Part 56

"'3. All Post-office accounting is entirely suppressed.

"'4. All pains and penalties with reference to the conveyance of letters are abolished.'

"That is very simple, I admit--much too simple; and I anticipate a host of objections.

"That the system I propose may be attended with drawbacks is not the question; but whether yours is not attended with more.

"In sober earnest, can the two (except as regards revenue) be put in comparison for a moment?

"Examine both. Compare them as regards facility, convenience, despatch, simplicity, order, economy, justice, equality, multiplication of transactions, public satisfaction, moral and intellectual development, civilizing tendency; and tell me honestly if it is possible to hesitate a moment.

"I shall not stop to enlarge on each of these considerations--I give you the headings of twelve chapters, which I leave blank, persuaded that no one can fill them up better than yourself.

"But since there is one objection--namely, revenue--I must say a word on that head.

"You have constructed a table in order to show that even at twopence the revenue would suffer a loss of £880,000.

"At a penny, the loss Would be £1,120,000, and at a halfpenny, of £1,320,000; hypotheses so frightful that you do not even formulate them in detail.

"But allow me to say that the figures in your report dance about with a little too much freedom. In all your tables, in all your calculations, you have the tacit reservation of coteris paribus. You assume that the cost will be the same under a simple as under a complicated system of administration--the same number of letters with the present average postage of 4 1/2d. as with the uniform rate of twopence. You confine yourself to this rule of three: if 87 millions of letters at 4d. yield so much, then at 2d. the same number will yield so much; admitting, nevertheless, certain distinctions when they militate against our proposed reform.

"In order to estimate the real sacrifice of revenue, we must, first of all, calculate the economy in the service which will be effected; then in what proportion the amount of correspondence will be augmented. We take this last datum solely into account, because we cannot suppose that the saving of cost which will be realized will not be met by an increased personnel rendered necessary by a more extended service.

"Undoubtedly, it is impossible to fix the exact amount of increase in the circulation of letters which the reduction of postage would cause, but in such matters a reasonable analogy has always been admitted.

"You yourself admit that in England a reduction of seven-eighths in the rate has caused an increase of correspondence to the extent of 360 per cent.

"Here, the lowering to 5 centimes (a halfpenny) of the rate which is at present at an average of something less than 4 1/2d., would constitute likewise a reduction of seven-eighths. We may therefore be allowed to expect the same result--that is to say, 417 millions of letters, in place of 116 millions.

"But let us count on 300 millions.

"Is there any exaggeration in assuming that with a rate of postage one half less, we shall reach an average of 8 letters to each inhabitant when in England they have reached 13.

Now 300 millions of letters, at 5 centimes, give, 15

100 millions of journals and prints, at 5 centimes, give 5

The present expense (which may diminish) is.

31 Deducting for mail steamers,....5

There remains for despatches, travellers, and money parcels,....26

Net product,......2

At present the net product is.....19

"Now I ask whether the Government, which makes a positive sacrifice of 800 millions (£32,000,000) per annum in order to facilitate the gratuitous transport of passengers, should not make a negative sacrifice of 17 millions, in order not to make a gain upon the transmission and circulation of ideas?

"But the Treasury, I am aware, has its own habits, and with whatever complacence it sees its receipts increase, it feels proportional disappointment in seeing them diminished by a single farthing. It seems to be provided with those admirable valves which in the human frame allow the blood to flow in one direction, but prevent its return. Be it so. The Treasury is perhaps a little too old for us to quicken its pace. We have no hope, therefore, that it will give in to us. But what will be said if I, Jacques Bonhomme, show it a way which is simple, easy, convenient, and essentially practical, of doing a great service to the country without its costing a single farthing?

"The Post-office yields a gross return to the Treasury of.....50 millions

Total yield of these three services, 280 millions.