Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/295

 {{c|{{sc|"Merely a Postman"}}}

Sir Henniker Heaton said: "One thought saves me from being utterly abashed at this great representative gathering. It is the belief that I am merely a letter-carrier or postman, and from the kindly light in your eyes I see you are going to 'tip the postman' for bringing you letters of love from the millions of our brothers and cousins beyond the seas, who have now free, untaxed, unimpeded postal communication with the Mother Country.

"If the British Government will spend as much money in electrical communications as she did in mail subsidies seventy years ago we can have penny-a-word cables to our most distant possessions.

“Let us take warning by the Tower of Babel, and teach the workers in our great fabric of Empire to converse freely—it cannot be too freely; and electricity is the heaven-sent agency which has been placed at our disposal.

"Let us adopt the formula, 'Twelve words for a shilling.' With this simple incantation we can transform the Empire, quadruple its resources, multiply its strength, fill the National Exchequer, and make the face of the poor toiler radiant with happiness."

During the evening the following letter was read from Mr Herbert Samuel:

,—I greatly regret that, being confined to my room by doctor's orders, I cannot be present to-night at the gathering which will be held under the presidency of the Lord Mayor of London, to pay fitting recognition to Sir Henniker Heaton for his lifelong service to postal reform.

As the latest of the long line of Postmasters-General whom he has harassed so efficiently and with so much