Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/332

 of fines for breaking the halfpenny post regulations. It is said that only two persons in the world—postal officials—profess to understand what is a letter, as distinguished from a circular letter, and that these two eminent authorities disagree. Miss W., a Dulwich Church worker, sent out twenty-one circulars (halfpenny postage) for help for Guy's Hospital. Every recipient was fined double the letter deficiency, because the amount of the subscription due was written and not printed.

She defied the regulation, and the subscribers must pay. Every English subject is presumed to know postal law.

An individual complains that postmen are now no longer allowed in rural districts to purchase Postal Orders at the local office for the public and enclose them in letters left open for the purpose. Another man complains that the rural postman is not allowed to take a letter asking for a Postal Order to his postmaster unless the letter bears a penny stamp.

Postmen, rural or urban, must obey me. They are the servants of the department, not of the public. Refuse.

What shall I say in reply to this?

I venture to bring to your notice a hardship to anyone buying a Government annuity. That is, the necessity of first selling out of the Government funds, at present at great loss. Surely a simple form of transfer might do instead.

For example, I wish to buy a Government annuity, but I do not wish in my old age to scramble on less than seventy pounds a year. That sum I could get after my next birthday but for this selling out, which would reduce my capital so much (as the funds now