Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/250

 As is only fitting, P.M.G.'s seem to have a particularly pleasing gift of letter writing :

My best thanks for your letter of the 5th.

I hope you spend your days buying halfpenny post cards for halfpence, and penny letter-cards for pennies!

I will inquire about the charge on telegrams to Broadstairs and send you a reply shortly.

I am glad that at last you have been willing to accept an Honour—you have certainly well earned it.

It is a satisfaction to me to know, and to feel, that for so many years, and especially during the time I was Postmaster-General, our relations were of such a friendly character; and I was very sorry when you left the House.

At the same time, as I have more than once suggested to you, I am sure that you never gave sufficient credit to the desire on the part of the officials of the Post Office—not to speak of the Postmaster-General—to carry out useful and satisfactory reforms. Every suggested proposal is not, of course, necessarily either useful or satisfactory.

It is easier to suggest reforms than to carry them out; and I remember, in this connection, quoting to the House, in one of my Estimate's speeches, the old saying that "anybody can turn up Genesis, but it takes an able-bodied man to find Hosea!"

The real fact is that, even though a postal reform may be a very good one, and be accepted in principle, time, money, and opportunity (especially where another