Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/249

 selling the two-shilling booklet of stamps at face value.

Speaking of advertisements, a certain world-famous pill manufacturer once approached H. H. with an offer to pay the G.P.O. £15,000 a year for the privilege of printing "Use ——'s Pills," on every postmark!

H. H. made no secret of the fact that he considered Mr Herbert Samuel the greatest Postmaster-General England has ever had. When My Samuel left the Post Office, in 1914, H. H. wrote him the following letter, from Nice.

Your leaving the Post Office is to me a calamity. The British people lose the best Postmaster-General, and I lose a singularly generous and noble-minded friend from that Department, far and away the most just and able administrator during the past thirty years. You have removed scores of petty and worrying annoyances made by pettyfogging officials in former years. You have taken the first important steps for the reduction of telegraph rates to the Continent of Europe, and I know that you were on the point of carrying penny postage between France and England.

Private.

I very much doubt if your new position gives you the opportunities you deserve of serving your country to its best advantage.

Health and strength to you in the years to come.