as he went along, not taking the money for any of them, and returned through his walk, and then collected the money, would they not all be delivered much earlier than they are now?—Certainly.

"And would it require more hands to do it than are now employed?—No.

"The man going back to receive the postage of the early letters must pass by the doors where he has delivered letters and received the postage?—Yes: I will describe the operation in two or three districts this morning: I will take Lombard-street, where the number of letters that were delivered this morning was 637.

"In Lombard-street?—Yes. The amount of postage £25 14s. 3d.

"You are confining yourself now to Lombard-street?—The Lombard-street district: Lombard-street, Clement's-lane, Nicholas-lane, and various courts.

"Are you speaking of the general delivery?—I am speaking of the total number of letters sorted for that district—the Lombard-street district.

"And that were carried out by Letter Carriers?—That were carried out by Letter Carriers this morning; there were 637 letters, the amount of postage £25 14s. 3d. Of this number of letters, 570 were delivered early.

"Could you state the time within which they were delivered?—All in half an hour.